Is it any good, would I get any benefit from it ? I currently use Windows ( just done a clean install ) and only use it for browsing the web.
Must be fast and secure
I’ve seen a few Youtube videos and it looks fairly simple except for the programming side of it
Does it have it’s own app store etc ?
Thanks
Although I’m sure it’s come on a bit since the last time I personally used Ubuntu, I ran it as my main OS for a couple of years and I would very much not recommend it unless you enjoy tinkering around with terminal command prompts all the time.
It’s not a consumer friendly operating system for your average user in the way that Windows, MacOS and Chrome OS are. By that, I mean there are still many day to day uses that you may find yourself needing to install some fairly niche packages to achieve, and if you encounter any issues you will almost certainly need to be familiar with the core command prompts at the very least in order to troubleshoot and fix.
CloudReady OS (uses Chromium) is something I’d recommend if you’re just going to be do web browsing. Its very similar to Chrome OS but you can flash it onto any PC - it’s free too!
Fair enough - as I said it’s been a few years for me since I ran it. I remember having terrible problems with even some fairly common external hardware, like name brand printers and other things just not having the drivers available.
The last time I came across Linux, it ran in almost exactly the same way as the then current Windows version (XP). At least, as far as the user was concerned.
Define your use case. If you just do normal computer stuff like office, emails, browsing it’s totally fine and a very polished product these days.
OK so what’s the benefit in using ubunto over Windows?
I find Windows easy and quick to use and does all I need for browsing forums
IMO, the same reason I use a Mac - I just like MacOS. Sure there are a few features that I particularly like but Windows does basically everything MacOS does and vice versa. For a while I preferred Linux for its lightweightness as an OS on older hardware before SSDs took a nosedive in price.
Idea - assume you can still make a bootable Ubuntu USB these days. Why not give it a go that way? (Bearing in mind a performance hit running off USB). If you don’t like it, no need to fiddle around with a restore since you never installed it on your system.
Edit: https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0
I used Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog) to 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) personally then switched to mac. Those days were rough.
Been using the headless Ubuntu for servers for ages though, pleased to say all sites are on 18.04 LTS on the php 7.3 branch.
However with the new serverless approach to running web I don’t know how long I’ll need to be running Ubuntu and a LEMP stack. End of an era. 
I am a fan of Ubuntu. I don’t run it as a main OS anymore (mainly due to using some Windows only programs and Windows Linux support improving). I do however have a VM for times I need it and run multiple Ubuntu servers.
I would say there is some things that are different to Windows so it will probably take up to a few weeks to get used to.
Having said that, if you have devices that don’t have drivers for Linux, this can become very complicated. Some WiFi cards (looking at you Netgear) and some printers (looking at you Kodak) spring to mind. You may prefer it or you may not. I recommend trying from a USB stick (as suggested above) and if you don’t like it, just reboot back to Windows
What size USB is minimum?
4GB is the minimum required 
Great thanks I’ll give it a go if I get bored
It won’t take over my windows os install will it?my pc is old and not sure you can boot to usb
Try Linux Mint. It’s based on Ubuntu but has a much more familiar interface for users coming from Windows. You can install it to a USB stick and try it out. If you decide to go ahead and install it, it’ll happily dual boot with Windows or you can wipe your disk and start afresh. It’ll also offer to install all the codecs you need as part of the standard installation procedure.
It runs particularly well on older hardware, so you may find it snappier than Windows.
Only if you choose to install it. If you just boot from the USB stick and shut it down again, Windows won’t know any different. If you choose to install it, you will be given the option to either replace Windows or install it alongside Windows. This can get frustrating with Windows’ feature updates though
I would be surprised if this was the case. You may have to change the boot order in the BIOS though 
OK thaats cool
So put it on USB, put USB stick in and then reboot computer and it’s ready?
You’ve got it!
You do need to write it to the USB stick though. I recommend following Ubuntu’s guide to do that though. It was posted above by @anon38670904 (https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0)
Nice one thanks guys
How about security, does it come with built in anti malware etc?
In regards to boot sequence just go into bios and set it to USB first?
I don’t believe antivirus is needed but am aware it’s available (albeit limited choices). From memory, it’s normally not required as programs run as user rather than root so there’s limited opportunity for damage to happen to your system. I’m sure someone more technical will correct me on this!