While I no longer run Linux as my main operating system, I did for many years and like to recommend it to almost everyone I come across. The one problem to getting other people to using an alternative operating system like Linux, is that many people (read that as nearly all non-techies) are not willing to get rid of Windows and try out something new. Sure, there are quite a few liveCD distros around which let you try an operating system without actually installing it onto your hard drive, but many people might not be willing to burn the CD and try it out. One other choice is using emulation software like QEMU or the recently released (and free) VMWare Player. If you’re looking to try out an alternative operating system, then check out this article for detailed instructions on how to acquire all the necessary software and running Linux (or any other x86 operating system) using VMWare Player. By default, VMWare Player will only run virtual images created by it’s commercial big brother VMWare, but the article will show you how to work around this little hindrance.