Why do women very rarely reply to men on dating websites?

I have previously been involved in marketing dating websites and these days I am a member of a couple, including some free ones. I thought I would repeat an experiment that I did a few years ago.

Why do women very rarely reply to men on dating websites?

I have had a real profile of my own for over a year, but only recently put real effort into writing a profile that I would say is as good as I can do. A year ago I had some success talking to and meeting people and I felt it was probably due to people not wanting to be alone over Christmas. The same is true this year, I have had quite a few emails and dated a couple of people. Let's be clear I only spend a couple of hours a week emailing people and using individual emails, not copy and paste, people can spot that a mile off, especially when it's a cheesy poem or chat-up line.

Today I did the screenshots and 19 people want to 'meet me', well 19 people have not emailed me and my profile states that I do not have the 'meet me' feature and that they should message me. It turns out that the mobile app only shows my picture and location for this feature. To see my note about messaging you have to click the picture and scroll way down the page before you see it. How many people do that, we may never know!

So on Sunday 27th November 2016 I set up Jennifer's dating profile. For it to be a fair test I had to copy a decent picture from another site, I made her a professional woman, a marketing manager in her 50's (I am 58) and put her interests as theatre, walking fine dining. I did not make her sound desperate at all. Here's Jennifer -

Interests

• Theatre
• Fine dining
• Classical music

About Jennifer

Love to go to the theatre but would love to go with a special friend, also love cinema and walks

First Date

Coffee or wine bar

I made little effort on purpose, So how did Jennifer fair? 

Well after about 28 hours I had a look.

She has had 23 emails, the first arrived withing a minute of writing her profile, before I had even found her picture. Over 99 people have clicked 'meet me',and 108 have viewed her profile since I last loaded her page.

This is her inbox, It is only fair to allow these guys their anonymity. About now Jennifer will be panicking and deleting emails like mad and will be glad the POF.com never send more than 8 email a day. Now no woman is going to have time to read that number of email messages, she is just going to cherry pic someone that peeks her interest, or more likely do her own search and ignore this completely.

The last time I did this test was on a well know free adult site, I picked a gorgeous 50 year old woman and tried her profile in a few cities. withing a week she had over 400 emails and I had to turn it off, all the emails where cut and pasted one liners.







So what was in these mystery messages, let's  have a peek.
 
"The events depicted in this blog took place on POF.com in 2016. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred". Fargo - the Cohen Brothers.

Here are the edited exerts.

“Good evening –- and what a stunning photo...I hoped you might like to chat sometime soon and learn a little more about each other...have a lovely evening... x” - blatent cut and paste.

“hi there !! how are you ?” - followed by 6 pictures of him and his Ford Mustang taken by a friend .

“Hi Jennifer how are you” - err?

"Hello... how are you, would you like to chat?” - 3 pics of him and his mates in London, on none of them is he smiling. (POF rate this guy as a top 10 prospect!)

“Hello I'd just like to say that you have a lovely profile and I would love to hear from you” - yeah I’ll be writing to him.

“great photo & profile” - another top 10 prospect, obviosuly helped by 5 pictures, one was his dog and one an Audi TT possibly his (or his bosses), in a companies reserved parking space.

“Your never 57, look more early 40s at the most. Would love the chance to get to know you.x” - with some amazing photos, 2 on exotic adventure holidays, 3 seem to contain his last girlfriend, even is she isn’t why would you leave her in?

“G'day, I'm Pommiexxx I live in xxxxx but am willing to travel to meet the right women ..You look beautiful I love your smile, I'm 52yrs old and looking for a long term relationship Ikonw you must be a busy women but if you can find time to get to know me I wont let you down..:) byeeee for now xoxox” - with a single picture. His sat on a toilet, he obviously has not mastered the selfie and has the worst hairdo I have ever seen in the 21^st century.

“Morning like your profile hope you have had a good weekend😃/xxxx” - with 4 pics in which he is acting the idiot with mates and the last one with a gorgeous blonde woman, WHY!

Hmmm. So why am I still single?

Flying Toasters, flying mobile phones and “The Cloud”, what is it all about (The cloud not toasters)

Flying Toasters and “The Cloud”

Went to a business seminar today on “Why every business should be using cloud computing”, it was really interesting. Not so much for the technical explanations as for what it means for end users – you, the customer.

