I've been playing around with Linux now for about two years. What attracted me to it, was the price (free). I have installed most distributions and have found Mandrake to be easiest to install.
Linux runs from the smallest systems (wrist watch) to the larges of IBM Mainframes.
You may ask "Linux is suppose to be free" so why pay for a distribution? Well, all distribution have the same core "kernel (thats the heart)". The added value they provide are different. They also have support available when you purchase their product.
I think all distributions on the web provide download of the core Linux system. However, these are CDRom images (ISO) and are quite large (over 600k). So is most economical to buy the CDRom than to download and burn your own. If you have a high speed connection though, and would like to make (burn) a CD from a and ISO image here are the steps.
Choosing a distribution, or better yet, what are the major ones?,
will depend on your computing skills. You can have a turnkey distro
or you can start from ground zero. Like most Ham related activtiy,
it depends what you want and how deep you want to go.
Some Linux links.
Live Linux CD's
Comparison of Linux Distributions
ISO Images of many distributions
Linux Organization
Mandrake
Linux World
Linux from Scratch
Linux on a Floppy
Linux Gazette Online
Linux on Laptops
Lycoris
ELX a Window's man Linux
