Is Linux free?

[Maye]

It may seem like a stupid question, but for someone who is completely new to the concept of Linux, it isn't. So, please bear with me! Does Linux come with a fee, or is it completely free to use?

[psufootball]

100% free.

You can try out the different "flavors" of it, all free. Some of the big ones are Ubuntu or Linux Mint.

[Godric]

100% free.

You can try out the different "flavors" of it, all free. Some of the big ones are Ubuntu or Linux Mint.

Great. I was wondering if it is something I needed to buy when I switch to "Dual booth".

[Sinister_Diagram]

It may seem like a stupid question, but for someone who is completely new to the concept of Linux, it isn't. So, please bear with me! Does Linux come with a fee, or is it completely free to use?

Linux is completely free as another poster stated. It is possible that you will find some Linux distributions that offer "Premium" versions, that generally include more software or other features not offered in the free versions, but the price is nothing compared to mainstream operating systems. And the upgrade process afterwards is free once a donation is made. However, the most user-friendly and popular versions will not cost you a dime!

Oh and most people download and burn the Linux OS that they are interested in. However, it is possible to have some of the Linux distros shipped to your house and in this case, you may have to pay a small shipping & handling fee.

[DaReaper]

Linux is an Open Source software and it's Free. So this means you can distribute, Modify, re-distribute the modified linux and even develop for it.

The only Paid linux Distro's i've come across is Xandros which costs about 100$ maybe cause they might have some applications that cost. I don't know the actual reason why. But they also do have a Open Circulation Edition which is free.

So overall Linux is free.

[Smokey]

Linux is and always will be free, and completely open source. Popular flavors for beginners are Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Linux Mint.

I prefer Mint and Xubuntu over Ubuntu. Xubuntu is better suited for older less powerful systems and just feels better then ubuntu. Mint is also a nice choice. If you have a REALLY old laptop with minimalistic specs (less then 100MB MEMORY, 30GB hard drive or less) 700mhz or less, I recommend installing Puppy Linux on it and it will work just fine and be pretty snappy too for the specs on the machine.

[grim76]

There are versions that offer paid support/engineering. Red Hat, and Oracle Enterprise Linux are two that work that way. Those are typically for corp users and those that have the business requirement to have the support.

[scotty]

You can find paid for distros, but they are more for businesses. Support is also paid for in these scenarios. But for the basic home user it is completely free. That includes all software, updates, and everything! Support you can find online in forums like this, but the free thing is one of the best things about linux!

[psufootball]

Great. I was wondering if it is something I needed to buy when I switch to "Dual booth".

"Dual boot" you mean? No, so long as you have already paid for Windows you can, for free, run Ubuntu or Mint or Xubuntu or whatever you want side-by-side. Just make sure that your PC can handle it.

[icebirdro]

I heard somewhere that there are some paid distros out there but I don't know exacly which ones are. Linux kernel is completely free and open source, you can develop your own distro if you have the knowledge. Some distros that you should start with: Ubuntu, Mint.