The thing these days is that new technology comes along every year, than I can just about keep up with. But the thing that seems to baffle everyone, whether you work in IT or just use it every day as a tool for your business is that the marketing hype seems to move totally at the speed of light.

Marathons became Snickers, Spangles vapourised, milk migrated to cartons and butter became some form of long chain hydrocarbon I believe. Tim Rookes from Red Cloud IT http://www.redcloudit.uk/ launched into a wonderful analogy, so subtle that at first I wondered what he was going on about. Water barrels compared to kitchen taps, something that works just fine thank you compared to service level agreements. Soon we are staring at an HP server balanced precariously on a plan surrounded by a wet floor with a backup disk/tape on top, then the slide shows a data centre like something out of Dr Who.

He is of course right, who would you trust with your hard earned data. Web sites, emails, documents, collaboration, appointments. Even myself I was delighted when I crashed my phone and made a tentative decision to totally rebuild the operating system. At that time I had no idea how Android would handle this little mess, some things Linux are great, some tasks even for someone with twenty plus years in computing are definitely a leap of faith and this was one of them. I hit factory reset (do not try this at home and do not ring me when it goes Pear shaped) . Within minutes it is asking my email address, why? To set up email? Well good luck with that, I have 4 email accounts and a ruck of software. There is little in IT that I do not rip into and customise. Email address entered, I put the kettle on.

Behold, Coffee served and pretty much the bulk of my apps restored, desktop usable, email accounts all intact, joy ensued! Sure enough a few weeks later I decided to install a spirit level app, to level my artwork on the wall. I am a bit OCD about level pictures, 0.01 of a degree is enough “out of kilter” for this guy to investigate. Chinese made Android phone demonstrating IT overkill when a simple bubble of Green liquid would do, but hey where is the fun in that? The first time I dropped it on the rug, tough little bugger these things. The second time it hit my Art box, a bastion of ancient technology, nicely varnished and handed down from Artist to Artiste, generation by generation. Phone re-assembled, batter inserted, power on. Display? Display half-mooned, pixels corrupted, unintelligible flashing patterns strobing across the screen.

Gorilla glass untouched, the display's multiplexer trashed by a surge of static Electricity and the Liquid Crystal Display no longer quite so liquid or clear as a crystal. Useless. No unhappy with being part of the mob I had changed networks to a cheaper one and hacked the phone to work with it instead of Yodafone. Trouble is the backup brick is locked to Yodafone. Luckilly my friend emails to say he had just got a bargain contract phone from his supermarket, I check out the rates on the website and and tres embarrassed! He has got a nice Nokia for what I am spending anyway. Order placed and three days later the phone arrives filling about a third of the packing box.

So I moved from Android to Windows mobile, how hard can it be? Email accounts set up manually, I use custom domains so they are never as easy as my Gmail and Outlook accounts. Soon my Appointments Calender in Gmail is synching with Windows 8.1 mobile and Cortana is trying to chat me up. As I am older and wear glasses I am delighted to find it is easier to poke tiles than teeny robot based icons. I may not have my favourite apps but they all have equivalents and it works with my Windows PC better. I am happy again and it has a decent camera. I load Spotify and “Music” app and let rip, poor through the speaker of course. Then I slide my new cheap Philips headphones in and pump up da volume, boy does this toy go loud. Oh joy! It is fantastic on 'phones!

So back to the cloud. I saved all my important data because it was all backed up to the cloud, my emails all live in the cloud. My Android app configuration was all in the cloud. My worries taken care of my someone else. My record collection, streamed from the cloud, no need for massive hard drives and drawers full of DVD's – all taken care of.

Then I remembered how many companies I have build websites for, not stored on their own servers, consuming air and making noise - all on the cloud. No sleepless nights worrying if power supplies would give out. They did at the next company I worked for, try buying a HP Proliant Blade power supply at your local PC world. I am sorry Sir we don't do those. A year later 12 ageing noisy servers retired. All on the cloud now with a 24-7 service level agreement, not my problem any more. Thanks a bunch, I had forgotten how important the cloud is and it was nice to be refreshed. This is how and why I sleep at night and dream of flying toasters – remember them!

