how much does linux cost?
END of discussion.
can't afford it indeed.
listen, if you really need instructions for firebird try these:
1) download firebird zip file for windows. doesn't matter if you get the latest nightly or the latest stable release or whatever.
2) open it in winzip and extract all files. This will create ONE directory (probably called MozillaFirebird). Put that directory somewhere. Try C:/Program Files if you are stuck.
3) go into the folder and doubleclick the file "MozillaFirebird.exe" (or phoenix.exe for versions 0.5 and below)
did this work? if not at what point did it fail and how.
windows ME is not different in any way from windows 98 except for some extra bloat (and the accompanying instability) and some slight theme additions.
and put some thought into how much linux costs.
and welcome to the board!