Hello folks, I'm back with open source resources you can point and click.

How do you learn about Linux and some of the open source software? Where do you begin?

Google it, Yahoo it, Dogpile it, if you are a web cruiser.

Go to http://www.ubuntu.com/ the Ubuntu Linux home page. I recommend Ubuntu because they have training tools and is easy to use.

Training guides are at http://www.intelligentedu.com/blogs/post/best_new_training_sites/3724/ubuntu-710-desktop-training-course

Ubuntu Linux has a magazine at http://fullcirclemagazine.org/

Open Office.org is to me the best office stuff out there and free to boot. Its web site is http://www.openoffice.org/ and there a couple training sites, http://openoffice.blogs.com/openoffice/ and http://inpics.net/index.html.
These are just a start, if you want play by play instruction, google a video search, folks are putting video tutorials on YouTube and elsewhere.

GIMP is a 2d graphics application, it's counterpart is called GIMPshop which is arranged to look like Photoshop. Google the names and find the info. Training videos are at http://www.biehlonline.com/downloads.html and YouTube has some too.

Blender is a 3d and animation program that has been used in cartoons, movie special effects, and games. The main site has links to resources and links to tutorial videos at http://www.blender.org/ and some more videos at http://blenderunderground.com/.

Inkscape is a 2d vector graphics application like Adobe's Illustrator. It is wonderful and did I say all of the above is FREE. Inkscape videos are found at http://hotbutteredit.com/software/introduction-to-inkscape-graphics-editor-part-1/85

The videos point out that other folks want you to not be afraid of putting aside the idea of commercial software. I say if you can learn on the free stuff and transfer the skills over to the commercial stuff when and only if you have to, you are good to go, no matter what. Again with videos you can see it and not have to read an explanation in a manual.

And I guess you can bother me here on REALNEO and at http://www.arnoarts.blogspot.com, I don't know everything but I sorta like helping folks. I can at least point you in a useful direction.

A few more web sites for browsing open source software are:

http://www.webi.org, http://www.schoolforge.net/, http://www.listible.com/list/windows-opensource-and2For-freeware, and free linux books to download are found at http://www.linux-books.us/.

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) will cut cost, peroid. FOSS is free from users agreements, is not trialware, is not crippled, not student versions, is not time limited, is not low quality, and is not subject to change to make you dependent or lock you into using one company's expensive software. You can run FOSS on Microsoft powered PCs but if you want to escape use Linux and FOSS.