If you're an IT manager, introducing Linux into your enterprise is a tough decision. Choosing to take the plunge at all is one thing, but facing the myriad choices is another. At last count, the database at DistroWatch.com racked some 345 actively maintained Linux and BSD distributions. Although most enterprises are likely to consider only a fraction of that catalog, the number of decision points it represents is potentially much larger.

Each Linux distribution is configured differently. Each ships with its own kernel, modules, and associated tools. Some use the Gnome desktop environment, others KDE, and still others ship as bare-bones command-line systems. Some provide lots of applications and services for maximum flexibility, whereas others have been pared to the minimum and locked down for security. In the past, taking any of these distributions for a test-drive could be a tedious process. It meant cleaning out drive space on a spare machine, going through a potentially irksome installation process (depending on the distribution), creating accounts, and then experimenting with the OS before deciding whether it was worth a full-blown install.

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