1. If you decide to install Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Forum is a great place to learn.

   Ubuntu is free, and they will even send you free CD's if you can't download it for some reason (if you are asking a question here, I assume you are already online). For me, the best part of Ubuntu is the community. There is a great community of people from around the world, and they are very polite and always happy help answer any questions that you may have: http://www.ubuntuforums.org

   Even though Ubuntu is currently on version 5.1 (Breezy Badger), http://ubuntuguide.org which was written for version 5.04 (Warty Warthog), is still a great guide that is very helpful as well.

   The Synaptic Package Manager makes it VERY easy to install additional programs, and most of them are free.

   There is a live CD (which runs from the CD), if you would like to try it without having to install it to your hard drive first:
   http://mirror.mcs.anl.gov/pub/ubuntu-iso…

   Give it a try, I am sure that you will like it. I installed Ubuntu as a dual-boot about 5 months ago, and I finally removed Windows about two months ago. I am here to stay.

2. Welcome to the club…..

   A couple of basics. LINUX is a kernel and not a full operating system. GNU/LINUX is an operating system that combines the GNU tools and the LINUX kernel. It is a unix based system. There are other systems such as FreeBSD that also are unix based and ver similar.

   Some time ago I also learned it. I found that downloading and installing one along with reading a couple beginner books was the best way to go. You may want to try installing something like Fedora which is a GNU/LINUX that is free from Red Hat (possibly the biggest name in Linux).

   http://fedora.redhat.com/

   Good luck and enjoy.

3. you can download (FREE)the image file: Knoppix Linux and run your computer off the cdrom drive. you do not need to install it onto your HDD.
   this is the most fastest most painless way to learn linux.

   a more formal way is to go to Linux.org and there would be your resouce.

4. http://www.ubuntuforums.org
   http://ubuntuguide.org
   http://www.ubuntu.com
5. That depends on what you want to learn about it. If you're interested in becoming very competent at the command line in Linux, you should set up a test system for yourself with the distribution of your choice, then either read the help files, or pick up a good book covering how to use the Linux command line. O'Reilly publishes several good books on Linux, including books on CD.

Tags: linux os, linux window