I have a long career in the Electronics / IT industries. I am now nearing retirement time and want to indulge more in my hobby which is programming and using computers as powerful problem solving and simulation tools rather than just a Web browsing device. I understand computer hardware and have done a lot of programming in the past, both private and work related applications (mainly for the automation of tasks) ranging from hand-assembly of 6502 and Z80 CPU instructions to many BASIC dialects, Visual Basic, C, Fortran, Forth, DOS CMD Shell, PowerShell, etc. I am currently invested in Python and wish I had learnt it many years ago. Python encompasses the philosophy that I subscribe to in programming which is to be able to focus on the task at hand rather than getting lost in the language syntax and technical requirements. I really enjoy programming in Python, at this moment I am of 'intermediate' skill level, a long way from being an expert. I was amazed to discover that Python ranks very highly as the preferred development language in most leading edge areas of research even after more than 20 years since its release. I have been a Windows user for longer that I care to say and have had a gut full of Microsoft's direction with Windows. I am a Linux convert (at least for my private computing needs). I have chosen Ubuntu due to its user friendliness, support community and robustness. I am by no means intimidated by the terminal, in fact, this is my preferred mode of operation. I can finally say I am enjoying the world of FOSS and all its wide possibilities. Good-bye Windows!