Xfld provides an alternative OS for common i386-machines which are able to boot from CD-ROM. No software installation is required: The only requirement is to enable the computer to boot from CD in BIOS or boot-sequence. As soon as the computer is booted and the OS is loaded automagically, it is prepared and runs Gnu/Linux.
Xfld provides approximately two gigabytes of (transparently compressed) software. Among those you can find tools like the Gimp, OpenOffice, which is partly compatible to Microsoft Office, Firefox for browsing the web, Thunderbird for reading your mail - and many more.
Xfld provides an OS not only for testing purposes, but also for productive work. You can easily carry your working environment with you by just carrying along the Xfld-CD (as OS and working-environment) and an USB-stick (for personal data).