As stated on my HomePage, this is a work in progress. If something looks unfinished, it probably is, 
  so please come back again later. 
  Thank you, TR   

The text info on this page originally came from Amazon.com. I thought that it was very good so I copied it, made changes and here is the result.

Preliminaries

    Allrighty Now. If you're reading this, then I assume you're interested in getting to know Linux, and using it exclusively, or close to it, at your home. This guide ass-u-me-s several things :

1. You can read at a high school level and are willing to do a great deal of it.
2. You have a computer that is not bleeding-edge. Extremely new computers tend to have less than desirable hardware support. (Not true anymore..07 Nov 08)
3. You are willing to take enough time to learn what is required.
4. You are relatively comfortable working in a text prompt (similar to the DOS C:\> prompt)-- if necessary.
5. You will not completely freak out and lose your head if something goes wrong.
6. You have a second computer with an internet connection, or can get to a library or cyber cafe if you need very specific help on the internet.
7. You know how to use the Google search engine well. ( http://www.google.com/linux )
8. You have a very basic, layman's idea of what Linux is.
9. You WANT to LEARN.

Getting Linux

    Now we come to a matter of opinion ... and use. I personally believe that SuSE is the best option for people new to the Linux operating system. Or, if you are looking to jump distribution ships, Suse Linux 9.1 offers the best of everything available for Linux. (And I hope I am not offering all this praise to soon. I just installed 9.1 and haven't checked everything out. However, previous versions of SuSE do warrent this praise.) With the YaST control center, there is no other distribution that offers easier or more inclusive system tools than Suse Linux 9.1. (Update: Now using openSuSE 11.1 Novell has, since I started all this, purchased SuSE and released it to both the Commercial and Open Source Markets.)

Strengths

• YaST Control Center
• Consistent Look from Startup to Shutdown
• Highly Polished Version of KDE
• Very Stable GNOME Desktop
• Great Hardware Support
• Overall the Best Linux Experience

    "In the end, will Windows converts like this? Yes. Will Linux users who want a simple, integrated OS out of the box like SuSE 9.1? Probably. Will veteran users want to buy SuSE 9.1? That's a more difficult question. SuSE 9.1 is fast, but not as fast as, say, Debian or Slackware with a 2.6 kernel. If you're a veteran user who likes compiling their own programs, you don't really have a reason to buy. If you're anyone else, at least take a look, it'll probably be worth your while." (Quote from Tyler Bancroft of osnews.com)
TR note: On this I can only agree with the part that says that SuSE 9.1 is fast. It is faster than all the previous versions that I have used.

If all of this applies to you, then I'd say it's a safe bet you're ready to install Linux and use it exclusively, or close to it, on your PC. Your next steps will depend greatly on your experience, time and patience. Firstly, you can download SuSE Linux from ( http://www.linuxiso.org ) and burn it to a CD if you have a CD Burner. This method is reeaalll inexpensive. The other ways are: you go to your local CompUSA or Fry's and purchase a SuSE 9.1 Personal or a SuSE 9.1 Professional Linux distribution. These last two come with excellent manuals. (and support from SuSE) 'Suse Linux 9.1 Professional Edition'. Personally I believe that SuSE 9.1 is the most "user-friendly" of the distributions for first time users. The professional package also comes with extensive manuals and documentation and you should have absolutely no problems. If you do, remember to try http://www.google.com/linux and also SuSE Technical Support after you have checked the manuals. As a final note, remember to *always* back up all your important files on your computer.

Post-install

Alllrighty, now you've got Linux installed, so what to do next? Well SuSE should've installed everything that may be important to you: A friendly graphical envrionment, an excellent office suite with everything MS Office can do, simple text editors, graphical configuration programs, it's all there. If SuSE didn't do it for you, go ahead and configure your internet connection with the proper graphical wizard, and your printers and so forth. Now you may want to get some books: 'Running Linux, Fourth Edition' is an excellent book for both beginners and seasoned users. You'll also perhaps want to grab 'OpenOffice.Org 1.0 Resource Kit' to learn to use your office suite productively and also 'LINUX in A Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (3rd Edition)'. Finally, you should also purchase: 'Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide' and 'Linux System Administration, Second Edition (Craig Hunt Linux Library)' to learn how to administrate your system effectively. This may all seem like overkill, but you can never be too prepared and there is a great deal to know. At this point you should have everything configured and all the programs you might want and/or need, and be on your way to becoming a seasoned veteran.

Remember these links for the future:
  http://www.justlinux.com -- Great helpful and knowledgeable people in the forum.
  http://www.google.com/linux -- Always search google first if you need help.
  http://www.tldp.org -- The definitive Linux documentation project and archive.


Those three main links should be pretty much all you need. Have fun, and good luck.

Suse Linux 9.1 Professional Edition
by SuSE Inc.

$13.99 -- Used Price 01 Jul 04
Like new     Seller: amazncds (Safe buying guarantee)
        Rating: 4.2 stars over the past twelve months (8 ratings). Seller has 8 lifetime ratings.
        Availability: Item usually ships in 1-2 business days; Ships from CA, United States;
        Expedited shipping available.

        Comments: 5 CD Set + 2 DVD Set of SuSE 9.1 Professional (generic version).
        Same day shipping with USPS First Class Mail.

openSuSE 11.1 : Novell

Some Linux Places

Got this list from the Linux Forum user SuseUX. I thought it was neat so I copied it here for others. This person also has an excellent write-up on compiling the Kernel for SuSE 9.1. Drop over there and take a look...

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SuSE rpms / rpm packagers / rpm search / nvidia driver / ATI driver / KDE themes / Gnome themes / Linux gamers FAQ / Linux game installers / WineX, Play Windows games in Linux / Beautiful gtk2(Gnome) Themes / My New Gnome 2.6 Desktop / The GIMP 2 can do Photoshop / DVD Support rpms / Helix/Realplayer Opensource player/plugins

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