Best Buy Employees Trained to Push Win7 Over Linux

Thinking about straying from Microsoft Windows to the Linux operating system? Well, you won't get much reassurance from Best Buy employees, who, according to reports, are being trained to push Windows 7 well ahead of a more basic, and cheaper, competitor.

'Training Kit' Materials Leaked

Recently a Best Buy employee posted pictures of training materials used by Best Buy (which also happen to be supplied by Microsoft) in anticipation of Windows 7's launch date. (Source: tgdaily.com)

The problem? Aside from showering Best Buy employees with a discounted version of Windows 7 for their own, personal use -- a move that some may consider a conflict of interest -- the 'special training manual' provides inaccurate side-by-side comparisons of Windows 7 and Linux.

Given the origin of the training materials, it's not surprising that Microsoft boasts its Win7 is a much better option for consumers than its competitor.

Blogs Backlash Win7, Linux Comparison

The employee leak has lit a fire under several blogs, where commenters are providing angry tongue-lashings for both the Redmond-based company and the big box retailer.

Most contend that Microsoft claims about Linux (like the fact that it can't run World of Warcraft) are wrong or, at the very least, misleading because it can be run using a Windows emulator within Linux.

Despite all of the blogosphere anger, some industry insiders are defending Microsoft over the matter. PC World's Tony Bradley, for example, referred to the Microsoft manual as merely 'marketing,' and not a doomsday device to wreck the tech industry for good. (Source: pcworld.com)