Published at LXer:

What's involved in a switch from Windows to Linux? An editor and a couple of readers posed that question after last week's column. Given the proliferation of cheap Linux-based "netbooks" it is worth a systematic look. For newbies, the more stand-alone, Internet-oriented your computing, the more likely you are to find Linux a good substitute for other operating systems. That's because your interaction with the Net is mediated by a browser and e-mail program, making the operating system less relevant. Conversely, if you're in an institutional Windows-based environment, you may find it difficult to make the transition.

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