Ubuntu (Free Linux OS)

Ubuntu Version 5.10, the Breezy Badger, the preview release is now here. The Preview Release includes both Install CDs and bootable Live CDs for three architectures. IF you didnt know Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system that starts with the breadth of Debian and adds regular releases (every six months), a clear focus on the user and usability (it should "Just Work", TM) and a commitment to security updates with 18 months of support for every release. Ubuntu ships with the latest Gnome release as well as a selection of server and desktop software that makes for a comfortable desktop experience off a single installation CD. Ubuntu is Free Software, and available to you free of charge. It's also Free in the sense of giving you rights of Software Freedom. Unlike many of the other commercial distributions in the free and open source world (Libranet, Linspire, Xandros, Red Hat) the Ubuntu team really does believe that Free software should be free of software licencing charges. Ubuntu is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu release supports PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64) and PowerPC (Apple iBook and Powerbook, G4 and G5) architectures.
Ubuntu is based on Debian, the grandpappy of noncommercial Linuxes, and thus inherits Debian's best-of-breed package management system, Apt. You can deal with Apt via the command line or the powerful point-and-click Synaptic interface. The amount of software available is staggering. We're talking about more than 16,000 different packages, once you've enabled all the official repositories.
If you'd like to give Ubuntu a test drive before you install it, you can download a "Live CD" version. This is a self-booting CD-based version of Breezy Badger that should give you a pretty good idea of what you'll end up with if you go ahead with a full installation.