Linux, as I've said before, can be had free off the Internet.

Yes, unless you have a broadband connection, a very fast computer, and a lot of time, you are not going to be able to do it. However, there are people who have the above and once they've downloaded their 'flavour' of Linux can burn CDs and give you a copy.

LINUX IN A BOX

One company has decided to pretend it's Microsoft and sell Linux in a box with a manual at a price related not to their costs but to the cost of proprietary software, i.e. "How much is Micro-soft charging? Drop our price by 25%-50%."

As bad as this is, there comes the infamous 'training'. Few people know more than to 'point and click'. So if you don't know what you're doing now you don't need to be trained. Just as you point and click in Windows, you can point and click in Linux.

Linux has many of the same kind of programmes, i.e. there's Koffice which is one of those 'Office Suites' where you can do all that document, presentation stuff.

BASIC PROBLEMS

The only one who really needs training is the Systems Adminis-trator and then to the level where she can handle basic problems, if they come up.

As Linux doesn't crash, doesn't get viruses, is pretty firm, she won't have much to do outside of installation, setting up the users, and going back to her cubicle and play Sokoban - a great game.

How much training does she need? Depends on the interest, ability and job description.

I tried to help an agency I'm associated with get Linux training and called to various companies. As they've all been bitten by the greed bug, they wanted to sell me copies of Linux.

Having software under a General Public Licence, as Linux has, you can get one copy and put it on every single machine without committing piracy, so I decided, as the little red hen, to do it myself.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040204/business/business4.html