How do I get Linux?

In order to actually install Linux, you'll want to have a distribution in mind; see What's the best distribution? for more information.

Linux is free, although some vendors charge either for the media it comes on (in the case of a cd-rom) or for value-added components (as Red Hat does). However, even commercial versions such as Red Hat are freely available (minus the added-value bits) on the Internet.

There are two primary ways you can obtain Linux; the first is by downloading it yourself, and the second is by buying it on a cd-rom.

Downloading it does not have to be done in one huge chunk; some distributions allow you to download a small part of Linux, and can do the rest during the installation (which would thus potentially take hours). For specifics, check the home pages of the distribution you want to try; see Linux.org for more.

Buying a cd-rom from the distribution owner, such as Red Hat, or a cheap version from CheapBytes or InfoMagic, is by far a preferable solution. A cd allows you to install as much or as little as you'd like, and adding pieces merely means accessing the cd again instead of going back to the net to download (potentially) a few megabytes worth of data.

Once you have the distribution downloaded, you should probably read Linux Installation and Getting Started a couple of times through. This is a good way to accelerate the learning curve associated with Linux. The Installation HOWTO is also invaluable.