Update to Off XP and into Ubuntu
I decided to install the Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) beta, and crashed the machine due to my impatience. After a reinstall of 9.04, the upgrade to 9.10 went well. It took only a few hours (a similar attempt with Windows would have taken days).
Now the update:
Bluetooth
It works, both with my favorite mouse (what will I do with the new one I bought?), and with my cell phone.
VPN
PPTP to Windows servers works if the configuration is set up right, both in Ubuntu Jaunty and in Karmic (I should write a post about how I got it working).