DW Here's the thing to do. If ya want to play with Linux and remain reletively safe and painfree.
First go Here
http://www.vmware.com/download/
VMWare Workstation Trial or go Here
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4A15008C-3E10-4C54-BCD5-ADC1E780715F&displaylang=en
Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 45 Day Trial
Now these allow you to make a reletively painless Virtual Pc to Work on.
If you have a decent machine, it will use your RAM and CPU and emulate all the rest of the Hardware you need. So you are assured of a stable Install, and usage.
Now for edumacational purposes go Here
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/004/software/virtual-machines/vm-1.html
ArsTechnica VmWare vs.VirtualPC Shootout (Very good Read and on the $$$)
Now there are many flavours of Linux so that is a toss up, alot of folks recommend Gentoo, Mandrake is painless, and RedHat are sellouts, the Actual OS part is up for grabs (I like Mandrake cause I know just enough about Linux to shoot myself in the foot.) But hey that's the cool thing about using Virtual Machines, you can make as many as you have Hard drive space for, and play with every flavour of Linux if you want too. You get tired of one..delete the Virtual Hard Disk and the MAchines is gone, make another.
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