Windows has conditioned us to run updates and download the latest drivers but with Linux you only have to add software if you want. Drivers or software are not required for it to run at its' best. Linux is flexible in many ways because you can put in the software you want instead of install all the component. By not running all the software and updates than Linux uses less disk space. If a hard drive is almost full than Linux still could run because it doesn't take much to run the system. Linux is really a hassle free operating system and the time we use for updates would be time that businesses could use elsewhere. Businesses worry about the security of their systems especially with windows.

Linux is one of the most secure operating systems we have. That means the system is hack free and if I owned a business that would be important. The reasons that the system is secure is that all the software and downloads are free so that your credit card doesn't have to go over the internet. The administrator has the option of letting his employee have access to the files he wants. Instead of an employee hacking into the computer and getting important information the employer can block their access to that file. He can also see who is on the network and how long. It's real nice with payroll and to see what his employees are doing. The cost of Linux is not even comparable to windows.

Windows cost us a lot of money with all the downloads and buying of newer software or the licenses to run the software. But as for Linux, the software is GNU (General Public License) which means that you can start working right away without the worry that the trial period will be over soon. It is much more stable than windows because we never need to reboot Linux to maintain the performance. In the business aspect, time is money and rebooting a lot will cost time and money. The licenses that we pay for on windows usually are for only a single computer while Linux software can be distributed on as many computers as you like without costing a dime. Businesses that use Linux would be Pizza hut, Chucky Cheese and I'm sure there are more. With business that is high volume customers like in the pizza business than Linux would be perfect and hassle free. You would think with all the money that the pizza businesses are saving with Linux than the cost of pizza would be real low.

As you can see, Linux is a better operating system than window or at least cost less. The cost of software and Licenses sure do add up but with Linux you will never have that. Your credit card or important information will never go over the internet. Linux can run for long period of time without being rebooted unlike windows. If I were a business owner than Linux would be the way to go but the most difficult thing is to teach the employees how to run Linux.

Well yes this notifies you of new gmail message with a pop up like most do. But it also allows you to interact with the new mail without having to visit your inbox! That one little thing is so convenient its great! Look at the screen shot below for explanation on how it works:

As you can see in the above image, it shows the Subject of the email, and also a quick snippet of text from the email. Then there are a bunch of buttons in red between the subject and the snippet of text. The read; Open, Mark as read, archive, Report spam, and Delete. These are great because you can delete archive etc. all from here and not even having to open up a Firefox window and go into gmail. yes its a small feature but its worth its weight in gold for me!

Red Hat is the first of three sisters--Fedora and CentOS--and the bossiest. She pretends to have money, and her family has definitely been involved in plenty of businesses, but everyone knows she's doesn't.

Red Hat has been plagued by psychological problems since she was a child, and she has a reputation for it. She had problems resolving her dependency issues, but she's been medicated regularly for over the years and leads a more-or-less normal life.

If Fedora Core Were a Woman

Fedora is a lot like her older sister, but strives not to be. Consequently, she adopted a fashion sense early on, and prides herself on all the things she can do that her older sister can't. Although, she too has some inner, psychological turmoil.

If CentOS Were a Woman

CentOS looks up to her oldest sister, Red Hat, but doesn't like her obsession with money and power. She bares a striking resemblance to her in fact, and her sister's reputation in the business world has landed her a lot of great jobs, but she has rich boyfriends so she doesn't ask for a salary.

If SUSE Were a Woman

SUSE is a German foreign exchange student who attends the same school as the Red Hat sisters. She ended up being adopted by an American family and divides her time between the US and Europe. She speaks English very well and is exceptionally polished (if a bit overweight).

Being from the same school and emulating Red Hat, SUSE adopted many of the same issues, though she keeps them hidden under a carefully maintained facade. She is, after all, very well-dressed and very popular.

If OpenSUSE Were a Woman

openSUSE is SUSE's younger, American-born sibling. Like her sister, she could stand to lose a few pounds, but she's fairly healthy and the guys like her.

If Debian Were a Woman

Debian is an exceptionally idealistic and intelligent woman who spends most of her time reading and expanding her horizons. She is conversant nearly twenty languages, and can carry on introductions in over forty. Given her preoccupation with self-improvement and expansion of her knowledge, she tends to be a bit myopic and forgets the rest of the world. No matter though, her friends quite happily pay regular visits until she is available.

