The wonderful thing about Linux is the fact that it’s totally free and open source. This means there’s no activation, serial numbers, etc. You can download the ISO file here: http://www.linuxgator.org/download.html It’s a Live CD, meaning you can run the entire OS from the CD to try it out. If you like it, you can install it. The installer will walk you through everything. You can even keep Windows and have a choice of booting up from Windows or Linux. The install process will take about 10-15 minutes. It will then let you set your user account, password, and some other stuff. Once it’s done, just reboot, and you’ve successfully installed Linux!
The bootup is extremely fast. It only took 15 seconds to boot up on a laptop with 512mb ram and a 1.8GHz processor. Now, the only issue with this distro is the ugly look. It’s really dark and B&W. However, thanks to the highly-customizable GNOME interface, you can make it your own with system themes, wallpapers, and effects. Here’s what my desktop looks like.
The GNOME desktop is very easy to use. It’s sort of a combo between Mac and Windows, so any user will feel right at home. You’ve got your menu bar up top, a taskbar down below, and a Spaces-like virtual desktop feature. All of your files will be compatible with Linux, including movies, music, Word documents, etc. PCLinuxOS GNOME is loaded with apps, like GNOME office, an easy-to-use office suite, and GIMP, a free Photoshop replacement. There’s Firefox, the Evolution email client, Frostwire, XChat, and tons more. You can easily download more software using the Synaptic Package Manager. There’s also the PCLinuxOS control panel, an easy-to-use app that lets you control every aspect of your system. Linux comes loaded with drivers for everything, so it should work out of the box. I didn’t have to configure anything except for the screen resolution, which only takes a click or two. Overall, you’ll find Linux to be an excellent replacement of Windows.