We use two derivatives of Linux, Puppy Linux and PCLinuxOS. Puppy Linux is clearly the fastest Operating System we have ever used. It is shrunk and streamlined for amazing performance. Although it is requires some learning of Linux to use, it is very user friendly, often taking the time to alert the user as to what it is up to, as well as polite, subsequently asking for permission to continue. The community found at the online forum is by far the one of the most outstanding and friendly ones we have found. It is an excellent way to learn the world of Linux.
PCLinuxOS is also fast, owing to it's i586 compiled arcitecture, although not as fast as Puppy. In exchange, it is sizeable and full featured, requiring little to no knowledge of Linux and working out of the box for most contemporary hardware. It is for people who just want an excellent operating system without having to learn new tricks.
Some of the most popular applications for Windows have originated from Linux. Firefox, which has revolutionized web browsers, is a Linux child. Windows users also regularly use OpenOffice, GIMP, and Filezilla to name a few. One of the primary concerns for people switching from Windows is parting with their familiar Windows programs. Have no fear, for Linux comes with an excellent Windows emulator, called Wine. We run Photoshop CS and World of Warcraft with no complications or fear of viruses or spyware which haunt Windows users!
There is a Puppy derivative called Tipsy Puppy which has not only Wine built in, but also XFCE, a superior window manager than the default one for Puppy, and even Compiz-Fusion as well, an amazing program which adds special visual effects to the windowing system. The author of Tipsy has decided to host it at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3FPIREF0.
We went further and compiled our own Wine because the latest stable release does not suit our needs, and did so specifically for our CPU arcitecture, so that it runs even faster!
We have also compiled Wine geared to Pentium, Opteron, and Athlon processors for PCLinuxOS. Contact us if you would like help with any of these. We can even burn a Live Installer CD for Linux and send it to you. Welcome to the world of Linux!

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