If Gentoo Were a Woman

Gentoo was the first girl at her school to become a member of the Robotics club. She looked at the lifestyles of a lot of the other women and decided she could do better. She's an athlete, and very mindful of her diet. In fact, even though she doesn't espouse any particular creed, she's a bit of a vegetarian. Gentoo does err sometimes in being a bit performance minded. If anyone were up at 3 AM the night before a final project, rebuilding the entire model from scratch, it would be Gentoo.

But even with her somewhat brainy and obsessive nature, Gentoo looks great. She can fit into almost any outfit you can imagine, if you give her enough time and space to make them herself, from scratch. She has excellent social life and the road to her house/science lab is well-documented and well travelled, despite all her idiosyncrasies.

If Knoppix Were a Woman

Like her distant cousin, SUSE, Knoppix is German born. Though unlike most of the other girls, Knoppix doesn't really have a home to speak of. She spends most of her time on road trips, and only stops for an occasional emergency to help out a friend. She is extremely versatile and has a well-rounded skillset--she'll talk to almost anyone--but she doesn't make the best long-term friends. She is fairly slow to speak and doesn't like sitting down for conversation.

If Ubuntu Were a Woman

Ubuntu is a wildly popular and exceedingly attractive daughter of an African-American diplomat with a fanclub that spans the world over. She is one of several similarly attractive sisters, and generally takes the leading role out of the lot of them (her mother still isn't sure she's done having kids yet).

Ubuntu is the niece of Debian, and they spent most of her childhood traveling the globe together. They have had a necessary separating of ways since Ubuntu was old enough to carry on by herself, but the two are more-or-less amicable (if Debian tends to be critical of Ubuntu's lifestyle choices).

Ubuntu spends a lot of time cultivating her fan base and working with her personal assistants on how to improve her image and acceptance amongst the widest possible audience. A bit of a businesswoman, a bit of a cultural innovator, a bit overrated, Ubuntu is nonetheless the undisputed rock star. She tends to argue if things aren't done the way she wants, and she's used to getting her way. Yes, she's a bit spoiled, but she knows how to show everyone a good time, so she's used to winning people over in spite of it.

If Linspire Were a Woman

Linspire is a bit of a Prima Donna, to be blunt. She used to go by another name, but gave it up after she got beat up after school by the school bully who accused her of trying to capitalize on her (nefarious) popularity. Most of the other girls resent the way she kind of waltzed into school with a bit of an entitled attitude (She's always talking about how her ideas will change the world). She has her mind made up most of the time (even if she changes it from time-to-time, she'll never let on), and wants her entire school to join her club (Her club originally asked for dues, but she found that people were just coming to free functions). Nevertheless, she smiles at everyone and holds tutoring sessions for the remedial kids at her school.

If Linux From Scratch Were a Woman

LFS is the most inquisitive woman of all. In fact, she asks more of others than her other, decidedly giving women-friends. This does not make her stuck-up by any means, though, as she tends have more of a philosophical quality to her--always asking what you think, and why. She is well known, though you wouldn't say she's a popular girl. She tends to hang out at the library and drink coffee (if you make it for her). If Gentoo had the time, she and LFS would probably be really good friends.

If Slackware Were a Woman

Slackware is the oldest of the Linux women. She could very well be a Ph.D. candidate at an Ivy League school--she is certainly as smart as her younger friend Gentoo--but doesn't have any ambition for it. Slackware carefully minds a household of many children and loves her life. She doesn't wear any of the latest fashions unless an event calls for it and she gets some coaxing from her husband, but underneath her plain exterior she is slim and sexy enough to compete with any woman out there. She's just too classy to compete.

I will offer some advice and tips that will hopefully make it easier for newcomers to enter the realm of Linux. There are some details that I will be omitting - not because they aren't important, but because they aren't important yet . But it is my hope that this will provide you with at least enough knowledge to understand what the Linux community is all about.

What is Linux?

This very question is a item of serious debate within the community. I'm not going to get into how and why each of the factions define "Linux", because it's not important to the overall big picture. To simplify the answer, I will simply state that "Linux" is a term that most people associate with an alternative operating system (OS); a Microsoft Windows (or even a Macintosh OS) replacement, if you will. For the most part, Linux is free to use, and the source code is readily available for anyone to see or alter as they see fit. This is referred to as "Open Source Software".

