OK, here is what I have done. My XP has been suffering from the microsoft sickness where after a few years stuff just slows down unless your religiously delete, defrag, etc. So, I decided to forget the dual partition. I emailed what few files I needed off of the computer and just went for the wipe out the whole disk option.
So, that's all fine. Here is the issue, Ubuntu comes with certain open office programs, but not draw or math. I want both.
But the question is, what do I do? In windows you download a program to your desktop and click on it. Here I have two problems:
First, if I download the whole open office I risk it conflicting with what it already there. Openoffice website suggests that might be a problem. Also, it doesn't look like I can download just the math and draw.
Anwyay, here is the big problem: Linux is supposed to be user friendly. The install instructions are to unpack it in some directory and to execute some complicated line of code. Why can't I just clik on an icon? The masses will never convert to linux if you can't just click on an icon to install.
As for installing stuff on Ubuntu, I'd go with the "Add/Remove Programs" selection on the menu that comes up when you click on the biggish button, bottom left, where the Windows Start button would be.
There -are- multiple ways of installing things on Linux - that's one place where Linux falls behind Windows or Mac. Ubuntu has worked through much of that chaos and provided one good way; but if you go looking for individual packages, such as at the OpenOffice website, you will be led down the path of the other ways that are harder on an Ubuntu system.