Linux is a UNIX operation system and an alternative to Windows. So why would you want to use Linux? Well, there are quite a few reasons for it:

it's free and most programs for it are free as well
it's safe, actually a lot safer then Windows when it comes to virus and worm attacks
it's different... a lot of stuff you get frustrated about when working under Windows is done differently and sometimes a lot better under Linux

There are also some drawbacks, such as missing drivers, many different ways to configure software etc. However, recently a lot of efforts where made to unify Linux software in apperance and functionality, particularly the Linux Desktop.

Now there's one important question when talking about Linux as an alternative to Windows:

Does Linux really provide everything you need for everyday computer use?

There are many different distributions around and all include different packages and software, have different configuration tools and look and feel differently. And depending on the distribution, the question above can be answered yes or no. I have used several distributions and got stuck with SuSE, because it includes many simple and intuitive configuration utilities, the KDE desktop and easy to use software installation and update tools. Still, until recently many things were missing that were necessary for everyday work and recreation on the computer.

Here's a list of software that I use on a daily basis which is provided in the newest SuSE 9.3 distribution and KDE (K desktop environment). Information about the different KDE programs can be found on the KDE webpage.

Konqueror
This is the default browser of the KDE and does a very good job at that. It is very close to the HTML standard and renders most pages correctly. JavaScript and Java also works fine. Konquerer is not only a webbrowser, but FTP client and file manager in one (and has countless more features).

Firefox
This alternative webbrowser is also included in the SuSE 9.3 distribution and can be used as alternative to Konqueror.

Kontact
A personal information management system. Contains E-Mail client, Addressbook, Calender, Reminder (Birthdays and Appointments), TODO-List and lots more.

KMail
KMail is an excellent E-Mail client, IMHO far better then MS Outlook or Netscape's Mail. I'm only missing the automatic categorization feature of the M2 Opera Mail client. KMail is included in Kontact.

KAddressbook
The central address data source of the KDE desktop. Also included in Kontact.

KOrganizer
A personal organizer software - handles everything from birthday reminders to scheduled appointments. Also included in Kontact.

Open Office 2.0
Since version 2.0 Open Office became a real replacement for the MS Office products. Open Office Word and Calc are replacements for MS Word and MS Excel and provide most features you know from the MS tools. However, they don't include the annoying help, hints and auto-corrections of the microsoft products.

Gimp 2.2
The Gimp is an excellent graphic manipulation and editing tool. It takes a while to learn how to used the advanced features but the time is well spent. Very good tutorials and information pages are available online.

Kate
This is a first-class text-editor, mainly used for writing programms, scripts and lots of other stuff. Switching from typical Windows text editors such as EditPlus or UltraEdit to Kate is very easy.

KDevelop
A free programming environment for KDE.