Mepis, http://www.mepis.org/, a relatively new player in the Linux distribution business, has been building Debian GNU/Linux Live CD systems based on Knoppix technology. Mepis had a couple of really good releases last year, and they're getting close to coming out with a new release, hopefully in May.

I've tested two Beta test builds, b00 and b02, and the software is definitely useful, even in its current state.

Mepis can be booted as a Live CD, then later installed to a hard disk if you so choose. The full Mepis system consists of Debian packages that come on two CDs.

Like any good Debian system, Mepis can be easily updated, provided you have reasonably fast network access.

Mepis, to me, is consistently one of the best distributions around. It's easy enough to install that you don't have to be intimidated by the fact that it runs software created using the Debian packaging system.

Mepis installs effortlessly, can easily be installed to disk. It can be updated with a few clicks, and it has a lot of current software.

It might be possible to get software that's even more intuitive to use, but I think that Mepis has one of the best combinations of flexibility and ease of use that I've seen yet.

I don't work for Mepis, but I heartily recommend that you try it if you're looking for stable, flexible, yet easy to use Linux software.

If you are contemplating trying out Linux, this system might make a good choice. You can boot it straight from CD. If you like it, you can install it on disk, or you can continue to run it from CD. There are enough easy to use applications that only a modest amount of computer experience is needed to install and run it.

Highly recommended!