8. What do you need?
You will require a computer and a medium containing a Linux distribution. Most of this guide applies to all Linux distributions - and UNIX in general. Apart from time, there are no further specific requirements.
The Installation HOWTO contains helpful information on obtaining Linux software and installing it on your computer. Hardware requirements and coexistence with other operating systems are also discussed.
DistroWatch.com provides links to download mirrors where you can get the CD image for your chosen distribution of Linux. For other locations, see Appendix A.
For those who don't dare take the step of actually installing Linux on their machine, there are Linux distributions you can run from a CD, such as Knoppix, Ubuntu, Kanotix or Mepis. These LiveCDs, as they are called, are not installed on your system at all - they run from RAM only. You get back to your usual OS as soon as you reboot.
Kanotix and Knoppix LiveCD distributions are fast. Kanotix is optimized for laptops. As for Ubuntu, it is noticeably slower, but easy to install when one wants to switch from LiveCD to an installed Linux OS.
Other LiveCD distributions are listed on this Distrowatch.com webpage: CD-based Linux Distributions and Live Linux CDs
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