Anilrgowda

Want to install a test system to see what performs best (on this system) using Windows 2000, XP and Ubuntu (gonna download latest version now).
C: 200 MB NT bootmanager using the small bootfile to boot into Linux. (done this once in previous Ubuntu...)
D: 5500 MB Windows 2000
E: 6500 MB Windows XP
F: 1100MB Shared
G: (and other partitions) +/- 6000MB Linux
Why? For fun and experience and to give my wife a choice. :-) After the test I'll put in a new bigger Hard disk and install what she wants.
What? Clean "new" system, PIII 1.0GHz, 20GB, 256MB (I know tight in memory, I only got 2 banks)
User types? I got enough Windows and very little Unix/Linux experience. Wife, is experienced chat, email and browser user and sometimes plays with Word and Adobe Photoshop 7. Types THAI half the time, especially in chat and browser!!

Question, I want to share things like email, Favorites and chat logs (Gaim) between Ubuntu and Windows, is this possible and how?

Currently all emails are in Outlook Express files. (this is now on an old hard disk I'll keep as backup)

Email is most important Q, chat logs and favorites are less important. So far she doesn't like Firefox ( version 1.5??) , slow to start I think was the reason.

I'm considering other browsers and email clients as additional test and maybe they work better for some things. No need to say sharing Favorites/Bookmarks between IE and Firefox (or other) is impossible unless it isn't. :-p

Want to install the Gimp, the version that "looks like" Photoshop under Ubuntu.
My ideas for Ubuntu;
- Firefox
- email client? Firebird maybe? Want to also read hotmail from Windows Life in it. Need a hotmail/html-mail to pop "converter" right? Suggestions?
- Open Office (other / better ideas for a Word user?)
- the Gimp, the version that "looks like" Photoshop

Any good reasons to install another OS instead of or on top of Ubuntu?

All suggestions and ideas are welcome, points will be split.

I can open extra Q's (for extra points also) but I want to ask it all together because it's all related.

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Anilrgowda

You can use Evolution or Thunderbird on Ubuntu and Windows, but I've yet to find a method of synchronizing them. I don't believe that > it's possible.

It is easy to get Thunderbird email client and Firefox Web browser to share a common storage for Windows and Linux. If you have made your "F: 1100MB Shared" to be formatted as FAT32/VFAT, you can store the emails and bookmark there. There is a detail explanation here on how to do it: http://www.neowin.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t463549.html

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