Canonical's Ubuntu desktop Linux distribution is one of the more popular versions of the open source operating system, and it's easy to see why. Linux, Ubuntu style, is simple to install and use -- even for non-techies.

The first step is to put the Ubuntu install disk into your computer's drive and restart your computer.
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In fact, Ubuntu's consumer-friendly features have made it the Linux distribution of choice for a growing number of IT vendors. Dell offers Ubuntu as a pre-installed option on some systems, as does upstart Mac cloner Psystar. And IBM recently announced availability of its "Open Collaboration Suite," a set of desktop tools, including Lotus Notes 8, geared to run on Ubuntu.

Small PC makers are discovering Ubuntu, too. Shuttle Computer unveiled a $199 system at the Consumers Electronics Show earlier this year that runs Ubuntu on top of an Intel Celeron chip and just 512 MB of RAM.

Interested in checking out Ubuntu Linux, which is available as a free download, for yourself? Then here, courtesy of Canonical, is an easy, step-by-step guide to installing Ubuntu Linux, version 6.06. (Canonical says these steps should also work for later versions of Ubuntu.)

Click through the 12 easy steps to Ubuntu Linux installation here.