Based on the number of users and support systems Ubuntu is my choice for new users. Some existing users haven't taken to the default windowing interface Unity that Ubuntu has created. I believe a big part of that is simply a reluctance to change. For many long term Linux users their choice of distribution has become very personal. Early adopters tended to be very technical and technical people have a passion for their technical choices. New Linux users don't have those barriers to change because they haven't as established personal ties. For them it's a combination of easy to get started and a ready sources of help. Ubuntu shines on both of those. I've been a software engineer since 1964 and a Linux user for over 10 years. I've been on Ubuntu since 6.04. Changing from the Gnome used by Ubuntu to the Unity desktop has had some bumps because it was new and I'd grown accustomed to something else. Any technology has a learning curve. I'm sold on Unity and readily recommend Ubuntu to new users knowing full well that with that recommendation comes an implied commitment to tech support.

IMHO in the US, Consumer Cellular is the best choice. Post paid without a contract and very inexpensive, half what I paid Verizon for a basic family plan with a $2.50/mo low use data plan. You can even get an Android phone on that low use data plan. You get emails telling you your usage and you can opt for a different plan before the bill comes and change back the next month. Nationwide plan with no gimmicks that uses the AT&T network. No one is more customer oriented.

Some medical equipment used for home telemedicine require landlines. One such piece of equipment is used to monitor my pacemaker which has an acoustic coupler -- shades of 300 baud dial up. These devices use analog modems which don't work on VOIP or cellular connections.

In 1964 when I started programming there were no Computer Science degrees and programmers of the day were split evenly between math and music majors. The ability for abstract thought was the basic requirement then. It was a different world. There were no "industry standards" like "C" or "*nix", everything was unique.

The title implies no GIMP in Ubuntu when it is only being removed from the install CD

I've a Dell 1420 running Ubuntu 9.04 and I still get 4.5 hours. It's an Intel duo with the optional 9 cell battery - 6 cell was standard.

The author complained about Ubuntu 9.10 having faults. 9.10 is at Alpa one level and not intended for production use. The test should have been with the latest release 9.04.

With Ubuntu you can easily do this by installing a single package that provides Apache, MySQL and PHP otherwise known as LAMP. Run the Synaptic package manager. Select the "Edit" menu and select "Mark packages by task". Select "LAMP server" and click Apply. Create /etc/apache2/httpd.conf with the following two line to enable PHP. AddType application/x-httpd-php .php .phtml AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps Run "sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart" and the configuration will be made.