I have dabbed with Linux on and off since a few years now. I have tried several distributions or "distros" and ended up liking openSUSE, Ubuntu and Mepis. These distros are easy to use and have a very Windows-like interface...

I first started with Suse 9.1 which I found in a book (Linux Bible series). I was fed up with Windows after having repeated virus infections, blue screens of death, and 2 hard drive failures. (Looking back, I didn't really have an upto date Antivirus and was on dial-up so I didn't have the latest updates and patches.....). So, I guess there was nothing to lose. I did install it, and amazingly enough, everything installed just perfectly - it was as easy as an XP install - but you did have to know that /hda stood for your primary hard disk.

Even my internal PCI Motorola modem installed out of the box - an unheard of feat in Linux! (Most Linux distros recommend an external modem and almost never recognize internal modems). Even Windows XP needed drivers for it.

I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of use of Linux. All programs including Office, Adobe Reader, Chat, Internet Browser, and various programs were ready to be used after the first install. It was like a hybrid between Windows and OSX. No need of searching around the web and fumbling with install CDs. And it felt totally safe from viruses (though even Linux is not immune)...

I tried various other Linux distros but they all had one probem - you guessed it - internal modem. So I went back to Suse 9.1. Eventually I got an external modem which was compatible with Linux (yay!) so that I could try out all the newest distros!

O.K. So you want to install Linux. Here are some things you need to
consider -

1. Have your Windows install CD/DVD ready in case something goes wrong and you have to reinstall windows. Backup your files in another partition or external hard drive.

2. Choose to install in "Dual-boot" so that you can use both Windows (for your applications) and Linux (for browsing). Well, nowadays, there are virtualization programs like Virtualbox in which you can run Windows within Linux. Alternately, there are "emulators" like WINE in which you can install Windows programs in Linux and use them without installing Windows! Wow. That is indeed quite an achievement. You can run Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and even games along with your Linux programs side by side. Quite unreal, never thought I'd see the day.

3. If you want to install Ubuntu, you can install it right within Windows as a program using the "wubi installer" (which works like an .exe program in Windows). It will lead to a dual boot (so that your Windows directory is untouched) and will show up in the Add/Remove programs just like a Windows program. You can uninstall it just like a regular Windows program if you don't like it and it will be gone!

4. Explore all the Linux programs so that you can understand them and use them as replacements for your Windows programs. DON'T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT. Otherwise you might as well stick with Windows.

5. Read about different distros and then choose the one for you.

6. Install an antivirus program so that when you transfer files to Windows, you won't send infected files to that drive.

7.  Don't be afraid to use the Terminal and type commands (only rarely required if you want to do some serious tinkering).  Most of the times, you can just copy and paste from the browser to a terminal.

I am simply full of praise for Linux. It has come a long way, and is reaching Windows and Mac OSX in terms of simplicity and ease of use. And more competition is always good for us, the consumers. We will get good quality operating systems as a result.

I feel far more secure surfing on Linux than on Windows even during everyday browsing. It has all programs ready to be used after the first install. And this is all for free. That's probably why I keep blabbering about Linux to all my friends whether they are interested or not. I am a Believer. Go Linux!