One of the most confusing aspects of the community, unfortunately, is the fact that there are so many distributions of the Linux OS. The term "Distribution" (Distro, for short) is best described as a different flavor of the OS. Each distribution was created with certain philosophies in mind that may differ from those ideals held by another distribution. One may want a more user-friendly installer. One may try to create a very lightweight version, or it may focus on maintenance from a remote source. For whatever reason, each distribution was founded with a specific idea.

It is also very common for distributions to branch out, or for a distribution to base their own on another distribution. On the plus side, this allows for a lot of individuality: People can choose a distribution that best fits their own ideals and their own needs. On the minus side, having so many options can be very intimidating and daunting to a large percent of the population, especially to newcomers like yourself.

Later on in this article, I will try to isolate some of the best distributions for beginners. At this point, however, you should just be aware that while all these distributions exist and all these philosophies are prevalent, the overall goal and intent is still the same. Each of these distributions can still be called "Linux". And you will still be able to do what you want regardless of which distribution you choose. Again, we will revisit this point in greater detail later in this article.

Why Linux?

Let's be honest: Linux is not for everyone. Depending on your needs and desires, Linux may not be the right OS for you. For many people, it may not even be a complete OS replacement. You may include Linux into your computing world as little or as much as you want. It is possible for two operating systems to co-exist if you are not ready to give up your current OS. For that matter, it's even possible to run Linux off of a CD. With that in mind, the answer to the question is different for many people.

Before I go on, I need to point out one major misconception about Linux: Linux is not necessarily difficult to use. While some distribution are more complex than others, many cater to idea that an OS should be easy to use. There are a great number of tools available to make the installation and use of Linux very easy. The underlying theme of Linux is that you make of it what you want. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want.

Below are some of the more common reasons to consider Linux:

Cost - As I mentioned earlier, most distributions of Linux are free. Some may offer support packages or reference books, and they will charge for these. But in most cases, you can download a distribution for free. Software upgrades are also most often free.

Curiosity and Learning - A large number of people, myself included, got into the Linux Community simply out of curiosity. There is a strong desire to tinker with the operating system and to analyze and see how it works. This is something that is not possible with a closed source OS as the core of the system is hidden from view. I have learned more about my computer's hardware from Linux than I ever learned using Microsoft Windows.

Programming & Web Design - Linux is very popular among programmers and web developers. From the programming point of view: Most of the compilers, even for the cross-platform languages, are attainable for free. It's also a great platform to learn about OpenGL and other programming libraries. From the web development side: Apache (the world's most popular web server) is native to Linux, as are some of the popular scripting languages such as PHP, Perl and Java. Even a lot of the popular web portal engines (Xoops and Drupal, for example) are usable in Linux. In all cases, the respective communities are flooded with Linux-based developers who are more than willing to help you solve your problems, even if it's a system configuration mistake.

Support - This is a tricky subject surrounded by a lot of misconceptions. In order to think of support in the Linux community, you have to first broaden your horizons about what “support” is. Most people think of a data center that you would call into and some database user on the other end tries to offer technical support through pre-written procedures. Often, you would have to go through ten hoops (twice), regardless of what you've told them, before you get to the answer you need. In the Linux community, support takes on a peer approach. There are lots of forums and lots of great websites that you can access, ask your questions and a number of people will typically respond.

The important difference is that rarely are you treated like an idiot, and you will rarely be pointed to a pre-written document. Most responses start with the information you gave them. Sure, these people aren't paid to be your tech support, but they're passionate and often very honest. Sometimes, these are just the people you should be talking to.

The First Steps: Choosing a Distribution

Choosing the right distribution can make a huge difference in your perception of Linux. With that in mind, it's hard to say which is the right distribution for you. A lot of it comes down to preference. But a lot of it has to do with what you expect of your Linux system or how much time and effort you're willing to put into Linux. The best advice I can give you in this regard is that you shouldn't be afraid to try more than one distribution.

