Dear Larry: I basically agree with your point about the economics involved. I do understand the need for limited free tech support. You bring up a good point when you mention that Macmillan/Mandrake would have to charge $100-$150 per box in order to provide adequate free tech support to newbies. So, why not offer LM 7.1 at the current price (around $50) and add the option of a package deal on free email support for a certain period of time beyond that, i.e. $50 to $75 for 30 or 60 days of serious tech support, at least as it concerns installation issues and helping the newbie get started. No matter how good and detailed the Linux manual or book is (or isn't), there are always imponderables, things that the manual writer knows by heart and has long since forgotten and expects the newbie to understand. Newbies, whether coming from Windows or not, do NEED a certain amount of hand-holding, especially in view of the formidable and for the most part incomprehensible help and man pages (which I, to this day, avoid like the plague, substituting Linux books for them that speak English, not computerese. Still, when all is said and done, it is the great help of the Linux masters who so generously give of their free time that is the key to helping the newbie orient himself/herself in Linux and that helps the newbie to survive the trials and tribulations of the first month or two. Of course, it's a lot, lot easier these days than it was when I started with RH 5.2 and it will only get easier thanks to Linux, KDE, Gnome, etc. Yours, Benjamin -- Benjamin and Anna Sher Sher's Russian Web http://www.websher.net [EMAIL PROTECTED]
