Fedora 7.0 is the latest community-based Linux release from Red Hat. Fedora and Novell's OpenSuse are Ubuntu Linux's two chief "competitors". All three Linux distros are free downloads; all have vibrant online communities where you can go for tips, troubleshooting and advice. And all three Linux distributions will hook you up with a modern, friendly environment that you can start exploring right away. If you don't rely much on proprietary, Windows-only applications, you may be able to get to work right away, too.