The GNU Operating System
It is a pity that GNU/Linux is commonly called Linux (therefore denying GNU the recognition that they deserve). As an application developer, I don't particularly care about the kernel, but I care very strongly about my programming environment. GNU created such top-notch stuff, such as bash. Without GNU, Linux (the kernel) would be useless. BTW, I do hope that GNU's kernel (Hurd) rivals Linux soon.
Fedora
There are many different distributions of GNU/Linux available, and even though I haven't got broad experience with many distributions, I recommend Fedora. When I was a GNU/Linux newbie, I found Redhat (the precursor to Fedora) easy to install, and easy to use. IMHO, its much easier to set up and administer than any version of Windows. A word of warning though for anybody contemplating moving away from Windows to GNU/Linux : many hardware manufacturers don't care about GNU/Linux users, so it is more difficult choosing a new printer, scanner, sound card etc.
Galeon
Galeon is a web browser for GNU/Linux. It has all the features that I need straight out of the box - no need to install any plug-ins. Some features worth pointing out that make it so much better than Internet Exporer are "tabs", "mouse gestures" and "zoom".
- Tabs. Let you load more than one web page into a single window, and switch between them using a set of tabs at the top of the window. Most browsers have this facility now (except for internet explorer).
- Mouse Gestures. Hold down the right mouse button, draw a shape, and the browser will recognise the shape, and do the appropriate action. For example, a line from right to left means "back", a line from left to right means "forward".
- Zoom. I browse the net from my sofa, using my tv as a monitor. Some web sites have very small fonts, but galeon comes to the rescue. Not only does it have a "minimum font size" preference, but it also has a zoom feature right on its toolbar. Hover over it, and use the scrollwheel, hey presto, everything is readable.
Evolution
Evolution is an e-mail client for GNU/Linux, cleary inspired by Microsoft Outlook (but without Outlooks security and virus problems).