COMPUTASSIST

On the desktop, try OpenOffice.org, an office productivity suite, and the Mozilla Firefox web browser. There's also the OpenCD which has Windows versions of these and other cross-platform applications -- it makes a great sampler.

On the server, definitely give XAMPP , Apache and MySQL a look.

If you set up a Linux test bed, these applications will more than likely be included with whatever distribution of Linux you install.

The best way to get an overview of the current Linux world (remember, it's constantly developing!) is to download a bootable Linux CD and run it on your own computer. It will run slower from the CD compared to a fully installed system, but you can try as many Linux distributions (a.k.a. distros) as you want this way, without modifying your computer.

Go to  DistroWatch.com's Top Ten page and read up on the most popular varieties of Linux. Once you've decided which one to try first, go to the distribution's web site, download their Live CD version, burn it to a CD and reboot your computer into a new world of Freedom. For example, you can go here and follow the steps to boot your computer into the Ubuntu Linux OS. Try the available applications to see what Linux has to offer. As long as you don't choose the install option, this doesn't change your PC at all -- when you shutdown and remove the CD, you will reboot into your previous OS as usual.

For schools and small businesses that really need to get the most out of older hardware, K12LTSP, the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project, lets you boot diskless workstations from an applications server. K12LTSP lets you keep using old or donated hardware long after other OSs have dropped support for it. Alternatively, you can build a brand new lab or classroom using diskless workstations for as little as $300 a seat. And maintenance and administration costs are very low!

See lots more Linux information on our Links page.