Popular Linux distributions:-
..: Mandrake Currently the most popular distro. Very easy to install and use. ..: Red Hat Very popular in the US - offers Enterprise level support.
..: Debian Extremely mature, popular with hobbyists.
..: Slackware The longest established distro - now over 10 years since the first release.
..: Gentoo Advanced package managment is a big feature.
..: Knoppix Runs directly from CDROM - ideal for demos and hardware diagnostics.
Linux support and documentation:-
..: Linux system tuning Improving server performance. ..: The Linux Documentation Project The central repository of Linux FAQs and HOWTOs.
..: Linux User Groups (LUGS) Find your LUG here for local support.
..: Linux from Scratch How to build your own custom Linux system.
A few Linux applications:-
..: Webmin A network-enabled configuration toolset for Unix and Linux systems. ..: The Apache Software Foundation The world's most popular web server - and much more.
..: Sendmail SMTP server An extremely configurable email server software.
..: Netfilter/iptables The Linux firewalling subsystem.
..: The FreeS/WAN project Build Virtual Private Networks with Linux for no cost.
..: Open Office A free alternative to Microsoft Office (also runs on Windows).
..: SAMBA - opening windows to a wider world Network filesharing between Linux and Windows.
..: Ximian Evolution MS Outlook equivalent.
..: Netatalk Howto Network filesharing between Linux and Mac.
..: The Gimp Photoshop-like graphics package - used for graphic production on Skywhale.NET.
..: The Mplayer project A movie player for Linux (beats Windows Media Player in my experience).
..: Linux Quake The famous first-person shooting game - developed under Linux, apparently.
More Linux links to follow later.......