Linux OS

Puppy LINUX.

Good choice the OS fits on flash drive. Loads to RAM and runs from there.

Thank you Its definitly a good start for me and exact selection.But just out of curiosity is there any complete Linux OS for long term use?

I have been using Debian for years. The installation is a breeze, after installation the first web site was two clicks of the mouse. There are a few "technical" things you might want to do such as installing proprietary drivers for your video cards, to enable hardware acceleration for 3D, but there is a abundance of support on how to do such things. The 64 bit OS I ordered was less than $15 US and included six DVDs of software. There are literally thousands of free programs available. To be more specific 28,854 packages according to the package manager. Debian strictly adheres to the open-source policies, so they will not include proprietary drivers. I like the fact that it just works. The updates are available and fairly automated (just a few clicks).

I would also recommend Ubuntu. It is based on Debian, has a little more eye candy, but uses the same package manager.

One of the main things that distinguish different Linux operating systems is their automated program installers. Red Hat and Debian for example are different in how you add programs. I lost a lot of brain cells using XP for so many years, so I'm not totally comfortable with the command line interface, fortunately for me, the graphical interface for Linux has greatly improved over the last few years.

The great thing is that if you don't like one or it doesn't support your hardware (unlikely) you can try another. Hope your endeavors go well. I'm always glad to spread freedom one operating system at a time.

I have recommended Ubuntu for years. It is one of the good choices, others are too. The newest Ubuntu has changed the user interface to be more like windows (less friendly to us old timers that do development). I have had recommended to me Mint Linux. I am giving it a try this week.

Ubuntu is pretty much a split off version from Debian.

In response to your first sentence. Once upon a time a guy named Linus T. wrote a Unix like operating system as a college project. He made the code open source (anyone can get the source code and use it for free - LEGALLY). People liked the idea and took the project forward. Sooner or later the project split (and then split again and again). Sometimes it was because people were happy with it but just wanted to customize it for their needs. Other times people were unhappy with the developers and wanted their own sandbox to play in. I don't know all the stories but I recall that Debian started when a girl named Debbie and her husband Ean (maybe spelled Eian) made their own fork (version) of Linux and called it Debian (Debbie + Ean). Ubunu (African word with a good meaning) started when some people in Africa wanted to move Linux forward in a fast paced manner and make sure that it was very user friendly.

In summary, there are many different versions of Linux (Linus's Unix-like project). They all started from the same project and have a lot in common (therefore they are all Linux) but each different version (different distribution) is made different to satisfy the goals of a group of developers/users.

ZORIN ! works well with CDMA internet adapters.

I liked XP, but it started to NOT like me and/or my hardware.

After many windoze update problems on a P4 1.5GHz w/1GB RAM, I tried Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron LTS) and later upgraded to 10.04 (Lucid Lynx LTS). Ubuntu runs very well on this (circa 2003) hardware and does all the office, email, and web development/surfing I need with plenty of headroom to spare. It is also rock solid stable, never locks-up or crashes, seems immune to viruses and malware, and has been running 24/7/365 since 2008.

I've used Linux Mint on other machines when "Media & Entertainment" functions are important. Even though it uses the same basic code (software repositories) as Ubuntu, the user interface seems more "new-to-Linux user friendly". I like Mint but still use Ubuntu for my work machine.

One of the Puppy Linux variants may be a good choice, especially for hardware older/slower than listed above. I have an old P3 server w/256MB RAM that really likes Puppy Linux. It's a little slow, but still quite usable. Any windoze variant I tried on this ancient hardware would either not run at all or would take 25+ minutes just to boot.

Damn Small Linux (DSL) may also be an option for you, even though the graphical user interface is a bit crude. I use DSL to test old computers. If DSL runs, I'll keep the old machine for use as a home network file server or a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. Hardware too old to run DSL goes to the scrap/recycling center. Have to draw the line somewhere.

I haven't found a "bad" Linux distribution yet. Suggest you try several to find one you like and that works well with your hardware. Best wishes on your Linux journey.