As a newcomer, there are several distributions that we can automatically rule out as they may be too complicated for beginners. My recommendations for suitable distributions are based on three criteria: Ease of installation, ease of use and the community surrounding that distribution. For the purpose of identifying my distributions, I'm going to break them up into three categories:

Retail Distributions :

There are distributions of Linux that charge money. You are not paying for the software itself, but you are paying to have 24 hour tech support, hard copy manuals and other features such as automatic upgrades, and so on. The retail market is pretty much controlled by Redhat and SUSE (the latter of which is owned by Novell). Both are maintained by reputable companies with a strong and stable foot-hold in the market. You will likely be able to buy either of these distributions at your local computer store or even Best Buy. Both are designed to be easy-to-use, and setup is fairly simple. Both have their own sets of tools to maintain the system, and both have large communities of support in addition to the tech support you paid for already.

There isn't much different between the two except for a few technical issues. As a beginner, these shouldn't be of concern to you. Either would be sufficient for any new user. Prices vary depending on what service contract you acquire, but prices are incredibly competitive relative to Windows Vista. Corporate service contracts are also available.

Free Distributions:

There are really only three distributions worth talking about in this category: OpenSUSE, Fedora and Ubuntu. OpenSUSE and Fedora are free versions of SUSE and Redhat, respectively. They don't come with service contracts or manuals and some of the graphics may be different, but they are nearly 100% compatible, and you'll readily find information and support online for both. All other advantages of their retail counterparts carry through.

Ubuntu, on the other hand, yields a completely different approach to Linux. It is still free, easy to set up and has a large support community. Like OpenSUSE and Fedora, you can download them online. But if you put in a request, the organization will send you up to 6 copies of the distribution, for free, in the mail, though that may take several weeks. Ubuntu's biggest advantage is that it has a fully functional Live CD version of the OS - that is to say the OS runs off the CD instead of your hard drive.

While there are some obvious performance disadvantages in the Live CD version, it's a great way to try out the OS before installing it. I should note that many other distributions have Live CDs, but many are not nearly as intuitive as Ubuntu's Live CD. The other key advantage is that Ubuntu is made with beginners in mind. It does most of the installation on its own (like Windows), leaving you with a fully functional, but customizable, OS. It even protects you from some common pitfalls due to the way its set up.

Ubuntu comes in three major flavors: Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu. Edubuntu is an educational version that contains some tools and games for children, but otherwise no different from Ubuntu. Kubuntu and Ubuntu, on the other hand, are very similar except for the graphical user interface (GUI). I'll get more into GUI later. For now, I'll just say that if you're coming from a Windows world, use Kubuntu. If you're coming from a Macintosh world, use Ubuntu. The three variations are so closely related that you have full access to all packages regardless of which variation you have.

Intermediate Distributions :

For the more computer savvy or adventurous types, there are two other distributions worth mentioning: Gentoo and Debian.

Debian has been around for a great while, and it is widely respected in the Linux community. In fact, it is the basis for Ubuntu. Debian may be slightly more difficult to set up, but once its installed, maintenance is fairly easy with its software management tools known as Apt. There is really only one difference between Debian and Ubuntu, but it's an important one. Debian's philosophy is to only use software that is supported under an Open Source license. There are some software applications that are not, so Debian has either found or created a replacement for that.

Most commonly, this comes into play with media formats. That's not to say you can't play them, just that Debian doesn't install these things for you. What Debian is really best known for is stability. While Ubuntu may have some newer applications that could potentially cause some trouble, Debian is a tank that is unwavering and sturdy. If you are learning Linux so that you can get into systems maintenance, Debian is the distribution you'll want to learn. It is very commonly used for servers as it has a lot of great remote-access tools.

Gentoo is referred to as a source based distribution . Most other distributions have pre-compiled packages that get installed into your system like a plug. Gentoo recompiles all of the source code from scratch. This is a trade-off. Installation can take a long time, even a couple of days. But the result is a stable system with probably the best performance out of any distribution available.

As you've guessed, this takes for a lot of patience, and it can be very time consuming and intimidating. But the installation documentation is incredibly simple and easy-to-follow. And when you get stuck, the Gentoo community is one of the most well known for supporting its fellow users. The real advantage of Gentoo is that you will learn much more about your system in a shorter amount of time.

Even the installation documentation introduces you to some concepts that many other distributions would hide. It's like learning about history by being there instead of just reading a book about it. If you are patient and you know a bit about hard drive partitioning and you have a lot of knowledge about the hardware components in your system, this might be worth considering.

