I just installed Linux (Lubuntu) as a dual-boot on an older XP netbook. (For the uninitiated, a "dual-boot" simply means that you're given a menu to choose which operating system will load during startup.) Mostly I will run Linux (esp. when online), but by keeping XP available I have the option to handle a native Word file if I really need to. BTW, I can't say enough about the Lubuntu installer; it handled everything including partitioning the hard drive without requiring any sudo-fu. (Lubuntu also runs on systems with as little as 512MB RAM while still giving a Windows-ish graphical interface and real web browsers. Not too shabby. End of commercial.)
Good for you, its pretty easy isn't it. Installing windows on anything takes forever between applying all the patches and updates and drivers, I'm finding Linux to be easier.
Apparently the next (and last) two "Patch Tuesdays" for XP machines will include a pop-up warning from Microsoft regarding end of life support. There are also hints of a skinny, ad-driven version of 8 being offered for cheap/free, but I'll believe it when I see it.
BTW, Linux folks shouldn't get too smug. Just as Apple recovers from a gaping security hole, a serious hole of similar size has been found in Linux and affects most of the major distributions:
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/03/...-eavesdropping/The big difference between Apple/Microsoft and Linux is not that any of the three are immune to issues, its how they react. Apple and Microsoft will spend as much time trying to hide problems as they do fixing them. The Linux world will come up with a fix quickly and you can just install it and go back to life.
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