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FLASH!   DELL TO OFFER PRE-INSTALLED LINUX COMPUTERS!

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Unlike Microsoft Windows, there are a couple of hundred versions of Linux available.  In the Linux world, they're called distributions or "distros".

The best way to keep track of the latest Linux distros is to visit the "Distrowatch.com" website.

There are slick commercial desktop Linux distros like Xandros and Linspire that are designed for home users.  These distros generally cost money (but are cheaper than Windows).

There are "corporate" style Linux distros that put out free community versions such as Novell  Open Suse, Red Hat Fedora Core and Mandriva.   You can buy a "paid" version that provides you with a manual and some time limited tech support or you can simply download and install the "free community version".

Then there are completely free (but somewhat geekier) Linux distros like Debian, Slackware and Gentoo.

There are also very small "single function" distros like Coyote Linux that are simply used for things like firewalls.

The most popular Linux distro for home users at the present time is the Ubuntu distro and it's sister projects Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Edubuntu (designed for schools).

Finally, there are many "live CD" Linux distros that allow you to run your computer completely from a CD or DVD disk without  installing the operating system on your hard drive at all!   Knoppix, Damn Small Linux, and Puppy Linux are all examples of this!

While using a "Live CD" is the easiest way to test out Linux, eventually you'll want to try installing it on your computer.   What I'd recommend you start out with is a spare "clunker" computer.   That way you can have a "toy" computer to play with Linux on till you feel comfortable with it and keep your old familiar Window$ box.

What would you need?  I'd recommend the following as a minimal "starter" machine:

• Pentium II or AMD K6-II CPU
• 128 MB RAM
• 4 GB HARD DRIVE
• CD-ROM DRIVE or DVD-ROM DRIVE
  
• HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION
• CABLE/DSL ROUTER

You certainly can get away with less, but it requires more work and more "hassle", something you don't need as a "newbie".    For instance you could use a smaller hard drive but as a new Linux user you tend to install alot of stuff that you don't really need.   You'll learn to "slim down" your installations later.

If you're on dial-up working with Linux can be a bit of a pain.   That's because most modems are "software modems".   And what software are they designed to work with?   Window$ of course!  So they're often called "winmodems".    Some winmodems will work well with Linux and some not.  You'll need to spend some time on Googlesearch to see if your winmodem will work with Linux or not.

The other thing is that once you do your initial Linux install you'll want to do some updates or perhaps install some additional software that wasn't included in your "distro".   The updates and software are on the net and doing this on dial-up can be quite slow.

But if you're stuck with dial-up, just let your machine pound away overnight or while you're away at work.

These days routers are quite cheap and greatly simplify home networking.   They'll allow you to connect up to four machines to the internet without alot of fuss.   That'll save you from configuring Linux to talk to your cable or DSL modem.   Routers also give you the added benefit of providing some degree of firewalling from the various internet nasties.

One other thing that you'll find a bit "different" about using Linux is that there isn't just one graphical user interface (GUI) available.   On Windows you have a choice between using the Windows desktop and...well...using the Windows desktop.

Linux has many different GUI's.  Mind you the two main ones are KDE and Gnome.   To grossly over-simplify, the KDE desktop is fairly close to Windows and the Gnome desktop is a little bit more like the Mac desktop.

There are also a number of lightweight GUI's designed for older, slower computers without alot of RAM.   Examples include Xfce, IceWM and Fluxbox.   Each of these desktops or "window managers" is a large open source software project of its own!

Some Linux distros standardize on a single GUI while others will give you a choice as to which one you'd like to use.

NOTES ON BURNING A LINUX CD (OR DVD!)

When you download a Linux distro from the net, you'll be downloading an "ISO image" file.   If you're a Window$ user, this is probably something that you're not familiar with.

Something like a computer operating system is made up of tens of thousands of individual files.  Rather than you having to download all of these individual files, all of these files are put into one big huge file called an "ISO image".   ISO images use the ".iso" file extension. (makes sense doesn't it?).   A Linux CD ISO image file will usually be about 700 megabytes in size.

If you simply burn this file to a CD or DVD, you'll end up making a disk that is of no use to you at all (well maybe as a coaster).

Assuming you're using something like Nero or Roxio's Easy CD Creator, what you'll need to do is burn a
"CD project" over to  disk.   That way, you'll have a Linux operating system disk instead of a coaster!

To install Linux, you might need to change the settings in your computer's BIOS, so that it boots from a CD (or DVD) instead of from the hard drive.   You can get into the BIOS on most "clone white box" computers by holding down the "Delete" key at bootup.    If you use a proprietary desktop PC or a notebook, you might have to hold down another key.   To get this info, you'll need to "RYFM" (read your flippin' manual).

Then, just follow the onscreen instructions and start your new adventure with Linux!