Linux has virtual memory, which means that you can use your hard disk as memory by making a swap partition, which Linux can use as additional memory. If you have 16MB of ram and 64MB of swap place, you will now have 80MB of memory for Linux. So you can run Linux on only 8MB of RAM and 16MB of swap place. Windows requires at least 16Mb of RAM (32MB is recommended). .
Linux can be used by people with limited systems as well. The multi-user capabilities of Linux provides the ability to share one computer's resources by hundreds of people over a network, the Internet or on computers and terminals connected to the serial port of those computers. By this you can connect your computer or laptop to another computer and use the same system, resources and tools. The multi-user capabilities of Windows is very limited, in that you can only transfer files from other computers. .
Internet features of Linux also make it more popular. Since it was developed on the Internet, it has wide support for Internet tools and protocols. A free e-mail software called Pine comes with Linux. It was developed at the University of Washington and it has all the features of an email program. There is also a free software program called Telnet, which lets you connect a computer with its IP number to the Internet. The famous web browser Netscape comes with Linux free as well. It has all properties of the Netscape Navigator that is used on Windows and is as easy to surf on the Internet as Windows. There is also a browser called Archie that comes with Linux free in addition to the aforementioned programs and applications. .
Linux also has support for FTP (File Transfer Protocol). You can use it by typing ftp on the command prompt. There is a software program called NcFTP that provides a graphical user interface that also comes with Linux free. FTP is currently the most common protocol used to transfer files from the Internet.