Distributing Linux is not the responsibility of one person or even of one organization. Linux is freely available software and anyone can collect the necessary component parts and then be free to distribute them (under the Free Software Foundation's GNU General Public License (GPL), a copy of which is reproduced as Appendix B). For a major Linux distribution, the task of maintaining and distributing it is so difficult and time consuming that is is only undertaken by very dedicated and enthusiastic Linux supporters. Even so, there are still quite a number of distributions from which you may choose when you come to install Linux on your own machine.
The smaller distributions may fit on as few as four or five floppy disks, the larger ones may take up to a hundred, and yet others may take anything in between. Obviously, the smaller distributions can only contain a small core of the software available whereas the large distributions contain a very comprehensive set including most of the larger packages available, such as X-windows, emacs, ghostscript, TeX and LaTeX.
Which distribution you choose is purely a matter of personal preference, though to some extent it might also be guided by availability. If you have Internet access, and a growing number of potential Linux users do, then the situation is easy. Linux started as a system available over the Internet and this is still the most convenient way to access distributions and to get your questions answered. The best source of interactive information is via USENET news, which is like a global bulletin board that provides several newsgroups specifically for Linux related topics.
If you do not have Internet access, then there are still other on-line sources of Linux distributions, in the form of many local and national bulletin board systems.
Another, increasingly popular source of Linux distributions is on floppy disks and CD-ROMs available via mail-order, and many weekly or monthly magazines and journals now carry advertisements for these products. And many local computer stores and computer markets now sell floppy disk and CD-ROM distributions of Linux, though many of those I have encountered have no knowledge of the product and would not be able to answer technical questions.
A good source of information about various distributions is provided in another document in the HOWTO series - The Distribution HOWTO.
One of the most popular and complete Linux distributions, and one which seems to pop up all over the place, is called the Slackwave Distijbution. This distribution is supplied as a number of disk sets, each of which contains a number of software packages. The following disk sets are currently available:
From this list you can see that you will end up with a fairly powerful and general system if you choose to install the: A, AP, D, F, K, N, X, XAP and Y disk sets.
In addition to the software packages to install, you will also need to obtain the associated software with which to install them. In the case of the Slackware distribution this is supplied on two extra disks along with the rest of the software. You should always read any README type files available with your distribution as these will often contain the very latest updates or changes to more general documentation.