where (or how) should I get Linux?

I am tryin to build my own computer using most of the parts that I can salvage; once I have all the parts I need; I might get Linux for it; where or how do you think I should get Linux; and what is the latest version? Please tell me.

*Sighs* Here is the cold, hard truth. 'Linux' is a subcatagory of hundreds of possible operating systems, no one company holds claim to the 'official' linux distribution, instead companies create their own sort of 'pick and mix' operating systems that use the same base program called the 'kernel' and use other programs and homebrew programs to get a stable operating system running from it.

But, all is not lost! Don't let this stop you from going Linux, it is a great way of learning how to use an operating system that was created not soully for revenue but to get PCs running.

http://cbbrowne.com/info/linuxdistributions.html <-- here is a general description on how Linux Distros work and descriptions on some of the top distros.

Um, hello?
Sorry, but that is likely the worst intro to Linux I've read in quite a while.

Linux is a kernel, It's really a bunch of different operating systems, blah, blah, link to outdated info, blah.

Ok. As he said, Linux is not really controlled by one group. There are a bunch of different versions called "Distros". However, the differences between them are highly overrated. The biggest ways that they differ include how it's installed, what programs are included by default, and how you install new programs. Also, once you have one distro set up, you can pretty much use whatever Linux programs you want. As I said, it's not as big a deal as it sounds.

So, anyway, I reccommend you start with something called a livedisk. It's a cdrom you can boot from to get a taste of what things are like. Knoppix is popular, and Ubuntu also has a pretty good one, I hear.

After you get used to how things work with a livedisk, you can jump to a "real" install.
Fedora Core (an even numbered version), Ubuntu, and Mandriva are good distros for a newbie. Once you get more advanced (eg, you can compile from source and all that), you could try something like ArchLinux, Debian, or Gentoo.

You'll note I haven't provided you with any URLs. This is partially because I'm amazingly lazy, and partially because you need to get used to Googling stuff. Search on Google for the names of the distros you are interested in. Check out justlinux.com and linuxquestions.org if you want some help.
Get on IRC and goto the #linux channel (any network will have one) for even more help.

Good luck and have fun!

--James

(p.s. uno: Thanks for a good laugh with that link. Most of the info there is outdated. I stopped reading when it said that NSA Linux was one of the 'Attempts at "Secure" Linux Distributions'.

Heh, you got me. I just googled linux distros and picked the first link I found that looked like it gave a better description than I could give off the top of my head.

A live disc is the best first step that someone who wants to explore alternative operating systems to take, most companies that create their own distros provide the .iso files for them.

http://distrocenter.linux.com/ <-- here are some of the main Distros avaliable.

One that is missing that I recomend is 'ubuntu' and it's KDE form 'kubuntu'

I personally use SuSE though...

uno, :smile:
That's a nice list, in fact, I used it back around 2000ish when I first got started.
Another cool one (though rather overwelming) is http://distrowatch.com. I believe Ubuntu is the #1 most popular distro there. (at least, accourding to http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major, it is.)

You're always one step ahead of me arn't you...

Just trying to be helpful.