Nathan’s basic question, however, can be paraphrased: why do so many MCSEs have such a hard time learning to use Linux? why do they think there’s no effective help available to them?
I think the answer is that there’s a great divide between the Windows and Unix camps: a divide one side doesn’t recognize and the other doesn’t want to cross. It’s the divide between training and education: the difference between rote learning and the application of theory to practice.
Basically, to learn Unix you learn to understand and apply a small set of key ideas and achieve expertise by expanding both the set of ideas and your ability to apply them - but you learn Windows by working with the functionality available in a specific release.