Linux is an Open Source operating system available under GNU Public License. I think it was released under GPL version 1, which would be listed under "Old versions". The GNU license basically means that it is free for all to use, open source means that is if free for all to modify. This is why there are so many flavors (distributions) of Linux -- Red Hat, Fedora, SUSE, Ubuntu, and many others. While the core of Linux (the kernel) is free, some companies like Red Hat, and SUSE add proprietary components and sell it as a value added Linux.

You can download free versions of most Linux distributions. Fedora is one of the more popular for servers and Ubuntu is one of the more popular for desktop environments. These are rather large downloads and not everyone can download such large files. For these people there are companies who burn and sell these CDs, or DVDs for cheap (like $5 or $10). My favorite supplier is OSDisk.com, located in Colorado.

Although Linux started off as an operating system that was only for very technical users, it has matured into a very user friendly and operating system with a graphic interface that everyone is accustomed to seeing.

One of the benefits of using Linux is that it is an Open Source community. You can get free software for much of what you want to do. In cases where there is a charge, it is usually very nominal, unlike the Windows world where you around $100 or more for almost anything you want to do. In the Linux world, if you spent $100 -- You spent a lot! Let's explore some productivity tools available for Linux.

CrossOver:

For those who can't part with that dear old Windows program, there is an answer. It is called CrossOver Linux and is available at http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxoffice. It allows you to run Windows programs on your Linux machine. The standard version is $40 and the Pro version is $70. You can download an evaluation copy to see if it fits your needs.

Open Office:

Open Office is a full productivity suite. It has a word processor, as well as spreadsheet, presentation, database and drawing applications. It can open Microsoft Office 2003 files. I don't think it supports Microsoft Office 2007 files yet. I am sure it will by the time it Office 2007 becomes mainstream. I have actually used Open Office to recover corrupt files that Microsoft Office couldn't open. Oh yes, it can also be installed on Windows! It is FREE and available for download at http://www.openoffice.org.

Financial Software:

Most of use manage our finances on our computers these days. So, financial software will be important. A very popular personal financial software out there is called Money Dance. it can import data from Quicken and Microsoft Money, portfolio management, budgeting, online banking, reporting options, etc. This one is not free though, it has a whopping price tag of $29.99! You can download an evaluation copy to take it for a test spin at http://moneydance.com. It runs on Linux, Mac or Windows.

Music:

Amarok is compared to iTunes and is all the rage among Linux users. It integrates with your iPod, has album covers, supports lyrics and more. It can be downloaded from http://amarok.kde.org.

Photo Editing:

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a FREE photo editing program. It's been around for ages, has a lot of advanced functionality, it even does animation. It is normally installed with your Linux, but you can also download it at http://www.gimp.org.

Desktop Publishing:

Scribus has been compared to InDesign. It is FREE, and it runs on Linux, Mac or Windows. It is available at http://www.scribus.net.

3D Rendering:

Believe it or not, even Maya will run on Linux! Maya is an industry standard 3D rendering program used many Hollywood studios and game developers.