Reliability is Linux's ace in the hole. Some installations have been known to run for years without a reboot. And, of course, some folks are interested in Linux simply because it's not from Microsoft. There's much to like about Linux, but getting started with it can be intimidating. For one thing, there isn't only one Linux.
Several companies market their own distributions.
Each has pros and cons, with their differences lying mainly in installation procedures and in the accompanying software packages. Major Linux distributions include those offered by Red Hat Software, Caldera, Slackware, SuSE, and Debian. In this article, we'll show you how to install the most popular distribution, Red Hat Linux 6.1. What follows is one way of doing it, so you can get up and running and see what all the fuss is about.