Linux is a derivative form of the original System V UNIX (SVR4), which was pioneered by Bell Labs and spread from there. The Linux kernel was authored by Linus Torvalds (hence the name "Linux").
Right now there are over 100 variants of SVR4- and BSD-style Unix. Some are incredibly user-friendly and others require a higher skill set to maintain. Red Hat and Debian rank as the more user-friendly editions of Linux and can be found at most computer superstores like Fry's, Best Buy, et al. There is also Linspire (formerly "Lindows") which touts itself as the easiest-to-use Desktop Linux.
Linux graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are a lot like Windows, only much more stable. And yes, you can even emulate the Windows environment on a Linux system using any number of software emulators like WINE or Win4Lin.
As for how to install, you can either scrub your system and load Linux exclusively, or you can use a product like System Commander to have dual-boot capabilities; keeping both OS's on one computer.
Hope this helps.
I think you're a little behind the times on user-friendly Linux. Red Hat is only available as a server-focused, and very expensive distro. Fedora has replaced Red Hat as the desktop focused, free version. I would recommend SuSe as an RPM based desktop distro.
Debian wouldn't be my first choice either for a user-friendly distro. Ubuntu is derived from Debian and smooths off Debian's rough edges.
Linspire and SuSe are the only two distros I have seen in stores in some time.
I've never seen a single copy of Linux in any store, and I shop the best stores. I'd recommend Apple, instead, if you feel the need to change from Windows.
This thread makes me think about transitioning my work to Linux from Windows.
I'd like to ask the list what are the best development environments (IDEs) on Linux for C++ GUI desktop apps. My point of reference is Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. Also, a related question. Is there a possibility that dot-net will become widespread on Linux?
Thanks in advance,
-TG