I'm interested in getting unix in my pc, can someone tell me where and how can I get it. I'm a complete virgin about unix, I work in 3d animation and i need unix to make batch rendering work in Maya. Another question is: how do I know what hardware is compatible with unix and do I need any drivers to make it work? Any help would be apreciated,thanks.

Please see my FAQ: http://droflet.net/unix_dot_com_faq.html In particular, the 4th question. You can visit some of the distributor websites to learn more. In general, any x86 compatible machine will run Linux or *BSD. Solaris has a more restrictive hardware compatibility list which is available on their website.