Edited by Kyle Grindley, will hunt, Tom Viren, Brandywine and 16
others - 1Consider your hardware, especially your Internet
connection. Try to find something that supports the specs of
your computer and everything you have. - 2If this is your first
time using Linux consider trying Ubuntu, OpenSuSE or Mandriva. -
3A distribution is basically a customized Linux kernel with a
unique collection of software, almost always containing GNU
tools (hence the name, GNU/Linux). A good distribution will have
a compiler and linker (like GCC), a desktop environment, support
for most hardware, and a packaging system (RPM, TGZ, DEB, etc.).
Consider the other software you would like. - 4One of the best
ways to find a flavor of Linux that's just right for you and
your hardware is a LiveDistro which allows you to boot and run
on your hardware before you decide to install it! Some (like
Puppy Linux) even allow you to save to disc or USB if you have
no hard drive installed. - 5If you're on dial-up, don't attempt
to download distri