Desktop

http://www.linuxiso.org/ is a place to download ISO CD images of many kinds of Linux. You will need a fast connection and try different mirror sites until you get a fast one (1 hour instead of 20 hours).

I like Mandrake due to its user friendliness (auto detects everything for the most part and has all the drivers).

Knoppix is a CD bootable version of Linux that lets you use Linux without installing. This autodetects most system components also.

Slackware was recommended to me as a version that makes you learn Linux from the ground up. I haven't used it yet.

I think Knoppix is the best way to check out Linux since it doesn't modify your current OS install and it does a great job of auto detecting most hardware. So, if you fairly common hardware, know how to burn a CD, and can boot your computer from CD then you should have an easy time testing Knoppix. Visit the Knoppix.net site to download the latest ISO image and to be sure to check out their discussion boards and FAQ section. Here's the link: http://www.knoppix.net/get.php

Good luck with it...

Jeff

While Knopix is great if you want to integrate with a Windows network it can be a bit on the hard side to work with if you have no Linux experience.

I generally recommend Lycoris Desktop LX as a starting point to new nix users who's only computer knowledge is Windows as it is a very simple system to play with. Slackware is also great for beginners as well and both generally have all the drivers included unless you have some really strange "New" hardware but my pick for beginners is Lycoris as it has the look and feel of Windows XP while being a proper Linux distribution.

One of the above posters gave you a link that will pickup all the suggested distro's or you could try Planet Mirror at www.planetmirror.com either site will do.

Lets know if you have any problems & I'll attempt to help you through them.

Col

Hi,
Linux is available in different distributions (DISTROS) as Red Hat ,Debian , Mandrake etc.
There latest versions may have different names but what is new is the linux kernel version.All
these distros provide some or the other feature different from each other while keeping the kernel same ex.Kernel 2.4 is used in Red Hat 9 etc.

All the packages and rpms etc are easily available freely downloadable.
So enjoy Linux
BYE

Mandrake Linux is an excellent first choice for newbies, thanks to several improvements in the installation process & user interface over the years. It will detect most or all of your hardware, which will hopefully smooth that process out for you.

MandrakeMove & Knoppix are Linux OSes that run entirely from a CD (or USB key). Perfect for auditing Linux, because they won't screw up your system.

Mandrake, MandrakeMove, and Knoppix are all free of charge.

I'm hoping you'll be using broadband for these downloads...?

P.S. Try Fedora/Red Hat, Slackware, or Debian once you feel ready for more of a challenge.

Both really, really easy to install and you can download iso's run from cd for both.

I like the Mandrake gui but Suse's Yast makes administration so easy.

Either will make learning Linux easier and fun!