Microsoft is apparently teaching Best Buy employees that Windows 7 beats Linux in every category imaginable. Redmond isn't just saying that Windows has more software or games available than Linux does or that Windows has compatibility with more devices and hardware than Linux does. The software giant is actually going as far as teaching employees that there are certain statements about Linux that need to be labeled as myths.

An employee of Best Buy and a member of the Overclock.net forums recently uploaded slides from a Microsoft presentation titled "Linux Compare" that gives various reasons for using Windows 7 over Linux. The images are no longer available on the forum, but thanks to the beauty of cache, we've saved 11 of the screenshots and embedded them below:

Microsoft has already said that all editions of Windows 7 will work fine on netbooks, but now it wants to make sure that consumers believe they all beat Linux on a netbook.

At this point, everything looks fine. Microsoft is simply going to explain the pros of running Windows over Linux.

By slide three, it gets ugly. Microsoft makes sure that Windows 7 appears to be superior in every way.

Here Microsoft is simply helping Best Buy employees remember what to list when explaining to a customer why Windows 7 is superior.

This slide isn't too bad, though WINE is conveniently left out.

No mention of Linux; again, not too bad.

Here Microsoft is simply talking up the good points of Windows 7.

Linux doesn't offer free downloads? The actual operating system is a free download!

This is where Microsoft should have stopped. Linux does indeed offer a ton of updates, and they're easy to download and install.

This is probably the most controversial part of all the slides. Microsoft has somehow managed to imply, without actually saying it, that Windows 7 is more secure than Linux.

This Microsoft training material for Best Buy retail staff is deliberately attacking Linux. While there are correct assertions in the slides, the majority of the statements are inaccurate, or are only accurate in the specific way they are worded.

Blizzard might not support World of Warcraft on Linux but WINE solves that problem well. Calling Linux's safety reputation a myth, that Linux updates and upgrades are difficult and time consuming, is quite ridiculous. The mention that Windows Live Essentials is not available for Linux is of course correct, but it's not as if Linux doesn't have many free alternatives to the software suite.

The general tone of the slides is very propagandist and is full of deliberate skewing. The fact that Microsoft finds this type of "training material" necessary is just shameful.