I'm going to start investing online. Currently I'm using WinXP. I'm paranoid that some virus or keylogger or whatever could potentially steal info from WinXP so I'm thinking of dual booting with Ubuntu and using Ubuntu + Firefox exclusively for my online banking stuff. (No Porn!) The added bonus is that I get to try Linux for the first time. I'm correct in thinking that Ubuntu would be the safer way to go than XP right? Would Opera also be better than firefox or is it pretty much a wash?
Also any recommendations for antivirus? Would it be worth it to pay for it or can I get away with using freeware?