Narrowboat moving service - narrowboatskipper.com

Don't you just love Narrow Boats, you can enjoy the wonderful English countryside at a relaxed pace. More and more people are buying and renovating boats to get into this Zen-like relaxed lifestyle. The source of many TV programs and documentaries. For just a weeks holiday or a renovation project worthy of selling the house and moving in.

But then you have to ship your treasure from a to b, that can be harder than you think! Dor someone who had never piloted a Narrowboat, this can be a risky venture, Fraught with unknown routes, permits and locks it is not for the faint hearted, remember a crew is at least two people working in synch to get the locks open and closed, watch our for oncoming traffic and to work out where the heck you are. Sat Nav isn't going to help you much on inland waterways.

So is there an easy solution? Of course there is, My friend Mike Banks has had a lifelong association with water and boats. The son of a keen sailor and boat builder, he had inland water in his veins and a 'Can do' attitude that has earned him a fantastic reputation for delivering not just Narrowboats, Widebeams and Cruisers the length and breadth of the UK, but for doing the stuff that people really struggle to get done by any means. 

Fed up with the 9-5 rat race on the outskirts of London, he sat in an office and pined for a career that would keep him grounded and in touch with real people, not Advertising fakes and board room meetings. He pined for the water and a slower more meaningful existence. 

A keen song writer and musician with his Rock Band - 'Sonic Gypsy', Mike performs at some of the more real and celebrated venues frequented by those with appreciation for only real grass roots music. But do not be fooled, behind the guitar, gravelly voice, long hair and sunglasses, this is am honest man of the world with a heart of gold.

With no agenda other than to make people happy and make an honest living, Mike an RYA qualified helmsman bought a 62ft Handcock and Lane Narrowboat. He lives aboard her and is a well known member of the boating community on the rivers Lee and Stort. His fast growing  business is built on his reputation. His reputation that is carved day in day out, all year round in weather conditions that would give most people nightmares. He combines old school values with a modern attitude for no limits delivery on time.

Have a look at his website narrowboatskipper.com and see what he can do for you, and tell him Ralph sent you!

Creative Writing, or not you decide

Words sentence sense make not poetry?

by Ralph Beardmore

(keep scrolling it's a long page)

I am an Eagle

I am an Eagle, soaring high in the clouds,

looking down on fields of crops, people like ants.

The sun beats down making my wings throb,

I can feel it warming my blood, doing me good,

Nothing can hurt me here, not feeling the pain.

A black spot grows in front of me,

I swerve to avoid it, over and over,

the blackness grows engulfing me, I'm falling!

Plummeting down to earth out of control,

I shout in fear, I don't want to go there again.

I sit up in bed gasping, shaking, what the heck?

Back to reality, not safe, cosseted by dreams.

Dread sets in, cold darkness of eternal winter.

My heart thumps with worry and stress,

what does the day hold, do I have to get up?

The door eases open, a cup of tea love?

I heard you shout, were you dreaming again?

She takes my hand and holds me to her body.

We'll get through this together, one step at a time,

Why don't you put your words, into song or a rhyme.

Paint a picture, talk to others, express yourself

Don't feel so guilty, you're allowed a good time!

We're all family here no one better or worse.

All stepping forwards, so slowly at first.

Now I'm an Eagle, soaring high in the clouds –

best of all I'm not dreaming any longer!

On The Street

See that guy sitting there on the edge of street

begging for spare change, something to eat

People shying away too embarrassed to look

Pretending that they really don't give a – damn

Its easy to judge, why would he let himself end up like that,

not looking shabby, maybe needing a bath, a change, a meal

He's more embarrassed than you are, remembers it well

He knows the reason that he sent himself to hell

The shouts and accusations, the things you can't take back

the months of anguish and silent moments you wish you knew

how it would end, before it was too late, no help offered

No advice given, till its too late, pack your bags mate

Situation untenable, home no longer yours, take off

where to go, how to cope, oh look it's snowing!

November not kind, will anyone care. How do I do this?

Live the next minute or hour, let alone a day

Not short of money, that's not the big issue, what you looking at

Too smartly dressed to sit in a doorway, nursing a holdall

Is he drunk or on drugs, been stealing or dealing

Now who's ashamed to look me in the eye comrade?

