If you want to try Linux...

[Statica]

If you're out there wondering about Linux, and just want to give it a whirl to see if there is really any truth to the smug smile on Linux-ers faces; but aren't really sure how far you could go with it; or whether you would like it ..
or if you want to check whether a particular distribution is what you would like to go with .. dont bother about searching out components to run on that cheapie machine (the assumption here is that you are running a powerful enough machine with Win2K/XP) .. then here's something you could try .. VMWare
Try downloading the trial version if you would like to give it a whirl.
Instead of the various demo/run-from-CD Linux distributions that dont actually make Linux partitions; you could actually try out the distribution that u want to .. it basically turns your machine into 2 machines, complete with its own BIOS. The functionality is superb; with pretty much all the features you would expect from having an entire Linux machine boot up for you (save of course the size restrictions).
Of course there are other cheaper alternatives to do what VMWare accomplishes .. but this is probably the simplest of the ones I've dabbled with..