Linux is turning up in everything from netbooks to Dell PCs, but is it actually fit to replace Windows? Stuart Turton spends a week with Linux to find out.

The price war among Netbooks and mini-notebooks is hot at the moment, especially leading up to Christmas. We source the best prices from around the net this week.

From budget laptops to ultra-tiny netbooks, ultraportables and high performance, we explain the tricks to finding out the ultimate laptop at the right price.

Asus add yet another netbook to their range: the swivel hinged T91 Eee PC and HP offer the Mini 5101 netbook for professionals. We investigate the perfect netbook for busy professionals

Since the release of the Eee PC 701, the 'Notebook' has dominated. Easy to use, cheap and able to be left on the coffee table next to the remote, Notebooks are true appliance computing. The choice of which one to buy comes down to personal preference, but it's hard not to prefer those with the best usability. Our rundown of your options covers their performance, battery life, and design.

With only Dell's disappointing Inspiron Mini 12 so far released, Samsung doesn't have a great deal of competition at this size. The NC20 has six-hour battery life, fine performance and a superb display

A couple of nifty gimmicks and an extended warranty help give this netbook the boost that its ergonomics don’t.

Finally, a netbook with a real keyboard. The Acer Aspire One A0751 also boasts an iPhone style multi-gesture touchpad and a stylish 16:9 HD display. Is this the end of cramped typing?

If you're wondering if a netbook is the perfect laptop for you, ask yourself this: will you want to work or play on your new laptop for hours at a time whilst viewing a screen 10 inches in size?

The attractive HP Mini 2140 sports an Intel Atom chip, choice of HD or SSD drive options, Win XP, LED screen, massive keyboard and the much sought after 6 cell battery option. Is this the best netbook money can buy?

So, the last big name has fallen. HP gave out in April 2008, and both Dell and Toshiba's resistance crumbled by the autumn. But it's taken Sony until the middle of 2009 to produce what it confesses to be a netbook, the VAIO Mini W Series.

Well priced, with a robust chassis and touchscreen option that make it a good choice for classroom use, and any one else wanting a netbook that's a little bit different

It's not widely available, but with this battery life on offer the BenQ Joybook Lite U101 should be

See our side-by-side comparison of the three big guns in the sub-$1,000 mini notebook race, the ASUS N10, S101 and the Eee PC 1000H.

Mark Shuttleworth, the founding angel and CEO of Canonical, which distributes Ubuntu Linux, has praised Microsoft's newly released Windows 7.

It resembles the excellent MSI Wind, but the inclusion of Linux-based gOS operating system makes this one super-cheap piece of hardware

Yes, it’s bigger and dearer than ever, but it’s also the most usable and well-made Eee PC yet.