Developer: Linspire
Genre: Linux Distro
Price: $50 retail / $20 OEM

Minimum System Requirements

PC with 800 MHz or higher processor
128 MB of RAM (256 MB or higher recommended for best performance)
Hard drive with 4 GB free space
SVGA or higher resolution and monitor (3-D graphics accelerator card for some games, screen savers, etc.)
CD-ROM or DVD drive, Keyboard & Mouse
Linspire-compatible sound card and speakers or headphones
Linspire-compatible 56 Kbps hardware modem, cable modem, or DSL modem
Ethernet card for Internet/LAN connectivity

Test System

1.33 GHz Athlon Thunderbird
768 MB RAM
64 MB ATI Radeon 8500
TDK 12x CD-RW
On-board sound
Netgear Network Card


Introduction

To give you some background on why I'm writing this article, I have a solid amount experience using both Linux and Unix. My interest in Linux began for fun, which got me back into a Master's program, and later became a part of my full-time job.

By experience, I can tell you that Linux is generally considered to be the operating system of choice for those uber-geeks out there who shun Microsoft and other operating systems on principle. Want in on a little secret? Linux is now a lot easier to use than it ever was. It's still not perfect, but it's usable and if you're a poor college student who needs a second computer and can't afford another copy of Windows or want something more secure, you should be using Linux.

Why should you read this review? For one, Linux is a godsend, particularly if you're a gamer with a spare PC sitting around doing nothing. Unless you're using Xfire you're missing all those IMs and IRC sessions while you game away. A small investment can give you a solid "communications system" for e-mail chat, and general surfing. With enhancements like WineX, you don't even need Windows to game.

Installation

Installation is always the bane of anyone who's used Linux. There are those "hardcore" Linux users out there who will build their kernel from scratch (that's the core of the operating system, not pre-cooked popcorn!). Many of these folks hand pick and compile each and every module they want to install. Back in the early days of Linux, this was more common than it is today. Now, installing Linux is as easy as installing Windows!

This Linux install was perhaps one of the smoothest I've experienced. I tried it on two of my computers and found it to be quick and easy. Once the drive was formatted and the core installed, Linspire came up ready to play.

The only drawback to my Linspire installation regarded WiFi; my 802.11g networking card did not work out-of-the-box and attempts to repair it without Internet connectivity failed. This, however, is very typical for Linux installations. It's something that can be fixed, so it's best to first do the install with a normal network card.