Linux

Ubuntu and Kubuntu (the variant I use) have emerged as very useable Linux "distributions". They're suitable for computer users who have a little sense of adventure. I turned an old 0.3 Ghz (compare to 3.0 Ghz) eMachine that has a 2.1 GB hard drive into a Kubuntu computer that I use exclusively for business transactions because it's much more secure than Windows. :-)

Installing Ubuntu (semi)permanently is, shall we say, more of an adventure than installing a big program. If you just want to try Ubuntu, there are two ways to do it.

  1. Download the Ubuntu (or Kubuntu) ISO file and burn it to a CD, as you would if you were going to install it. Put the CD in your CD drive and (re)boot your computer. You'll have an option to load the "live" version, which does not install Ubuntu, but runs it from the CD. When you're finished, you can just remove the CD and reboot Windows.
  2. You can also install Ubuntu without partitioning your hard drive. The Wubi installer makes it simple. You don't even need to burn a CD. Wubi installs Ubuntu just like any other program. If you don't like Ubuntu, just use Windows Add/Remove Programs and uninstall it.

The Ubuntu story is very interesting. An editorial in Free Software Magazine puts it succinctly:

"Then, a very smart man called Mark Shuttleworth made 500 million dollars in the .com boom, learned Russian from scratch, went to space, came back in one piece, funded several charities focusing [sic] on South Africa, and... oh yes, he created Ubuntu Linux."

There are dozens, actually hundreds, of Linux "distributions" -- essentially branches of the core Linux operating system. The nice thing is you can try as many as you like for free. Learn at LinuxLinks.com about which ones (other than Ubuntu/Kubuntu) you might want to explore. One interesting thing is that most Linux distributions come with *tons* of free programs for you to use.

Dan Martin wrote a revealing comparison of the differences between Linux and Windows. By the way, if you're not sure how to pronounce Linux, listen to Linus Torvalds say "Linux" himself.