Finally going to make the jump to Linux. HD crash on an Insperon 6000 laptop gives me a perfect opportunity. Past history - Been part time IT since '80s. Some Unix, mostly Windows. No Linux. Looking at Kubuntu 8.10 but after reading some posts here I am wondering if I should start with 8.04. Or would it be best to stick to Ubuntu to start? The computer is used mostly for graphics editing and running sales presentations. Any input would be helpful.

You can use either or, I would suggest using 8.10 as it will be the most up to date.

I have both setups - 8.04 "Hardy Heron" 64-bit on my desktop (3 users, one of them only semi-literate in computers but stuck to Linux since the very beginning - my "success case") and 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex" 64-bit on my "El-Cheapo" Celeron laptop (of which I'm the sole user). Both feature the ease of install and use that are characteristic of Ubuntu. Since you specifically speak "Kubuntu" I'd recommend 8.04 for daily use, as it comes with KDE 3.5 (the stable, mature version of KDE) and is the current LTS (long-term support) version of Ubuntu, supported until 2011. 8.10 has made the jump to KDE 4, which is the bleeding-edge version of KDE and comes with a radically (IMHO) new design which may take some getting used to (even for Windows users). The round-up: 8.04 is the way to go if you want a stable working environment, and 8.10 is the way to go if you want to try the latest new features.