As an operating system, Linux may still be trying to gain a foothold in a world dominated by Windows and Apple. However, it’s proving more popular on netbooks and systems where processor power and hard drive space is at a premium. In these more austere times, Linux could also win more converts, as both it—and most of the programs that run on it—are free.

There are a number of different types of Linux (known as distributions), all of which have their own spin on this open-source operating system. As netbook makers will tell you, not all are created equal; while MSI saw a return rate four times as high on its Wind netbooks running SuSE Linux, Dell has said that nearly a third of all its Mini Inspiron 9’s are sold with Ubuntu installed.

We tested five versions of Linux on several different computers, including an Acer Aspire One, an Acer Aspire 9500, a BenQ Joybook Lite U101, a Lenovo ThinkPad X200, and a Samsung NC10. We judged each distribution by several criteria: The ease of installation; friendliness of the user interface; comprehensiveness of user support; hardware compatibility; and the availability of additional software.  

Regardless of what flavor of Linux you choose, most users will find it easiest to create a LiveCD, which allows you to see how the operating system looks and works before installing it onto their system. Using this approach also lets you find out if your system (such as a sound card, video drivers) and peripherals are compatible, which can save a lot of time and anguish. For laptops without optical drives—such as netbooks—you can also install these distributions on a USB key, and launch it from there.