You can shelter tonight, have hot food sleep till morning

be out by eight, we can't be responsible for you here

Don't come back till eleven and don't be drunk or drugged

You're in the corner on the floor try not to get mugged

Hug myself to sleep in a daze, dream of warmth and comforts

so far away now, a woman to cuddle and share the thought

Need a shower, not today, you have to be booked in

Maybe Wednesday, or Thursday, if we can fit you in

Despair becomes normal, a state of mind frozen in

just like my bones, am I getting that old already

Think of others in far places, always one worse off than me

They cope with horrors while we fight about bills

Don't know about God or a guardian angel

my phone rings, got you a place, better than the street

Share with some others, a hostel, warm and safe

Get your head together, it all happens so fast

Many more steps, I had to take. Watched over somehow

People work to help me sort out my life, I'm helpless

Trust these strangers, mind your valuables, clean your plate

Don't get too cosy, its just for a while, always changing

Don't worry mate, it does get better, despite what you think

How would you know? Well that was me for a while

Have some change get some food and smile, because

There is a light at the end of the tunnel cos I found it....

Painting for you

I'm painting for you, I'm painting for me

I want to show you the things I can see

It's not about still life or nice scenery

these things I paint are descriptions of me

They're emotions and ideas, moods put in colour

could be music, concern, despair and love

Representations of things I can't find words for

cast in strokes and lines, their speed important

But they come from a place below the surface

a hidden language of things so personal

the past, my pain so many things I want to share

my visions of people, places, ideals, just because

I am testing myself with each brush stroke, each pen

the lines of form, the texture of feeling, emotional colour

I'm exposing a little of my soul for you to share

the beauty of nature of creation and people

Some of it is real but much is a dream, or a hope

I would like to come true, the images hang up

and take on their own life, beyond the strokes

to become more than the sum of their parts

You my friend become part of it too, for when

you say what you like, or could change or suggest

It molds what I do, leads me down new avenues

I have not travelled before, discovering adventures

I paint for the past and to create a future bold and new

the colours I choose pivotal to the trip

I want you to join me and paint with me too

we'll change the world and make people smile!

Poetry Reflected

Poetry does not have to rhyme

In fact mine doesn't most of the time

It's just some words that come out

I hope you don't scream and shout

It's not important if you agree or not

I'm not offended if you don't give attention

It's good for the soul to scrawl my thoughts

Puts life into perspective, takes care of it all

A smile a giggle, all the same to me

Passes some minutes, tells you about me

So what's the point of this spewing of mine

Not so much really, could you scribe such lines?

Enjoy the words, phrases, pace and inflection

Take part in my introspective, poetry-reflection

I'm not singing about Roses or romance

I don't want to break hearts or leap into dance

I want to share that prose is not dead yet

So long as there is passion and ideas in my head

I'm painting a picture just using words and letters

It's abstract and impressionist, but its not a best seller

It's simple, to the point, concise in it's mission

So please forgive me if you think there's an omission

It should stand by itself, no need to contribute more

Not very political, or controversial, that's for sure

Just harmless fun, maybe even an irritation

Bathe in my words, take some inspiration

Try to write something down, not try to make sense

Show it to my friends, they won't take offence

Construct a sentence, or two or four, then hit return

Soon you'll be flying to the end of the verse

Take random thoughts and ideas, mash them all together

The recipe for success is only to give it your best

Then you will see how much it fun can be

to share this moment and set yourself free

I could go on forever, now that I have started

but the chances are you will all have departed

Thanks for listening to my incessant ramblings

It's given me pleasure to make these happenings...

Time someone else, took over this mission

Enjoy your day and thank you for listening!

Sitting here

Sitting in a pub chewing Wi-Fi

Talking to a friend I'll never meet

Discussing local politics

Full of despair and deceit

Looking at a lady smiling at me

not the sort of smile I wanted

I crawl back into my head

it's safer in here I think

Have another drink my friend?

Might lessen the pain a little

Incessant football chanting

It's only a game my friend

The game isn't football really

It's life and all that's in it

A human factor, a tribe

why are we all so afraid?

Doom and gloom for breakfast

warm, dry and cozy but still lonely

Another day blooms pink and blue

think I'll go for a walk I smile

People shopping in a rush

kids screaming, I want that Mum

Too expensive, maybe later

Get in the car son, or we'll be late

I cross a road, is that symbolic?

out into fields, tall trees, flowers blooming

River runs relentless looking for the sea

birds call out, look at that guy down there...

Who am I ?

