[24giovanni]

Can I d/l a full version of linux for free over the net? If so, which one do you advise I d/l? How long does it take to d/l over a dsl line?

Oh, and where can I d/l it from please?

[GripS]

There are several free versions of linux. I'm still working on getting all the basics to linux down so all i can say is check out http://distrowatch.com/. While Ubuntu isn't the easiest to work with, the latest version is approx 600mb and the cool thing about it is it runs off the CD OR it can be installed. As far as how to download it: There is a method not discussed here due to forum rules as it involves P2P software use, or you can download from a mirror from the respected distro website.

[24giovanni]

is it ok to d/l on a windows OS?

[GripS]

Yes. It will download as an ISO image file. You burn the ISO to a CD-R selecting 'Burn image to disk' with a burning program.

[fenderfreek]

Actually, Ubuntu is one of the easier to use, IMO. It's pretty straightforward to install and use, and best of all, it fits on one disc, which is great if you're just looking to try it out. Just go to www.ubuntu.com and download the ISO for the latest desktop release.

If you want something a little more full featured to try out, you can download the latest Red Hat release, Fedora Core 5. It has a host of tools and utilities to try out and learn to use, but it also occupies 5 cd's, so it'll take a bit longer to download. I use FC5 for my server.

As far as where to get any distro, I find that torrents are the best way. You get the files faster than from a server most of the time, and it saves bandwidth on their servers too. If you're not familiar with torrents, just use google and get a copy of the utorrent program, then find a torrent site that has the distro you want and go for it. I use torrentspy.com myself.

[SweetLou]

Originally Posted by 24giovanni

Can I d/l a full version of linux for free over the net? If so, which one do you advise I d/l? How long does it take to d/l over a dsl line?

Oh, and where can I d/l it from please?

Yes, there are hundreds of distros that you can download and use. How long will it take? Well, that all depends on your connection to the server, how many ISO's you'll be downloading, etc.
For example, Ubuntu is a 1 cd distro, Debian I think has something like 11 cd's So, to download all of Debian would take a lot longer than Ubuntu. I think SuSE is 5 cd's.

Debian has a net install, this is where you download a small ISO about 180 mb. This will install the base system, then from there it will download the packages that you select that you want. It usually takes me about 35 minutes to download and install Debian the way I like it.

For the distro that you want to use, I recommend either Debian or Slackware. In my opinion, these are the two best distros. Debian is rock solid. Debian has a long testing period before a package can be accepted into the stable release. This means less problems and more stability.