For many years, we only had MacOS machines in the house. In fact, for many years, that was the only thing we would consider letting into the house.

Part of the problem is financial - we just so little disposable income that there's not been enough to buy a new computer since the Apple IIgs was introduced (My first computers werre Apple IIs...).

So, during the 2003 winter, when a friend asked if I would mind if he gave one of the kids a computer for Christmas, I was taken aback. One, by the generosity and kindness, and two, because it violated a principle that I had held for years - Windows is a nuisance, bother, and a down right offensive environment.

However, we are forced into dealing with Windows at school frequently, and at the homes of friends, church, etc. And the machine was free, etc.

So I hesitantly said "Sure".

It's given us so much trouble over the past 3-4 months.

Not that Macs and Apple IIs were perfect. The kids frequently would screw around with preferences, etc. and end up hosing the computer up. Generally I could untangle things, but the last desktop at home that I was using was taken out after a fun night by the kids. I ended up getting a SPARC Solaris box just so I could read mail, etc.

Now understand - this windows box is not on the internet. The kids are not bringing home
programs from their friends. But it is still a pain.

For example, the machine is running Windows 98 - that's what the fellow who bought it could afford, he had some Windows 98 software he couldn't use and wanted to give it to someone, so that was fine.

But we see cases where Windows Media Player just stops - and freezes the system. The mouse has, over the past few months, deteriorated until it's nearly unusable. And so on.

I'd love to put Linux on the machine. But I don't want to screw up the programs that are there on the disk . Someday, maybe I'll break down, buy a SCSI card, and take the spare scsi internal disk I have ,
put it on the machine, and put linux on there.