Don't care for hate or envy, they take my energy away,

Can't abide intolerance, I am sure that we are all equal.

Try not to hurt people or animals, I'll help when I can,

Ache to see you smile and succeed, so that I can smile too.

Listen to what you have to say, even when you scream or shout,

I am not immune to not being heard, and often misunderstood.

Don't care how you dress, how much money you have,

What music you listen to, or food you eat, how you express your faith.

A woman, a man, makes no odds both just as impressive,

They are equally capable of winning a hard challenge.

Whether I see you once a year or everyday you're still my friend,

Won't talk behind your back, or take your reputation for my own.

Learn from your mistakes, don't bring them along for the ride,

treat others well no matter what they've said and done.

Spread no nasty rumours, or talk behind others backs,

Protect each other or be prepared to pay a big price

Pray to stop wars, cure diseases, feed the world, stop poverty,

Home those on the streets, don't judge till you have tried that.

Lets all work together, give each one of us a chance to shine,

And teach and encourage them to be the best that they can be.

We are all one family, fragile and mortal at the end of the day,

Don't waste mother earth and the things that she gave away.

There is a thing we all need today, not an instant cure, but a hope,

If you can be who I am too, there's plenty for all, for I am love.

What a life

Mums with six kids fighting for attention,

people drinking lager on the street for breakfast

what you looking at, can you spare some change

I wish I could afford to drink, maybe next time

A girl on a bike, tweeting, drinking coffee as she rides

got a kid on the crossbar, last time she looked anyway.

Heroine addicts queuing up for their Methodone,

kill or cure, that's what the man said, both numb the pain

Got no food, too expensive, with mobile and Sky,

Want a holiday soon, is it too much to expect to fly?

Drive too fast not enough time, too much traffic for me

Have to work for the man, pay the mortgage you see

Don't want reality, I'll watch some TV instead,

try to get on X-Factor make a fortune from mugs

I'll be a big star, famous for nothing but being glossy

Be a Kardashian, marry some rapper, get a big house

Buy more cars, more jewellery, get my boobs done,

sell out to the press, get my fifteen minutes extended

End up in rehab, maybe write my biography while there

Who know I might live long enough, to make a change

See the values I must have missed the first time around

make some real friends, give something 'stead of asking

I could help someone when they hold out a hand

believe in something more solid than the pound

Not judge so fast, make less comparison, to imagine

that perfection is something you can order on Harley St

The best thing about myself is that I can change

what I believe in, see the world differently, I hope

It's all clearer now, without going to Specsavers

that the things I should value are called friends

Who cared even when I didn't listen to them speak

and welcome me back with smiles and hugs

What a life!

The Invisible Hero

I am the invisible hero, the one they cannot beat

Donning breeches and doublet we join forces

to stand as the kings cavaliers, we will drive

Bonnie Prince back to the Scots after just three hours

I am the invisible hero, the one kids avoid

skulking into mischief around the pool

they sink to the depths till they run out of breath

Then I dive in and bring them back from danger

I am the invisible hero, the one they did not need

they changed the rules, tried to make us look fools

Said they did not need me any longer, go home with no pay

That cut like a knife, not for them a reason for strife

I am the invisible hero, who helps others to draw

With charcoal and brown paper, feathers and leather

I show others how easy it is to create a scene

It's so peaceful to scribe and bring memories back to life

I am the invisible hero, who got dealt a bitter stroke

A surprise I'll tell you, slowed me down, made me weak

Took me on a journey, I did not want to complete

But I battled that monster, I won't accept his defeat

I am the invisible hero, I don't make much noise

Sat in the corner, talking to friends, sketching away

But when you need a friend to fight alongside

I'll spring straight into action and help to save the day

For my hero Dave Morley

Tada!

Truly Free to use Software for Windows Users

Its easy to find free software, too easy.  Most of it will have you reaching for IT support or your knowledgeable mates phone number due to the amount or Viruses and Spyware that will likely trash your PC or at least render it slow and unsafe to use. 

So I am making a stand. 

I have done professional IT support since 1990 and been an IT manager at three companies responsible for what people do with big companies computers.

Let me be clear

Professional paid for software will always be better featured and supported when you need to call someone at 3 am to meet that deadline for your company. How ever, for the rest of us who just use stuff now and then, we need affordable or free solution without a 28 day limit.

