Download speed: Been there, tried that. 56 hours is about right. I currently have a 'light' HS 'net package with D/L speeds of about 26 Kbs; a full 700 M disk takes 6-8 hours. My previous 56 K dialup ran at about 3.5 Kbs on a good day which is about 1/7 of my current capabilities, so a full 700 M disk would take about 7 times times as long =42 to 56 hours. This is actual tested d/l speeds, not theoretical calculated so should be reliable.

samhainbaphomet: You might try kanotix. It is a very good knoppix spinoff & there are sources to purchase disks: http://kanotix.com/info/index.php

Mandrake is a good easy to install distro but if you do much updating, custom setup etc you will want to try a debian based distro such as Knoppix or Kanotix. Apt-get makes this soooo much easier.

I got my first Linux system from Linux Format magazine which includes a disk or two with each issue & generally features a distro every 2nd or 3rd issue. There are other Linux magazines which do the same. I think Knoppix was on Linux World a couple of months ago.

You might also try to find other Linux users in your area who may have disks, check your local library. Most libraries maintain a listing of local activity & hobby associations & groups. If you are near a university, also try the university bookstore &/or contact the computer science dept at the university.

I even saw Mandrake & SuSe for sale at Future Shop once but both were out of date releases & rather overpriced.