Email’s really no different under Linux. Fair number of email clients available for Linux–true of all the basic stuff. I use Mozilla Thunderbird under Windows (I believe it’s the old Eudora program), and it’s available for Linux. T-Bird’s a nice reliable, if unglamorous, workhorse.

Ubuntu probably comes with the FireFox Web browser. One drawback is that they recently dropped Flash support, which pisses me off a bit. I found that Google Chrome installed without a hitch under Linux, and that’s what I use on my Linux home system. It still supports Flash, so I’m able to keep watching Amazon videos on my living room Linux box.

Speaking of which, the place where I’ve had the most aggravation with Linux is in the area of media. Linux and DRM (digital rights management, aka copy protection) have been enemies ever since DVD encryption was cracked so that Linux users could play DVDs, and so major vendors of licensed media players have boycotted Linux. Linux users have to jump through hoops to do things with media that Windows and Mac users take for granted.

If you need to play video, I’d recommend installing the VLC media player. It’s probably available as an Ubuntu package; see if the command line incantation “yum install vlc” brings satisfaction. VLC is a Swiss-Army knife video tool–it also translates and reformats video as well as playing it. The Ubuntu package probably includes the hacks to enable it to play DVDs and BluRay, but sometimes that’s a bit dicey and you’ll need to go searching for grey-market add-ons.

BTW, what kind of add-ons did you pay $2 apiece for? I’m a little surprised, since there’s so much open-source and public domain Linux software. Most of the time getting new software is just a matter of typing that little “yum install …” prayer at the command line. Where did you download it? If from the Ubuntu project itself, probably they’re doing a little fundraising, and I wouldn’t begrudge them a few bucks. But if from somebody else, watch out for people trying to gouge unnecessary fees from the unsuspecting. Question why you should ever pay for anything Linux.

So how about a status report, bowser?

I wonder if your new E: drive shows up in the boot menu. I really don’t know anything, just thinking out loud.

It downloaded itself onto a virtual E: drive it created, and I can’t do anything else with it. Will take more research.

Could I download a bootable version of Ubuntu, erase Windows 8, and load it into the laptop or should I download a bootable version of Ubuntu and THEN try to erase Windows 8?

How would email work? Would I download some program for it and transfer the settings? Would my email on Vista still work?

Thanks a lot for the expertise. It’s invaluable and appreciated.

Putting Linux on the laptop is quite feasible. Linux was designed for PC hardware as a direct replacement for Windows. But only the operating system is installed–you won’t get any of the PC programs you might need to work with your data.

So if you go that route, you’ll have to look for Linux replacements for your programs or lose your data. There are a number of equivalents available for major Windows software, notably OpenOffice, which can read any of your Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint…). In the realm of graphics there’s lots of open-source Linux software that can read and write Windows files such as PhotoShop. Where you’re likely to be hurtin’ is if you have obscure/less popular software that nobody’s been motivated to port to Linux.

If it were me, bowser, my first step would be inventorying my data to get an inventory of the application software I’ll need to preserve access to my data.

Getting experience with Linux is a good idea, on the general principle that it’s smart to have an alternative to a monopolist/NSA-collaborator. But speaking of the NSA, here’s some irony for you: The most widely-used method to “harden” a Linux computer against security threats is to install software called “selinux”, which was written by…ta-da!…the NSA. That seems perverse at first blush–fox, henhouse, etc.–but it’s open-source software, meaning that hundreds of extremely paranoid programmers have gone over it with a fine-tooth comb and haven’t found any sneaky back doors or trojans. It may very well be an honest attempt to improve computer security for everybody. Will wonders never cease!

Good luck, bowser. Keep us posted on this latest adventure. At least you won’t be risking heat stroke, dude!