Stories by: Scott Spanbauer

Windows Vista debuted to muffled applause, followed by lackluster sales. Up until June 30, cash-strapped businesses looking to avoid the cost of upgrading to new Vista-compatible hardware could still purchase trusty Windows XP. Now, however, Windows XP is available only as a costly "downgrade" from Windows Vista--if you buy a copy of Vista, you can install the 6-year-old XP operating system using the Vista license.

For many users, getting started with Linux is surprisingly easy. New, friendlier versions of the free operating system, such as Fedora and Ubuntu, feature straightforward menus and automated installations that make switching from Windows to Linux a relatively simple process.

Get Dapper Drake running on slower systems and prepare your Linux installation for attack with this Here's How.

Virtual computing is the flavour of the moment. Scott Spanbauer lets you in on the best ways to keep your os at arm's length.

There are installation CDs and Live CDs, but did you know that you can install Linux over the Internet as well?

Windows XP, left unpatched, is vulnerable to malware that can make it shrivel up and die within a few minutes of being connected to the Internet. Even after patching, Windows is still subject to virus and spyware attacks that make third-party security tools a must. Linux, on the other hand, has a reputation for being relatively impervious to attack via the Net. But is it really immune to the threats that stalk Windows?

Not all of us are ready to go completely linux. Here's how you can have your cake and eat it.

Is Linux ready for the masses? Until recently the answer was a resounding no. No matter how fervently consumers wished for a Windows alternative, Linux was simply too difficult for the average user to get up and running. Corel has attempted to change that!