This allows several users to use one computer, unaware of each other, or locate the computer in a server use, and use it from home. The reason why many people choose Windows or Macintosh over Unix is availability of software. Most new desktop applications are released for Windows. The authors of this text use Linux for all their everyday work. Linux is available as a distribution, which is the core system and a set of applications and tools, made to work well together and easy to install.
Many companies sell distributions on a CD, together with support and manuals.
You can also download all these distributions from the net, for free. Linux is not the only free operating system alternative. The three Free BSD Unix variants, FreeBSD , OpenBSD and NetBSD are some of other free Unixes. They offer quite similar set of features and benefits. Those not familiar with Unix system might want to visit the Windows NT - Unix comparison page.