Thanks for the words of advise and expertise. In the beginning I'll compile
some of that information for later.

As it turned out, I didn't pay attention to the processor-type noted in the
Ubuntu download. After a nearly 9-hour download, the ubuntu version was the
wrong one for my machine. When I signed up for the free CD, will I find it also
is for the wrong processor? ...or are both processor-types supported on the
single CD? I'm in no hurry so I'll wait for the physical CD before continuing.

I tried Slackware and RedHat many years ago but could not get past the
preparatory part of the installations. Living on an island in the middle of the
Pacific didn't make getting help any easier. I was not privy to Yahoo! groups
at that time.

R. Nelson Canniff: With Y! Groups, geographical location is not so important.
So thanks go clear out to New York. "Experience is the best teacher" may be
true but it uses the most unorthodox teaching method... It gives the test first
and the instruction comes later.

Thanks for the individual rundown on all my questions. Since I'm
still brand new to Linux I appreciate the attention to detail.

I have one spare, old HP Pavilion fx145 machine to experiment on.
It was not listed on the Linux equipment page.

For those of you who are wondering, the temp was 72 today with gentle breezes
from the north. It was cool but comfortable today.