PC Magazine Linux Solutions by Joe Merlino and other editors is an outstanding book for getting a grasp of the different Linux versions and how Linux can do so many things as well as Windows.  Different versions of Linux which are discussed in the book include Red Hat Fedora, Knoppix, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Novell Suse, and Xandros.  A CD comes with the book containing an excellent copy of Knoppix Linux. 

Whenever you are ready to install Linux on your computer, PC Magazine has written excellent instructions in the book for doing it.  The main author, Joe Merlino, has been running Linux for several years.  The book also tells how you can partition your computer for a dual boot sequence where you can enjoy both Windows and Linux.

As usual, the easy way to learn Linux is simply to look at the Windows-like icons for whatever you want to do.  Friendly toolbar drop-down boxes will show you all the computer functions that you are familiar with such as word processing, spreadsheets, software management, and getting on the internet with the excellent Firefox browser. 

The book also covers very technical applications that experienced computer programmers would like:  command line codes, file sharing, user control, web server, mail server, and proxy server.  PC Magazine has done a great job in explaining the Linux operating system, its different versions, and what it can do!