Graphic User Interfaces

At some point during your installation, you may be asked to decide on a Graphic User Interface (GUI). Before you start the installation, it's a good idea to browse websites and get an idea of which GUI you want to use. It will make installation easier. I'm not going to dwell too much about the available GUIs. In the Linux world, there is a lot of potential for customization, which has resulted in several available GUIs.

Without referencing a website, I can think of at least 12 different GUIs, but there are only two worth mentioning to a new user of Linux: KDE and Gnome. KDE focuses mostly on performance and consistency. Gnome focuses on customization. Both are very stable. And both have a ton of applications available for them, but that shouldn't be a deciding factor. In most cases, you can run KDE applications in Gnome and vice-versa. I will not say that one is better than the other, it simply comes down to preference. So let's just simplify this debate. If you're used to using Microsoft Windows, try KDE. If you're a Macintosh user, try Gnome. As you get more acclimated with your Linux installation, you may consider diving into one of the more obscure GUIs. I will say, however, that after all my experience with Linux, I still use KDE.

Installing Your Distribution

Each distribution is slightly different, so the specifics will need to be determined from your distribution's documentation (often available online). There are a few important things to discuss about the setup procedures. Before I get into the installation process, let me first discuss your system. If you're like most people, you have a machine with an OS already in place, and you don't want to get rid of it entirely. It is possible for Linux to co-exist with other operating systems. This is called dual-booting .

If you intend to dual-boot, you should back-up everything from your other OS. It would also be wise to defragment your hard drive. As part of the installation process, you'll need to repartition your hard drive - that is to say that you need to change the allocation of your hard drive space. Any partitions already on the computer (typically just one unless you're already a Linux user) will need to be shortened to allow for Linux to be installed. There is a slim possibility that you might lose some data (or a whole partition) during this repartitioning phase. It's always best to back everything up.

One other item that you need to understand is that Linux is a multi-user operating system. Even if you intend to be the only user of your system, it will prompt you to create accounts. Every installation will end up with at least two accounts: ' root ' and one that you name yourself. Think of root as the system administrator. Things are installed and things can be destroyed with that account. You never want to run your system logged in as root unless you absolutely need to. Some distributions, like Ubuntu, don't even allow you access to that account.

You should create and use a dedicated user for general use, and most distributions won't let you complete an installation if you don't. Your general user account will not have access to destroy the system. And this goes beyond mistakes - this gets into the realm of viruses and spyware. Your system is relatively safe so long as you do not run as root and you do not grant root access to anyone or anything. This is very important, so keep this in mind.

So now you're ready to install. The setup can be thought of in four major steps, which I will discuss below:

Step 1: Gathering Information

The first thing any distribution does is it tries to discover a number of details about your system. It's looking for hard drive space, your processor and a number of other hardware items. Your distribution may ask you questions about your system or preferences, but this is not always the case.

Step 2: Preparing your system

Your distribution will, at some point, ask to repartition your hard drive. The goal is to create empty space on your hard drive so that your Linux installation can create its own filing system. Some distributions will give you the option to let the installer “Automatically” design a partitioning scheme. If you plan on dual-booting, say “no”. Chances are, it will erase your other OS, and you'll only have Linux installed. If you don't plan on dual-booting, there's no harm in letting the installer handle everything automatically.

As your first installation, there is no harm in installing Linux into a single partition. This will not receive the optimal performance, but it will work efficiently enough. Some advanced users will suggest crazy partitioning schemes with up to 5 partitions. Save this for when you're more acclimated. Sometimes, the installer will ask you what format you want for your Linux partition(s). Never mind all the data out there concerning all these partition types. Most are for advanced users. I'd recommend the ext3 format for most beginners (use ext2 for your boot partition, if you have one).

Step 3: Installing your Base System

This step is likely automatic. In some cases, your installer may ask you if there are some specific packages or software that you want to install. I would recommend just installing whatever your distribution recommends. You can always add stuff later, either from the CD's or from the internet. Note that the time it takes to complete this step varies greatly between distributions and systems. Don't be surprised if this takes a long time. If were adventurous and you decided to try Gentoo, this could take days.

Step 4: Post Installation

After you've installed your system, you're probably left with a functional GUI and a stable base system. Some distributions, especially the retail distributions and their freeware counterparts, will take you through a post-installation process that will help you to set up some of the more common things: Internet access, your video card, your mouse and so on. Some distributions might make some assumptions and set this stuff automatically (and these settings can always be changed). But if you're left without an internet connection or sound, don't worry. There are likely some tools (check your menus) installed that will help you set these up. At the very least, the online documentation for your distribution will help you to get everything in working order.

