When Windows becomes too much of a hassle or simply looking for a different experience, Linux is a great choice. Linux is a free, open source alternative to Microsoft’s Windows operating system. There are alternatives for almost all Windows programs, and other programs that do things that just are not possible on Windows.
Ubuntu is one of the most popular choices when it comes to Linux operating systems. It is based on the stable version of Debian, and has many improvements added by Ubuntu’s developers. It comes in several different flavors. Xubuntu is a very simple version of Ubuntu. Xubuntu’s user interface is very similar to Windows. Ubuntu itself features the Unity user interface, its flagship product. No matter what flavor of Ubuntu that you choose, it comes packed with all the software that you need to surf the internet, word processing and spreadsheets.
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, but has a customized interface. It strives for a more beginning user-friendly look. Most Windows users would feel at home in Linux Mint very quickly. Both Linux Mint and Ubuntu are based on the stable version of Debian, one of the most popular server operating systems.

Fedora is another version of Linux. It is not based on Debian, but is the desktop version of the extremely popular server operating system Red Hat Linux. It differs mainly in its user interface, Fedora comes by default with the Gnome User Interface, but can be used with the all the same user interfaces that Ubuntu can, with the exception of Unity.

Keep looking, there’s more: Linux Mint 13 Release Candidate now available