[sf-lug] upgrading versus wiping and installing new

[jim]

     For the last two plus years I've been using a (now
unavailable) Zareason Atom-based laptop (anything
portable with a computer, display, and keyboard is
a laptop to me). It has 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB
spinning hard drive.
     It ran Ubuntu 10.04 until several months ago
when I upgraded the OS to Ubuntu 12.04.

     About six months ago I bought a new Zareason
laptop (X86-64, 8 GB RAM, 120 GB SSD).
     Zareason put Ubuntu 12.04 on it.

     After I got the new laptop I kept using the
Atom-based laptop to let myself ponder my use
habits and how I might want to change the file
system and directory tree structures that will be
better for me on the new laptop.
     I used the new laptop a bit, mainly for a little
web site work.
     I noticed that the GUI on the two laptops was
a bit different, mainly the manner in which
window scrolling and window tool bars behaved.
I noticed that I prefer the GUI on the new laptop
and blame the upgrade process for errant GUI
behavior on the Atom box.

     The main stumbling block for me was whether
  to continue to use the Evolution mail client on
the new (fast) box or to change to Thunderbird.
     (A couple of advantages to using server-client
email software rather than browser-based free
email systems such as Gmail are
* no advertisements and no inspection of my
   email messages to tune ads to the profile the
   enterprise server system maintains about me
* it's easy to capture email from the email server
    system to my personal computer, and I can
   run any kind of software on the email files on
   my computer regardless of internet availability.

     I have backed up all my data files from the
atom-based laptop and plan to wipe it clean and
install Ubuntu 12.04. This has, in the past, been
my normal practice for using new operating
systems and it worked great:
* I can easily rethink and re-implement filesystem
   (partitioning) and directory structures
* I suffer only from bugs in the new OS and not
   bugs in the new OS and as well as those bugs
   that result from the upgrade.

     I like Thunderbird. Its design seems a bit more
convenient than that of Evolution.

     I do not plan to import my elaborate and huge
Evolution email data files to the new laptop.
     I do not plan to bring over all the data files
from the Atom-based laptop.
     I'm freeing myself from foolish decisions I
made in the past--maybe I've learned better
computer-use ways.

     I'm late for the SF-LUG meeting at Cafe
Enchante--gotta run.
     I'll be grateful for any comments, derision,
suggestions....