In case you never heard of Linux before:

• Linux was originally created in 1991 by Linux Torvalds, a young engineering student at the University of Helsinki in Finland and is developed by a global group of (thousands of) programmers on the Internet.

• Linux is a freely-distributable, multi-tasking, multi-user operating system that gives you the power and reliability of UNIX on a personal computer. It implements a superset of the POSIX standard to which all UNIX systems comply. Linux interoperates well with other operating systems, including those from Apple, Microsoft and Novell.

• Linux is being used today by millions (currently estimated 3-5 million users) of people all over the world. It is used for software development, networking (intra-office and Internet), and as an end-user platform.

• The well known Byte Magazine said about Linux:

  "It's powerful. It's open. It's free. That's why this Unix is entering corporate IS.

  What would you say if you were offered a graphical OS that has the ability to run on both a low-end 386 and the fastest Pentium Pro, handles most of your DOS and Windows 3.1 applications, connects to anything on your network, and is free?"

• Linux (in the flavour of the RedHat Linux distribution) was selected by the PC magazine as a European Software Excellence Awards Finalist in the category "Environment/Desktop" (along with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation).

• For more Linux reviews please refer to Linux in the commercial world

Please note that the Linux operating system is not supported by the HP Customer Response Centers.