Beyond the Installation

Once you have your base installation completed, the rest starts to fall into place. Your focus now shifts to finding the software applications and tools that you need. Most distributions already have a set of tools already installed for you to start working with your new system. Even your GUI may have their own tools for your use. But for every application that has already been installed, there are probably several others that do the job just as well, if not better. Your tools all come down to preference.

If you don't like a particular software that came with your installation, look at pages like FreshMeat, KDE-Apps or GnomeFiles to find the software you want (See Continued Reading at the end of the article for links and descriptions to each of these sites). If you are an Ubuntu or Debian user, you will first want to check with your internal applications management software, which is called Apt. Gentoo also has a similar application called Portage. If you have a retail version of Redhat or SUSE, they will also have some sort of utility that allows you to download and install software with ease.

Once you found software that you like, continue checking back for updates. Software sometimes gets updated much faster in the Open Source community than you are used to. If you find bugs or would like to see a new feature added, don't hesitate to contact the developers. Often times, they have a bug tracker or a feedback system set up for this reason. Your feedback will help that software to become a much better product.

Finally, play around on your new system and browse a lot of Linux related web pages. There's a lot to be uncovered in your new OS, and the more you play around, the faster you'll learn.

Last Words

One thing I learned through my experiences in the Linux and Open Source communities, it is an ever-changing world. Your hardware that may not be supported today could easily have some development and support tomorrow. Bugs may be fixed much faster than you're used to. A particular software project may implement new features on a monthly basis. These things are not entirely uncommon and things will change rapidly. With that in mind, my first bit of closing advice is: Never stop learning.

Over the past several years, the face of Linux has changed significantly. It is far more user friendly than it was just a couple of years ago. A lot of this is due to some very dedicated people. But a great deal of these developments are a direct result of people like you offering your thoughts and time. You may not be a programmer, but that doesn't mean you can't offer some bug reports or some constructive criticism about a program. Sometimes, your thoughts might be taken very seriously, sometimes not. Either way, you are helping to improve that particular software. There is always room for non-developers in a particular project, most often with documentation. Simply writing a “How-to” or some help files for a piece of software does a lot for that project. The programmers often don't have time to do it, so your time and efforts will be greatly appreciated. So my second bit of advice is: Get involved.

My final bit of advice is what this article was all about: Don't be afraid. If you make a mistake, it can be fixed. You will learn much faster from your mistakes than from any amount advice I, or another, can give you. If you hit a sticky situation, there are a number of online resources and communities that will help you fix your problems. There are a great number of us who have several years experience with the OS, and we're very generous with our advice. There is nothing that can't be fixed.

My point is that Linux may appear to be a big and intimidating Juggernaut, but it's really not as scary as you would think. You won't really get an idea of what it's all about until you start using it. If you're on the fence about whether Linux is for you, you should at least try it. Try one of those Live CDs and you eliminate the risk entirely. I'm sure I can speak for most of the community when I say that we don't want you to be scared. We would love for you to find out why we all love Linux so much. So we would all be happy to help you in any way that you can.

I hope that this article has given you some confidence in that regard.

Continued Reading

If you would to learn more about the Linux Community, I would highly recommend the following resources:

DistroWatch.com - A website dedicated to the tracking of a vast number of Linux Distributions.

FreshMeat - FreshMeat is a ticker-tape of open source projects as they are released and updated. It's a great place to go if you need to find software that meets a specific criteria. This can be overwhelming at times.

Google Linux Search - Google has a search engine that is specifically designed to search only Linux related websites. This will greatly improve your searching efficiency.

GnomeFiles: - GnomeFiles is a catalog of applications that are designed specifically for use with the Gnome GUI. This should be your first stop if you are a Gnome user looking for software.

KDE-Apps - KDE-Apps is a catalog of applications that are designed specifically for use with the KDE GUI. This should be your first stop if you are a KDE user looking for software.

Linux Questions.org - Online forums where many Linux users will answer your questions. This is not necessarily distribution specific.

Linux Distribution Chooser - A web based tool to help people pick your ideal distribution.

Links To Popular Distributions

• Fedora
• Gentoo
• OpenSUSE
• Redhat
• SUSE
• Ubuntu