On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:49:59 +1300, Rob J wrote:

I'm looking for shareware or freeware that enables me to make an
unbounded recording, that has a simple user interface that is easy to
configure and use for less-experienced people, and has few hidden
options on a different screen.

Look into Dynebolic which is a complete recording studio based on Linux
crammed onto a single CD that you can run live.

It works great, is easy to use, free and it does exactly what you are
looing for.

http://www.dynebolic.org/

You can either run it from CD or install on hard disk.

I want to be able to produce instructions that show a screenshot of the
main screen and how for people who are not experienced in this
particular software package to be able to tell that they have all the
correct settings i.e. someone hasn't altered the settings.

User permissions and complete audit trail are things that Unix and Linux
have been doing for years.
Windows can't even come close with it's bogus user accounts.

If you are looking for complete control then Linux is the only game in
town.



and would like opinions on these, or any alternative software packages
that fulfill the same sort of functionality.

We just record each week from the same sound source, which is a line
input, from a sound desk,

Once you give Linux/dynebolic a try you will never return to unstable
Windows software ever again.
Linux will give you the freedom to change the source code if you need a
particular feature.
Simply write the routine and add it to the programs!
Easy huh?
HTH
JW