CraftyC is the best Linux guy on BetaONE. Not doubts and he is a Gentoo guy.
Putting my mouth where my keyboard is, I tried Ubuntu and then put Xandros 3.0 Deluxe back on. It is working flawlessly on my Toshiba Satellite 5100. I intalled Skype (linux version) and just tested it with a 30 minute landline telephone call to my Italy based daughter. Perfect. With Xandros, everything works, including the shared printer over the MS network with my desktop. Maybe I'm missing something, but I could never achieve the ease of configuration with other distros that Xandros gives out of the box.
Sheesh. This is an ancient thread. Dunno how I got it up on my screen. I'm going to be accused again of just waking up from a long winter's sleep.
And, welcome to the new world. Anyway my experience is pertinent for Linux and I hope there are others taking a new look.