Give a little Linux for Christmas
Christmas is fast approaching, and with only a few shopping days left, I thought I'd throw out a few open source "stocking stuffer" ideas.
For friends and family who might like to try Linux, without actually having to install anything, there's Knoppix -- a live Linux CD that runs well on a variety of hardware. Pop it into a computer, reboot, and you're running Linux. (This assumes, of course, that you have a computer capable fo booting from CD-ROM.) Knoppix does a great job of auto-detecting hardware, and plays well with a wide variety of video cards, sound cards, Ethernet cards and so forth. It's a great way to let someone test-drive Linux.
For the gamers on your Christmas list, there's the Morphix Project, which includes a lightweight live CD with a slew of open source games. As with Knoppix, just pop the CD in and reboot.
MozillaQuest is suggesting the Lexar JumpDrive as a stocking stuffer for the geek set. It's a USB flash storage device that comes with 64MB (and up) of storage and works well with Linux. If you're a Linux lover and want to take it on the road, the higher-capacity USB drives are a good way to do that -- just install Linux directly to the USB drive and go.
On my wishlist there's Knoppix Hacks. I use Knoppix at home and work fairly regularly, so this sounds like a great book to dig into. I'd recommend Neal Stephenson's In the Beginning...Was the Command Line. While it's a bit dated, it still makes an excellent read.
Whatever you do, have a happy holiday!