Here's a happy newbie! I lost my Commodore Amiga 1000 to my 'father' when I graduated high school. It never occurred to me he might have a claim on it. 25 years later, I finally learned enough about Windows to realize it wasn't going to do what I wanted until after I got good and used to it doing what it wanted. The Linux community, whom I only know thru software and docs, seems to have everything I've been waiting for and had it before I started waiting!! My interests include all forms of automation, energy scavenging, and permaculture. One of my first sharable programs will regulate the speed of a pinwheel which is driven by cpu heat. Benefits: the only hardware added is paper!