If you are really interested in GIS software, here's a couple of options for you:
If you are a student, and you belong to a University with an ESRI site license, ESRI offers a student rate for all ArcGIS software at $100/year.
If you are a member of or otherwise affiliated with a cave conservancy. cave survey, or similar organization that is interested in utilizing GIS for management/research/conservation purposes, ESRI offers other options through software grant programs.
I can also send you an ArcGIS workbook that includes a limited time software license if you just want to experiment and try it out for a while.
If you think you qualify or are interested in any of the above, contact me at bszukalski @ esri.com for more details, and you can also visit
http://www.esri.com/cave
Bern
PS - I'm about to give up on this thread, but just in case -- anyone interested in trading old NSS News issues?