Yes... you too can become a Linux using radical! It's FUN! It's EASY! And it's FREE!
That's right! You heard me... it's FREE. Not only is it FREE, there are virtually no viruses in Linux world!
"Too good to be true" you say! It must be harder to use than Mac or Windows! Not at all!
Linux is icon driven, so if you can use Mac or Windows, you can use Linux!

There are several different companies packaging Linux... and some "distributions" are better than others (depending upon your particular application / interests). My personal favorite is Mandrake Linux.

What does Mandrake Linux look like?
Mandrake has an online Demo and Tutorial Center where you can get your first look at Mandrake Linux without loading it onto your computer!  ;-)

How do you get Mandrake Linux?
You can buy Mandrake Linux at CompUSA, Best Buy, or order it online directly from the MandrakeStore. But if you're a clever little monkey, you can just download the iso images and burn them onto CD-Rs for FREE!

Is Support Available?
Yes. Mandrake provides both fee-based and FREE E-Support to answer questions and provide support. Unfortunately Mandrake does NOT currently offer phone support (which I think is a huge mistake on their part).

Is Training Available?
Yes. Mandrake provides fee-based E-Training. Mandrake also provides FREE online manuals! MandrakeUser forums are available from the Mandrake web site and individual users, like Phil Lavigna, have created their own Mandrake online manuals available for FREE! Further, there are several generic FREE Linux training sites, like this one from Linux Online.

Hardware / Driver issues?
Yes. A few. First, Mandrake Linux is "optimized" to run on a Pentium class processor (don't even think about loading it on a 386 or 486). However, Mandrake should run fine on AMD Duron and Intel Celeron processors. While Mandrake includes drivers for virtually everything (almost every printer and video card imaginable, CD-RW Drives, Iomega ZIP & JAZZ Drives and most scanners) there are some manufacturers who refuse to develop drivers for Linux (Microsoft must own stock in those companies)! Driver issues tend to surface when using WinModems, digital camera programs, external hard drives (e.g., USB) and some scanners. While most people shouldn't have a problem, I suggest that you first check out the online database of Mandrake Linux supported hardware before getting all frustrated.

Will Linux run Microsoft Windows Programs?
The short answer is NO. But would you REALLY want it to? If you're reading this, you're probably frustrated with Microsoft Windows. In my opinion, Microsoft Windows is too unstable for my business to rely upon it.

However, if you must (or simply irrationally insist upon) running Microsoft applications on a Linux platform, there is a retail product called Crossover Office that utilizes an enhanced version of WINE (a WINdowsEmulation program for Linux) allowing users to run Microsoft Windows applications on a Linux platform.

Will Linux run Microsoft Office Files?
The short answer is YES. Mandrake Linux includes OpenOffice 1.x (a full office suite compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint files) which will allow you to easily access the vast majority of your Microsoft Office files. OpenOffice will allow you to open Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint files AND save files in those formats for ease of sharing files with those still running Microsoft Windows. However, if you don't like OpenOffice, Mandrake Linux also includes Gnumeric (an excellent spreadsheet program compatible with Microsoft Excel). One can also download and install AbiWord (although not as mature as OpenOffice Writer, AbiWord is an excellent "cross platform" word processing program compatible with Microsoft Word. AbiWord is available for Linux, Microsoft Windows & MacOS X).

Mandrake Linux also includes Mr Project (a full featured project management program equivalent to Microsoft Project) and Kivio (part of the KOffice suite, Kivio is a full featured flowcharting and diagramming program equivalent to Visio). You may have problems importing files created using Microsoft Access & Outlook. However, Mandrake Linux includes the worlds most popular open source, cross platform SQL database called MySQL (BTW, there is a very nice graphical front end Windows & MacOS X program for working with MySQL called MySQL Studio) and an Outlook open source equivalent by Ximian called Evolution.

Can I run a dual boot with Microsoft Windows?
Yes. I have one of my computers set up with one physical hard drive containing four logical partitions. My "C" drive is formated using NTFS and contains Microsoft Windows XP. My "D" drive is formated to FAT32 containing shared data files (as Linux will recognize Windows FAT32 partitions). My "E" drive is formated to "Linux Native" and contains Mandrake Linux 9.1. My "F" drive contains my Linux "\HOME" directory. Linux WILL create a LILO (Linux Loader) file that will appear upon bootup asking which operating system you would like to use. The default is Linux.

What if I load Linux and don't like it?
Linux installs either a LILO (Linux Loader) or GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) file on your system to boot from - and reformating your hard drive won't remove this file because it is typically stored in the hard drive Master Boot Record (MBR). However, this is not a problem. Just get an old msdos disk (or Windows 98 CD) and, in dos mode, type: "fdisk /mbr".  If you have MS Windows XP, then type "fixmbr". That will remove LILO (or GRUB) from your system. After removing LILO (or GRUB) you must run Linux' "fdisk" to destroy any Linux partitions (DOS' "fdisk" is unable to remove non-dos partitions). Now you're ready to re-format your hard drive and install Microsoft Windows as normal.

BTW, the "/mbr" command is undocumented by Microsoft (run "/?" and you won't find the "/mbr" switch). But fear not. The command is there!

Can I buy a computer pre-loaded with Mandrake Linux?
Sure! During the summer of 2002 Wal-Mart began selling Microtek computers preloaded with Mandrake Linux.

Can I run my business using Mandrake Linux?
Probably! Unless you have an expensive, unique application developed specifically for some other operating system, Mandrake Linux should work fine! In most cases, the unique application is typically limited to only a few computers.

It is quite common to see a business using servers running Linux with "clients" (users) running Microsoft Windows. The vast majority of those business's should have the "clients" (users) running Linux as well. The ONLY reason they don't is because their employees are accustomed to using the expensive (and buggy) Microsoft Office! The transition is easy. Just load the Microsoft Windows version of OpenOffice 1.x (FREE) onto your existing Microsoft Windows computers. When your employees are comfortable with using OpenOffice, begin transitioning their operating systems to Linux. This will keep the learning curve to a minimum and ultimately result in your saving a bundle in software expense!

Mandrake has a site dedicated to "real world" business cases. This site contains actual stories and examples of businesses and organizations using Mandrake Linux in their operations.

Are there any Linux applications?
You won't typically see Linux applications in computer software stores because the vast majority of Linux applications are FREE!  Mandrake Linux comes with literally hundreds of free software packages, but if you want more... they're just as close as the Internet! Checkout my Linux Apps Download page.