I live in Portland, Oregon, where open source is not just the favored software methodology but a way of life. Yet despite my buddies sporting their Linux user group laptop stickers, I was desperately afraid. It sounded hard. It sounded geeky.

Then I needed a new laptop. I was going freelance and sending my corporate laptop back to the mothership. The refurbished Dell Latitude I bought was only $245 but came without an operating system. My geeky friends suggested Ubuntu -- the free operating system Linux users consider a beginner's option. I'd save a few hundred dollars on Microsoft Vista and the Office suite; and I didn't have the extra money so it was really my only option. That or spend a lot of time at the public library.

I received my new laptop a few weeks before I would have to send back my old ones, so I had time to burn a copy of the Ubuntu operating system onto a disk (note: use the slowest possible burn speed for best results). After a few mis-starts due to badly copied images (see note), I had my computer running Ubuntu and Open Office and had entered the ranks of true geekdom. While occasionally I have to peek nervously into Ubuntu help forums to figure out how to install something, and still can't figure out how to watch videos on ABC.com, I can do all the work I could do with my bloated Microsoft system. It feels good supporting something that's community-based; Bill Gates has enough money. What's more, the laptop doesn't come packed with 100 different icons cluttering the desktop (Try NetZero!). When my husband told me he wanted to get his great uncle a computer (so he can get church emails), I told him unequivocally: go Ubuntu!

I still haven't been to a Linux user's group. Baby steps...

On my previous laptop, which crapped out earlier this year, I used Trend Micro's anti-virus program. When it came up for auto renewal yesterday, I canceled it, having found ESET more to my liking. To cancel, I had to agree to the terms of cancellation, which read, in part-

"Customer acknowledges that any continued use of the software product constitutes a willful copyright infringement on the part of Customer. By law, Customer may be liable for civil damages (including attorneys' fees) of up to 150,000 USD for each willful copyright infringement." (bold mine)

To renew the software would have cost me $44.95. To buy it new, $49.95. Using it without a valid license could cost me $150,000!!? This is not only absurd, it is symptomatic of an industry that views its customers as enemies, and spends as much time and money handcuffing us as it does developing better software. I quit using Trend Micro, and Norton Anti-virus before it, because both programs insisted on acting contrary to my wishes, and both companies wasted huge chunks of my time when I resorted to customer service.

My advice? Don't buy Trend Micro; let them soak some other sucker for $150 large, for its two-bit software. Find a company that wants your business, one that sees the user as a customer to be cultivated, not a thief looking to steal the silver.

We're coming up on the deadline to order Microsoft's Office Ultimate for $60. The software includes all the usual Office programs -- Word, Excel, Outlook--plus PowerPoint, Groove, OneNote, and InfoPath. The deal is supposed to be only for students, but as the New York Times pointed out what Microsoft really requires is an email address that ends in .edu.

The Times called the deal a 91% off sale, counting a list price of $679. But who pays list anymore? Ultimate is on sale on Amazon for $400. Still, that's a pretty big sale -- 85% off. And it's certainly cheaper than just the regular version of Home office you may be buying with a new computer.

The question is: Are you a student or can you pass as one? The Times noted that anybody can probably get an .edu address from their college as an alumni. Now Microsoft has this condition that they can check up on you and if they catch you not being a student you have to pay full price, $679. Is this whole thing a ploy to get somebody to actually pay full price? Or is Microsoft not going to check? All they want is for you to be taking half a credit.

If Microsoft comes hounding you for $610, I'd have to wonder if you could just sign up for a community college gym class. Might be the smartest option.

In 1994, when I was 24 and living in Los Angeles, there was a serious earthquake. I'd been a resident for two years by then, so it wasn't exactly my first quake. But at 6.7 on the Richter Scale, it was definitely my most serious.

Known now as the Northridge quake, 57 people died, 12,000 residents were injured, buildings collapsed, cars were crushed, the electricity died across the city, and there was, quite literally, panic in the rubble-filled streets. Many businesses shut down for a day or two, and when it was all said and done, there was an estimated $12.5 billion in damage. The whole thing lasted approximately 20 seconds.

So it's wonderful to hear about an earthquake-sensing project that's in the making, that many people with a personal computer -- at least a new one -- will eventually be able to participate in. Elizabeth Cochran, a seismologist at University of California Riverside, came up with the idea in 2006, but according to a recent press release just issued by the University of California, the "Quake-Catcher Network" will be publicly released, tentatively this summer.

If you're in the market for anti-virus software, Norton anti-virus is available in a "grabber" offer right now at Buy.com . The software is the 2008 version of the popular Norton anti-virus application which regularly retails in the area of $59. Shipping is free but supplies are limited. As usual, be certain to read all the fine print before you buy.

Buy.com is offering two companion rebates on this product. The first is an "outright purchase rebate", available just for buying the product. The second rebate is called a "competitive / upgrade rebate" for previous users of Norton products and you'll want to check out the details which may apply. Remember, rebates are sales tools used to create and stimulate consumer interest. Companies win when you don't follow through on rebate redemption, so sometimes they make it tricky for you to claim your rebate. It appears that the rebates in this offer will come in the form of a Visa debit card rather than a check.

Consumer reviews on this product are generally positive, with an average product rating of 4.5 out of 5 points. However, reviewers seem to indicate that the software will not accommodate operating systems older than Windows 2000. There are also hints that the software may not be real friendly with Windows Vista either. Overall, the comments I reviewed were quite positive and people who needed additional customer service were generally satisfied with that experience.

I use a lot of software, some of which costs a lot of money, yet doesn't work they way I wish. (Yes, I'm dissing you, Microsoft). I'm delighted when I find a program that does just what I need, and for free. One that I use constantly is the excellent WordWeb.

Wordweb is a dictionary/thesaurus that you can download to your PC so that, even when offline, you can pull up definitions and synonyms with a single ctl-right-click. I've found Wordweb's lexicon broader and better defined than what is included with Microsoft Word, and quicker to access.

Best of all, Wordweb is a free download for most of us, thanks to the largess of its designer, Antony Lewis. An expanded version, Wordweb Pro, for $29 offers more words, pronunciations, and a more polished wild-card utilizing search function. Both versions are free of spyware and other annoying crap.

A caveat- One unusual feature of Wordweb is that Lewis requires anyone that takes more than two commercial air flights per year to upgrade to Wordweb Pro. This is his way of raising awareness of the environmental costs of such travel, and asking for money from those who can presumably afford it ,while keeping it free for those who can't.