Interesting information. Thanks to all. I'm not doubting any of the remarks about Linux, and I've heard similar elsewhere, though not as detailed. I have to wonder though, if it's that much better, why do market forces continue to reward Microsoft? Inertia, perhaps but it does sound as though MS is sorta getting their act together.

My inclination is to buy the Gateway and look for an upgrade to W7 pro. I've been using XP pro and it's just smoother than home. Ditto for the Word, Excell - what's that, the office package? My B-i-L gave me a copy of an E. Europe CD with office pro on it and it's just better than the homely home version. I might want to go with the XP motif, sometimes change is just gimmicky - I liked the feel of XP well enough

Then I'm thinking to experiment with LINUX on this Gateway I'm typing on now. It's a long way from dead but something isn't right. I did the web search for laptop lifespan and the consensus was 6 years was about the best you're going to get on average. I've been using the external fan thingy since the beginning (thanks to advice from the long gone leBenz) and I think it helps. My old Dell would get hot as hell - the table under it would be way hot after an hour or so of use, and heat is what kills them, or so the scuttlebutt goes.

I've had unpleasant experiences with Apple in the past also though I've not used the latest generation.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K