Try or install
Make the step – unless you wish to purchase a PC with GNU/Linux pre-installed, you can see what freedom looks like on your computer.
Try out the live USB stick
Take no risk
Using a live USB stick means that GNU/Linux will be running on your computer without installing anything. It’s a risk-less way to try and see by yourself what GNU/Linux is.
When running on a live USB stick, your computer uses solely the USB stick to work (without accessing the hard drive inside). You can launch all of the default programs, edit documents, and browse the web.
Since it is only designed as a trial mode, it is a little slow (it will take you five minutes to boot up, and programs launch somewhat slowly). If you proceed to install, the system will go much faster.
What you need
For the distributions we recommend, the live USB stick is the same as the installation medium. You can download an ISO image (rather large file) and then create a bootable USB stick. You can then use it to install GNU/Linux onto your computer.
To use a live USB stick, you need a little bit of curiosity, and fifteen minutes of free time, but no advanced knowledge in computing. If you feel confident simply using Windows or macOS from time to time, then this is within your reach.
Get the image you need
Debian Stable is widely recommended for servers and users who value stability above all else.
Ubuntu Desktop is the most popular entry point for beginners, offering great hardware support.
Fedora Workstation features the latest technologies and is the upstream for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Free Software pre-installed
Not all computers are shipped with Windows or macOS. If you do not wish to make the install yourself, or are in need of new hardware, you can get a laptop or a desktop pre-installed with GNU/Linux. LinuxPreloaded.com has compiled a list of vendors pre-installing GNU/Linux just for that reason.