Linux is a free operating system of many different "flavors."    It can be downloaded on many different sites.  Some of the more popular ones are:

    1. Fedora Core  downloads at : http://www.fedora.redhat.com

   2. Xandros downloads at:   http://www.xandros.com/about/downloads.html

   3. Ubuntu available at: http://www.ubuntulinux.org

    I have also created an installation guide that will walk you through installing the alternate version of Ubuntu. In the near future, an installation guide will be available to install with the Live! CD. The underlined link will get you to downloading the file.  There are two formats of the alternate install guide. one in Microsoft Word format & the other in OpenOffice format.  OpenOffice format is about 1/2 the size. Download them here:

                Ubuntu Installation.doc                Ubuntu Installation.odt

    If you have problems downloading either one, in your browser's window, click the "back" button, then right click on the one you wish to download and click on "save link as" and it will download.    

  There are many more available by searching for "Linux" in a websearch.  If you're using Linux and and looking for help with it a real good place to search is http://www.google.com/linux  

     I have found Linux very network as well as user friendly.  Most hardwired network cards have drivers built right in.  As far as printers, it has built-in drivers for more than 400 printers.  A Lexmark printer is probably the most difficult to make work, but it isn't impossible.  It has a big long list of games pre-installed as well.

    If you want a terrific working desktop computer system with Linux, I suggest trying the Ubuntu version of Linux - I've found just like it is advertised, it just works. If you need to install or want to install additional components, it has a terrific web page with all the instructions on how to do so: http://easylinux.info/wiki/Ubuntu .

       A couple more fun systems are Mepis. The latest version of Mepis was unbelievable. I installed it for a test on my laptop, which as Broadcom wireless, and totally unbelievable, the first version of Linux wireless worked without anything more than adding IP and DNS settings. It is Ubuntu-based, and uses the KDE desktop.  Vector Linux is another fun one. It's quite a fast operating system, and would probably work fairly well on older systems. It is a lighter version, and uses XFCE desktop, and is  Slackware based and uses a LILO boot loader instead of the Grub bootloader. It also installed and worked on my laptop, and with minor configuration I did also get the wireless to work. Downloads will be available shortly for them as well.

     Most versions have an office package built in called OpenOffice by oppenoffice.org that includes a wordprocessor, spreadsheet, presentation, and database.  The presentation package is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint®. The wordprocessor, calc, and presentation will read the Microsoft documents without any problem.  If you wish, it is also available free of charge in a windows version.

     ST Computing's website is currently being hosted on Centos 4 Linux, with a backup server running Fedora Core 3.  We also use a system that is triple-boot with Fedora Core 5, Ubuntu 5.10 and Windows XP.   Just a quick briefing on "Centos" - it is another free linux version that can be downloaded either by a 4-disk set or a DVD iso file.  It is similar to Red Hat Linux and Fedora.  It has been working flawlessly as the server.