SO - I found some useful FREE Windows software that I can personally verify does NOT install spyware or anything nasty on your PC or tablet thingy, well it didn't on mine anyway and I have so much anti virus, security and anti spyware software it's like the early warning for WW3 when it finds it.

Most of the Software was tested on Windows Vista - Home Premium, Service Pack 1 and 2 installed and properly updated. It was installed in Jan 2015 so its not some creaky thing. But you may need to search for alternative downloads for Windows 8.

The Linux alternative

 I am also a big advocate of Mint Linux 17 Mate. If you have an old tired PC you may want to consider building a Linux Box as nearly all the software is free and is very well supported. If you are technical enough to install Linux you will have no difficulty finding the software to use on it.

THESE ARE ALL WINDOWS PACKAGES but many have linux/mac versions too

Great graphics/photo packages

https://inkscape.org/en/ vector based, I haven't used it yet but its clean install.

I found the other one I was looking for http://www.photoscape.org used to be a favourite Photo Editor of mine. It tries to install Google toolbar (harmless), but untick the box when the install starts, It is easy to remove the toolbar later if you need to. I prefer it to Nikon's own software. It's great for fixing photos and browsing them, You just use the program to browse into a folder then right click to edit - simple.

http://www.gimp.org/ the Gimp, bit of a pig to use but very well featured if you can get through the weird interface

http://www.artweaver.de/en I like this because its work similar to Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (which is so my favourite that I bought it, but I installed it more than 3 times and it's locked me out). OK its basic, but there is a pro version and its nice to use, just watch for the "apply changes" appearing unseen at the top of the screen and locking everything till you lick it or cancel it.

Office Suites/Software

MS publisher alternative http://www.scribus.net bit weird at first but seems to be ok.

LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ its great I use it all the time.

 
Totally Free Web Hosting
Ok I have not yet figured out what the catch is but I am hosting an Test Page on http://www.myasp.net/ and it seems fine.I'll post if anything changes.


Almost Free Web Hosting

Decent web-hosting is never going to be free I recommend these guys, they are UK based in Bristol http://www.winserve.co.uk/. Their customer service seems prompt and efficient even on a weekend which suit my weird way of working. They'll host from £32.29 a year or £2.99 a month and you get a free UK domain. They support ASP.net and MS Sql and My Sql, that makes me very happy and they do not seem to use some weird web.config that ties you up.

Try a Linux installation

I have just rebuilt  my PC and decided to investigate running Mint Linux 17 Mate alongside Windows Vista Home Premium. 

WHY? Well, I do this sort of stuff regularly as part of a masochistic learning process.


Why keep Windoze(sic) you ask

Well I am a Windows software and web developer and there are advantages to both. Generally the critics get used to one way of doing stuff and stick to it. Well I am awkward and like to do both. I like to have my cake and icing sugar on it too.

My hardware

No not a Cray 3 supercomputer. A simple home built in 2007 AMD 4200+ 64 bit twin processor (2.2Ghz), 4Ghz of DDR3 ram, two hard drives 160GB each, one Sata, one IDE (£5 on eBay thanks) all multiple partitioned, DVD rewriter that struggles to open its door unless you smack it, cheap case and PSU. 19" Asus monitor and 40" Samsung TV via DVI->HDMI and a big 5.1 HiFi system. MS cordless keyboard and mouse. 50Mb unlimited broadband by Virgin clocked at 55Mb download, 3Mb upload. I am in a city, that helps.

Advantages of Windows Vista 

Yeah I know people hate it, but its not so bad really. Windows 7 is better I did have a preview copy. But Vista can be made to behave and learning how to is half the fun as you know how to use it in future.  have written a How-to reinstall Vista properly.

Disadvantages of Windows, based on Vista but still applies to all
   

• Anything after Windows 7 does not use the same software
• Continuous updates and security loopholes
• Takes up to 5 minutes to start
• Most updates need a restart
• You have to use antivirus and internet security software
• Security Software slows your PC down massively
• Software costs money
• Free software in normally toxic, check my blog for stuff that isn't

 So Why Linux?

Why go abroad for your Holidays, why buy a foreign car, or eat foreign food?

Because different can be better.

