Part of Linux's undeserved reputation for being difficult to use, stems from the time before Linux distributions were commonly available and developed to the extent that they are today. Then, you not only needed to be able to locate, download, and compile, the Linux kernel, libraries and executables, and you needed to be able to set up a number of system configuration files and organize the file system layout correctly, in order to get the system to successfully boot and run.

With modern Linux distributions, all the heavy lifting is done for you. The installation process will:

• automatically check your hard disk for sufficient space to allow the install to proceed

• partition it if necessary, and preserve any previously installed operating systems

• it will probe your hardware and correctly load all necessary device drivers

• it will also ask a very few questions about your location to set the time zone, the correct time and date, and user administration information so you can log in once the system is installed.

The software installed by a Linux distribution is much more than a basic computer operating system. The installer may include desktop software including web browsers, e-mail, graphic applications, an office application suite, network tools, program development environment for a number of different computer languages and much much more. What gets installed depends on which distribution you use and the options you select during the install process. Each company, organisation, or individual that compiles a Linux distribution decides what applications to include in their distribution. Many distributions will install a “base set” of applications and provide you with a post-install application, such as Synaptic, which will assist you to locate and install and additional software packages.

Linux Distributions are created for many different purposes:

• Easy of Use (Ark, MEPIS, Xandros, Linspire)

• Computer architecture (Intel/AMD, MIPS, SPARC, ARM, Power.....)

• Localization to a specific region or language (Red Flag/China, Guadalinux/Andalucía, Spain)

• Commercial/Branding (Red Hat, Novell SLED)

• Older hardware (DSL, Puppy, Vector)

• The package management used. (DEB, RPM, source code.....)

Linux distributions are also targeted at embedded systems, appliances such as firewalls, security enhanced, or limited by software license.

Next: How to Choose a Distribution