It's a nightmare. You want to try Linux but where do you start? A helpful friend suggests DistroWatch but that's no help. Apart from keeping track of the latest Linux releases they also rank the popularity of the top 100 distributions. Let me repeat that: the top 100 distributions! You may recall Microsofties recently got in a tiz when it was announced their eternally delayed upgrade would come in seven different flavours. We're effectively talking about 100 different operating systems!

Of course once you've mastered one, you've mastered most, but where do you begin?

SimplyMepis 3.4-3 is a great place to start. Here's why;

• It's a single-CD download. Forget multi-disc distros if you're just starting out. Hey, you may not even like Linux!
• It's a 'Live' distribution. That means it'll boot straight from CD without the need to install it on the hard drive.
• It's portable and saveable. In spite of its CD nature, if you have a USB drive you can store your files and settings with a single click. Come back later or go to another machine entirely and you're back where you left off.
• It has all the applications most desktop users need. And a lot more!
• It comes pre-configured with a host of proprietary drivers, plugins and codecs.
• It's hard disk ready. If you like what you see, hard disk installation's just a few mouse clicks away.

So where do you get it? Here's a list of SimplyMepis download mirrors. (If you know of one in NZ let me know.) The file you want is in the Release folder and it's called SimplyMEPIS_3.4-3.iso.

If you can't handle the download, Linux CD Mail have copies for $11.95. I see Fishpond have it too but there's is listed as "SimplyMEPHIS 2006.4". I'm guessing it's the latest beta of version 6 but there's no real indication on the site. If you want to be a crash test dummy, go ahead.

Downloaders should also grab the .md5sum file. It contains a checksum of the contents of your download...

7a18f57344d9656dacf6634d7b7a0f21  SimplyMEPIS_3.4-3.iso

To confirm your download's kosher from within Windows you'll need an md5sum utility. Try here for a graphical one or here for a Dos version. Linux users can simply type

  md5sum <filename>

from within a console window.

Now you need to burn the .iso image to a CD. I haven't done this kind of thing in Windows for years but I recall Nero has an appropriate option tucked away somewhere. I use k3b under Linux and that's really tricky. You click on the Tools menu then Burn CD Image. Sheesh! Linux is just soooo complicated!! (Oh, and if you can't be bothered with the md5sum, k3b'll do that for you too. Automatically.)

Once you have your CD, pop it in the drive and reboot the PC. If your machine refuses to boot it, you'll need to tweak your BIOS settings to check for bootable CDs first. Hit DEL or F2 as the machine comes up to enter BIOS where you'll be able to change the boot order.

That's enough to be going on with. More next time....