Welcome to linux!

What is Linux?
Linux is a free Operating System (OS) and a great alternative to Windowz. Think "free" as in "free speech," not "free beer," as the people in the Free Software/Open Source community like to say. Open source means that you have the ability to customize your OS how ever you wish and freely distrubute it. To learn more about free software and the major software license it is distributed under, called the General Public License (GPL), go here.

Who owns Linux
No one company or individual "owns" Linux. However, the trademark "Linux" is owned by Linus Torvalds.

Where can I get Linux?
There are alot of http and FTP sites that host linux distrobutions. There are over 200 distrobutions of Linux that fit different purposes. Here's a list of sites where you can download linux:

Linux.org
Red hat
SuSe
Mandrake
Caldera
Turbo Linux
Debian Linux
Slackware

There are alot of other sites and distrobutions but I've only included a few here. If you'd like some software for your new OS Linux.com has a decent list.

I'm having problems installing Linux
If your having problems installing Linux make sure to actually READ the README file. Check back at the site you downloaded your distrobution from for help and FAQ documents. If you're still stuck you can post your questions in the Newbie Fourm or in the *Nix Discussions fourm and some one will help you. Alternatively, you can use Google to search the internet for additional documents and help with linux.

What's Linux look like?
At most Linux websites, you can preview what Linux will look like after you have it installed. You'll still be able to have a graphical user interface (GUI). Linux uses 2 main desktop environments called GNOME and KDE. Here's a list of sites with screen shots of Linux:

Mandrake
SuSe
Red Hat
Caldera
Debian
Peanut Linux

What's GNOME
GNOME stands for GNU Network Object Model Environment. The GNOME project intends to build a complete, user-friendly desktop based entirely on free software. GNOME is part of the GNU project, and it is free software compliant with the OpenSource(tm) definition. The desktop will consist of small utilities and larger applications which share a consistent look and feel. GNOME uses GTK+ as the GUI toolkit for all GNOME-compliant applications.

What's KDE?
KDE is a powerful, highly stable graphical desktop environment for Linux/Unix workstations. It combines ease of use, contemporary functionality and outstanding graphical design with the technological superiority of the Linux/Unix operating system.

I still don't get it..
If you still need help then try these sites:

Linux Documents
Linux-embedded
Linux Newbie

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