I have a Mac at home and like it very well, but 've been thinking of trying Ubuntu. Thing is, I don't want to break the family computer --or even just make things more complicated. SWMBO doesn't like MACs as much as PCs in the first place, so I'm disinclined to rock the boat.

I've read that you can download Linux and a packet of basic freeware apps onto a flash drive of 4GB or so, which would give you a kind of ultra-portable computer, minus the little details like a processor, monitor, and keyboard of course. Have been thinking of trying it just for grins and seeing if I can get it to work; or maybe picking up a cheap laptop with a clean drive for Ubuntu-only use. But that's all idle speculation at this point.

Rich