I am typing this on an Acer Aspire One netbook which came with Linux installed.

The Linpus Linux Lite on the Aspire One seems to have had some bad press for being somewhat "inadequate" but is fine for the netbook. There is an excellent user forum plus a blog which has all sorts of info. As a result I have been able to install the GIMP and VLC media player as well as upgrading to Firefox 3 and Open Office 3 and once I got the hang of it, the process was all straightforward.

What I have noticed in particular is how much quicker everything runs than with Windows. Even though the AA1 has a slower processor and less RAM than my desktop PC with WinXP, the AA1 generally runs much quicker.

The AA1 is not suitable as a main computer - too small but its small size is very useful. I took it to South Africa when I visited my brother in the autumn. Its small size was very handy - I could easily carry it in my hand baggage, but I was able to put photos on both to take out and take home. All in all, an excellent little computer.

I have an old laptop and I am planning to use it to try another flavour of Linux. I have downloaded ubuntu and have burnt it on to a CD ready to install.