Remember when the operating system came on a single disk and you could get the computer up and running ... just put in the disk....go off for a coffee...and it was ready to use when you got back.

Well now it is possible to install Linux on a Windows computer in one minute.....run all the top open source programs like Mozilla and Open Office and a host of others...access the Windows hard drive etc....All that tedious mucking about configuring thiongs is done automatically as the computer rather disconcertingly talks to you.....

When you have finished and closed down...you take out the disk and you have the tame old Windows computer back....if you really want to go back.

That is how knoppix works. If you have a reasonable CD drive and you can set the computer to boot from the CD drive you don't need to install anything on the hard drive and it works q satisfactorily from the CD...which is of course free.

You can download it from www.knoppix.org or ask me nicely and I will burn a CD for you

My pupils are road-testing this atm so if there are any snags I will keep you posted.

The technical people at my school are also using this. They offered me a demonstration shortly. I am curious.

I would be very interested in how you get on with this. It is something I've been meaning to try - and the CD-only solution sounds great. I saw this mentioned ages ago on http://www.langa.com - but didn't have the time (or probably courage) to try it.

one more tip (from my son Pierre) :

- you may copy knoppix onto your harddisk

create a C:\KNOPPIX
copy the knoppix file (~600 Mo)

- in french, you type :
"knoppix lang=fr fromhd"

you still have to let the cdrom to boot, but it is working faster, of course.
you can also store your config for a next use.

It was very simple to use with the school network (if you know the usual informations on dnl, gateway...).
I needed my son 's help to use it with an adsl connection.

http://www.knoppix.org/

Daniel