Little did I know in the beginning that the computer I purchased would be the primary driving factor behind the flavor of linux I used as well as the actual display software I used. In all my research for my frame (thank you google) I found a lot of different options for linux builds and display software. However, once I started trying to actually implement different ones on the laptop I had, I was unable to successfully run them. The first two linux versions I tried were Knoppix and Damn Small Linux (DSL) - I have only a 3GB harddrive on the laptop. With both flavors I had lots of problems with Xserver. It would usually at least boot into the GUI, but after a couple minutes or when I started whatever picture viewer comes with each OS, Xserver would just die and I'd have to reboot.
The bottom line is that I got tired of dealing with Xserver issues. So, I tried Debian Linux, a command line based version, and found that for me it was a lot easier to get up and running and to diagnose/fix problems. The link above is one to the netinstall .iso image for the latest debian version suitable for an x86 laptop (Thinkpad 560E). If you're used to windows just download the file and then burn it to a CD using your favorite program. If your laptop only has a floppy drive here is the link for the latest debian bootable floppy netinstall images.
The picture viewer I ended up using (basically the first one I found that worked) is ZGV. In order to use ZGV you have to have SVGALIB (basically the vga library that runs underneath ZGV to let you look at pictures). I'll go into the easy way to get these in the actual walk through.
I already mentioned the SSH server earlier - you really want to have it. One very nice feature of debian linux is its method for downloading software: apt-get install - basically this command will get you all the software you need on your frame if you have your internet connection hooked up to it.
Finally, there is the best part - the scripts. Scripting allows you to autoboot your frame, load load your picture viewer, and even mount a drive if you want to - all automatically after you power up your frame.
***Go to my software and links page to get links to the MS Windows free utilities that I used to make my life easier working on this project from my Windows computer.