Background
I was given a couple of laptops that were being replaced by a client i was working for a number of years ago. I built one as a Windows XP device and one as a Ubuntu Linux device.
When i first got the HP NC6000 it had 500MB of memory. I later upgraded it to 1GB by adding an extra 500MB of memory and also added a Bluetooth module and Wi-Fi module which had not been originally installed. All of these were purchased on EBay for a fraction of the original list prices.
The Ubuntu Linux software install was very straightforward and i used it as a mobile remote terminal allowing me to access my home and office systems with Terminal Server. Linux laptops boot much more quickly than the Windows XP of an equivalent hardware specification.
I installed Open Office to provide word processing, spreadsheets, drawing and desktop database facilities.
When Microchip MPLABX IDE was released i was able to install it and develop Microchip PIC projects on both Windows XP and Linux platforms.
When i first got the HP NC6000 it had 500MB of memory. I later upgraded it to 1GB by adding an extra 500MB of memory and also added a Bluetooth module and Wi-Fi module which had not been originally installed. All of these were purchased on EBay for a fraction of the original list prices.
The Ubuntu Linux software install was very straightforward and i used it as a mobile remote terminal allowing me to access my home and office systems with Terminal Server. Linux laptops boot much more quickly than the Windows XP of an equivalent hardware specification.
I installed Open Office to provide word processing, spreadsheets, drawing and desktop database facilities.
When Microchip MPLABX IDE was released i was able to install it and develop Microchip PIC projects on both Windows XP and Linux platforms.
I keep the desktop very simple and clean with shortcuts for the applications i use.
I use Remote Desktop viewer and Terminal Server Client to access my home and office network remotely from other locations. Both applications are part of the Linux installation.
For security i use a VPN, again part of the Linux installation to use remote access.
It is also possible to access disk storage at my home and office by mapping Windows disk drives while using remote access.
If i am traveling i often use the Linux laptop to access my main desktop at home which i use as a Server for applications, email and data.
In this picture Terminal Server Client on the Linux Laptop is being used to access desktop PC, in this case Outlook.
To make access easy and to protect my data and personal information i use a Dynamic DNS (DDNS) to access my home equipment remotely. I can remotely switch on and off disk drives and printers etc which allows me to reduce power consumption and operating costs. The hardware and software to do this was designed and constructed by myself a number of years ago.
Soon after i set up the Linux laptop i upgraded its hardware.
I purchased wi-fi and Bluetooth modules on E-Bay.
Here the wi-fi module is being prepared for installation into the NC600 laptop.
In this picture the Bluetooth module is being prepared for installation.
Previously external Bluetooth and wi-fi modules were initially used which plugged into the USB ports.
Although the Laptop worked quite satisfactorily with 512MB of memory when MPLABX was installed it slowed down quite significantly so memory modules purchased on E-Bay were installed increasing the memory to 1GB.
This greatly improved the overall performance when MPLABX was running.
Overall i was very happy with the Linux laptop. It booted up quickly and its performance was good. At the time of writing(2016) it is well out of the LTS(Long Term Support) period but is still working well. Given its age now i do not ask too much of it but use it for routine tasks which it does efficiently.