"Is there an alternative to all this? Quite possibly, and its name is Linux — specifically, Ubuntu Linux. Version 9.10 is expected to debut Oct. 29.
"The nice thing about Ubuntu is that it really is free: Just download a disc image at www.ubuntu.com, burn a CD or DVD, and you're ready to install it on a computer near you. (Ubuntu will work on Intel-based computers; PowerPC-based machines can find some new life with a Linux distribution called Debian, available at debian.org.)
"I haven't played with 9.10 yet, but I have used the most recent "stable" release, Ubuntu 9.04. It's a very nice operating system: graphical, easy to learn, and equipped, out of the gate, with a Web browser, e-mail client and productivity suite. It loaded on my system without crashing the main OS, and it ran well. I could connect to the Internet without hassle, and thus had a world of options open to me."