Advantages of Linux

• It is Free forever
• It is supported by a massive community and forums of very technically competent people
• The Chinese government trust Microsoft so much that http://www.theinquirer.net/
• It does not have to be updated every few minutes before you can install software
• The majority of software for domestic use is free
• There is a massive choice of Distro's (Distribution Packages) http://distrowatch.com/
• You SKY/Satellite TV or Cable box runs on 
• Android phones use software based on Linux
• You can install it and update it and be working in an hour!
• Starts to desktop in under a minute
• Minimal need for antivirus/security software

For beginners I would recommend either Ubuntu, made by Canonical a major software company, or Mint Linux, which is much better than it sounds! It is slightly less resource heavy and better for older PCs. 

You do not need to use an Old Version of Linux just because you have an old PC mine I built in 2008 and I am using the very latest Linux OS and software.

I could write a whole blog on partitioning for Linux, (and Windows for that matter) here is the short answer:

• Try to keep valuable data on it's own partition either fat32 or NTFS as Windows gets pissy about reading none-windows partitions
• NTFS for Windowns
• EXT3/4 for Linux
• If you have room make a swap partition 1.5 times the size of ram, 2gb ram 3 gb swap partition, you do not format swap partitions for Linux.
• You need to mount a / (root) partition of at least 8Gb
• You may choose partitions for /home (documents) of at least 8Gb
• You may choose a /Boot partition (~200Mb)
• A pro or server may have up to 8 partitions! 3 will be plenty

So assuming you have a spare hard drive or a spare partition of at least 15Gb
/boot - 200MB
/    - root 8GB or more note it is /, NOT /root!
/home - 8GB or more 

You can test Linux from a DVD called a Live DVD to make sure your hardware will work, or you can stick it in a Windows partition, it will work but it will be painfully slow, but that way it is easy to remove SAFELY it if you are not a partitioning God like me!


Favourite Software
Firefox browser, with synch enabled between Windows, Linux and Android mobile - cool,
SEO plugins, multiple profiles set up.

Thunderbird email, address book plugin,  use multiple email accounts and TBird copes well but won't do multiple Gmail accounts. I use private email and Gmail and Outlook accounst simulatenously.

LibreOffice - How much is MS Office and only lasts 3 years, no thanks. LibreOffice or OpenOffice do all most people need and you can save in MS Formats, but ODF is actually the ratified document standard, but MS conveniently forget this.

Chromium Browser - Has drag and drop for Google Docs and Gdrive, Linux does struggle here, I suspect Google is preventing anyone releasing appls as there were many clones for Gdrive, (GRIVE)

Scribus - MS Publisher clone at http://www.scribus.net/canvas/Scribus

The Gimp - gimp.org great graphics package, weird and clunky interface, DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE GIMPSHOP ALTERNATIVE http://www.gimpshop.com it is riddled with spyware!


Spotify - yes you can have spotify on your desktop, its works through a 32 bit patch on 64 systems but it does work! https://www.spotify.com/uk/download/previews/ Free music all day and night I love it!

There is plenty more really good software available and it is pretty safe just to Google Mint Linux *** software for what you need, just check reviews and if it comes with a .deb package installer, or use 'apt-get install somesoftware' in the terminal or use the package manager or synaptic, it is pretty hard to screw Linux up, I have managed it but you can rebuild it in an hour or so.

Ideally be able to search forums on another pc or mobile. Do join forums and learn which to trust. Mint Linux and Ubuntu are massive resources and what works in one normally works in the other.


Security
Now there is a school of thought that says as you cannot work as /root you can never install bad soiftware, bullshit! Sure IT Pros can smell a rat at 20 paces, but I bet you can't and its too late when you are locked out of your life's work. They are not going to come and fix it if they are wrong, secure it and be safe!

Comodo antivirus and the built in Firewall configured to deny incoming connections should be enough for most people. Unless you remote access into your machine, if you do remote access in then have a look for a secure package not just the one that Network Admins use at work. It will not be good enough, they work on closed systems behind Firewalls that cost over £3000 look up Sonic Wall Pro 4600 if you want to see a proper firewall.

Do not expect Linux to look or feel like Windows, they have taken a few liberties to make you feel at home but it is not the same. You can add repositories for additional software and customize it within an inch of it's life, check out desktops at DeviantARt to see what I mean.

Oh and if you think its looks like an Apple Mac, they are both derived from Unix, the stuff of legend and a zillion stable mainframes since the 70's, remember them?