Info on the Screenshot

In the screenshot to the right (click for zoom) I am running:

• XEmacs (text editor with plans for world domination): black screen with green text. Currently editing a GnuPlot command file.
• GnuPlot (plotting package): output is white window in upper left. Program is running inside an XEmacs buffer visible under the DOS window.
• StarOffice (freeware applications suite): spreadsheet window occupying most of the screen. I now run Gnumeric. The best spreadsheet I think I have ever used. (And I really don't recommend the KDE spreadsheet. I found it non-functional.)

• MSDOS: lower right. DOSemu running DOS running Dprime Plus, a freeware DOS package for computing d' measures and statistics. I also run WordPerfect 5.1+ under DOSemu for reading my old files.
• Not visible but running: GhostView and XDvi (graphics preview software, both have icons showing in the upper right) and TkDesk (a file manager, running in a separate desktop).

Notice that my memory (then 64 Meg) is only half full. Make a Penguin happy, run Linux!
All programs, now including StarOffice are free (as in both beer and speech)

I run Debian Linux. There is a widespread myth that Redhat (now Fedora) is easier to install, use, or maintain. Not back when I tried. And with Knoppix-style Debian distributions available, it's hard to beat.

Debian gives you a lot of control (I once fit Debian onto a 100 meg hard drive, with Xwindows, Emacs, and LaTeX. Try that with RedHat! Did I mention I had reserved 5 meg for DOS, and 20 meg for swap space? [Did I mention that Xwindows is really slow on a 25Mhz 486 laptop with a 100 meg hard drive?]). Furthermore, with apt-get and associated front-ends, Debian is VERY easy to maintain, upgrade, etc. Far easier than the RPM system, because apt is smart.

On my fast iBook2, I use the Gnome Desktop Environment. The machine is fast enough that I can afford the extra eye-candy, and appreciate some uniformity of look and feel. I like the clean crisp feel of the Metacity window manager. Alas, WindowMaker just didn't seem to work as well with Gnome.