Question to Wollensac: You povided a very crisp and forceful arguement and reasoning as to why Windows should not be used to browse. Can you refer me to any liturature that can do as good a job explaining things like you? I am sorely in need of it. You say that when using Linux the downloaded stuff goes into the data partition and is isolated. Is this what happens when one downloads using a Mac? In the demo I saw the salesperson said all the downloads go to a "special file". I assume this is it. Being a non techie I was wondering how do you get it out ( I do not know what an exe file is

).
Answer: In Ubuntu, 99% of all available software is obtained from the Ububtu "mirror". You select the software you want from the "Synaptic Package Manager", which is available to you once you install Ubuntu on your computer. Ubuntu software is safe to use because it is proprietary - there is very little third party Linux code. An example of an exception is RealPlayer Gold for Linux that can be downloaded direct from Real.
Anything you download from the Synaptic Package Manager goes into the Program partition. You don't need to move it. Ubuntu will introduce you to the Synaptic immediately after you install because it will tell you there are new updates and will lead you through the process of running Synaptic to load the new updates.
Anything downloaded from anywhere else goes to the data partition. The assumption is that you are downloading videos, pictures or documents to look at. Even if you downloaded an executable file, it woul not be executable because Linux will not execute programs from the data partition. This is why hidden viruses can' t harm Linux, they are in the data partition and can't execute.
An exe is a windows executable program. "exe" is the suffix in the program name. So for example RealPlayer.exe is a windows executable program you can use to play audio or video files. In fact, if you double click on any file with an "exe" on the end, Windows will try and run it.
I sat down at the computer last night for several hours going to help sites for Ubuntu. Lots of help BUT I noticed that many had severe problems just trying to download to their computer so they could dual boot. Some of the language and terms I ccould not begin to understand. While I now have more desire than ever to become a quasi-techie, I know I need some source (understandable) information. Not stuff written techie to techie. Any references?
Answer:
I have loaded Ubuntu Linux on upwards of thirty different computers. In all cases I was on the Internet within an hour.
I started by loading Ubuntu on old desktop computers that I bought for as little as $15. I learned by doing, not by reading, and I am not a techie at all. Nearly all operating system knowledge is best achieved by trying things.
My advice would be to pick up an old Pentium 3 machine for $25 at a computer recycler,
add a monitor mouse and keyboard, put the Ubuntu disk in the CD-Rom drive, load the operating system and play with it. The Ubuntu install disk has everything you need to get started. You can load the same Ubuntu disk a second time, and the Ubuntu install program will detect that you already have Ubuntu installed and will offer you the option of having the two of them running sided-by-side, which is dual boot! Next time you power the machine up, you will be given a menu allowing you to choose which one you want to run!
I hate being at the mercy of the operating system I am using. I want to streamline it for my purposes and know what the fuck is going on. I almost took the plunge last night and attempted to download and install Ubuntu but I was on my girlfriends computer. I could feel it coming: GF: where are the pics I got from grandma last night, Dear? Me: What pics Dear? GF: Oh the ones I downloaded to my hard drive! Me: What hard drive Dear!!??
Answer:
As above, load an old expendable machine and play with it. What you learn will be transferable to other machines and operating systems. The older machines have had all the bugs ironed out and are Linux-ready. Most people having trouble with Linux are probably trying to install it on the very latest computers, which are probably experiencing teething probles regardless of what operating system is installed.i