Knoppix was my first introduction to Linux. The boot-from-CD aspect amazed me. At first the only thing I used it for was recovering data from a screwed up Windows install but eventually I got more into it and started installing other distress (starting with Ubuntu I think).
For some perspective, this was back in the days where it was actually quite a bit of work to get get linux configured and running correctly on your at home desktop. Knoppix was quite a miracle.
Knoppix came out in 2000, a lot of time had passed since it was "actually quite a bit of work to get get linux configured and running correctly on your at home desktop." If you were mot using a thinkpad or ibook a laptop could still cause some trouble.
I started using linux around 2004 and it still required quite a lot of technical knowledge to get working. Drivers were a big issue around sound, graphics, and network.
