Linux is a UNIX-like operating system for practically any computer. If you've never heard of it then read on. It offers many advantages over other OS's and not many disadvantages. For instance, you Windows users, how many times has Windows crashed for no apparent reason? You've lost count haven't you? Well, Linux is probably the most stable OS around. At least in my experience it is anyway. And, it's free! In fact, near enough every piece of software written for it is free. Anything that you use now in Windows will probably have an equivalent for Linux. If there isn't something that you need then you can join in the fun and write it. Because, yes, all the programming compilers and libraries are free. Read on if you're interested. Linux was originally written by Linus Torvalds. It started as a college project and grew into a religion. It's based around Minix, another UNIX-like system. There's hundreds of people world wide developing software for it and also developing the operating system itself.