Although Linux still has a reputation for being hard to use for beginners,
some distributions have made a real effort to be more accessible.
Mandriva (formally known as Mandrake)
is one of these and this is their latest distribution that can be downloaded at
no cost,
Mandriva
Free 2007.
Mandriva 2007 Free is easy to install as it takes care of making space on the
hard drive and can use most PC hardware including wireless networking cards.
Once installed it offers a choice of desktops, including a 3D interface for
those with a powerful enough graphics card and computer. If you are unsure which
program replaces a Windows one, Mandriva has provided a
list
of major programs in both.
The paid-for versions of Mandriva 2007 include DVD player software
LinDVD
and
TransGaming's
Cedega for playing Windows games on Linux.
The download link is for the download from Warwick University's copy of the
file. If this is not work this a
full
list of alternative sites.
System requirements:
- CPU: All Pentium, Celeron, Athlon, Duron, Sempron processors
- RAM: 256MB minimum, 512MB recommended.
- CD-ROM or DVD-ROM player
- Graphic Cards: NVIDIA®, ATI™, Intel® i8xx and i9xx.
- Sound cards: All Sound Blaster compatible cards and AC97