You say you want to try Linux, but it just seems like too much trouble? Well, worry no more because there’s a slew of new “Linux on a disc” distributions.These are distributions that come on a CD, or in an ISO image that you can burn to a CD, and you can use them to run Linux on a PC without actually having installed Linux on the system. This way, users can give Linux a trial run while never touching their existing Windows systems.
You can find many of these distributions at DistroWatch where there’s a section devoted to nothing but CD-based live Linux distributions. Another great source for this kind of Linux distribution is LinuxISO.org , but it doesn’t seem to be updated as often as DistroWatch.
Knoppix was the first of these burn and run Linux distributions, but there are now more than two dozen of them including such popular distributions as LindowsOS, Slackware and SuSE. Considering how popular these lightweight distributions have become, I won’t be surprised if every Linux distributor ends up offering one.
Link: eweek.com
