On Tue, Jun 03, 2008 at 06:14:55PM -0500, John Gunn wrote: > I am wondering if one can install Linux from an ISO image using Slackware or > Ubunto? I suspect so and would like to know where I can download the > complete image. I began with Windows, the NVDA screen reader and a prodduct called ISO-Recorder, which can be freely downloaded. You can find the ISO images at any Linux distribution site or their mirrors, but be aware that most Windows web browsers have a 2GB download/file size limit, nor does ISO-Recorder write DVDs unless you're running Vista. Many distributions of linux offer "netinst" CDs that allow you to download and install the operating system. There are also "Live! CDs" that allow you to try-before-you-buy a flavor of linux entirely in memory, so you can run a copy of linux without messing up your current OS and see if it fits your needs. It goes without saying that you'll really need a high-speed connection for the netinst route. It can take upwards of 6 hours of downloading on a 56K connection, unless you go crazy and install everything all at once. As a new linux user, you'll find skimpy documentation and hundreds, if not thousands of programs installed, and no clue how to use them without a lot of reading through man and info pages, and through the text files in the /usr/doc or /usr/share/doc directories. Slackware offers a good beginner's guide called the "Slackbook" on their website to familiarize you with some basic commands. The CDs themselves will come with installation documentation, usually in HTML, and will normally display them for you if you insert the CD in a Windows machine. while it's running. Fedora and Ubuntu are about the easiest to get started with. i prefer Debian, myself, but it currently doesn't officially support SpeakUP. GRML, Gentu, Slackware, and SuSE seem to be the "runner's up" flavors of linux, in that order. While the current stable version of Debian doesn't support either the SpeakUP or Orca screen readers, their package manager makes up for it, in my opinion It always leaves you with a running (if not fully configured) copy of whatever you install, as well as recommending additional support software, and often suggests other packages to make things easier. If you're really new to linux, I would recommend Ubuntu or Fedora. HTH, Michael
