Henry
I'm using a second-hand Samsung NC110 netbook which ran W7 starter and was dumped because it was frustratingly slow. They're still available refurbished on t'internet; mine now runs Linux Mint Cinnamon which comes with Libre Office, Firefox, Gimp, etc., etc. It runs brilliantly for up to 10hrs. It boots from cold in 40" and shuts down in 10. No AVG or Norton nonsense, no updating (unless you want to). You can use any browser or search engine you wish. It might have even better battery life if I upgraded to SSD but I'm too tight and CBA'd. Good hunting!!