seeking recommendations: music software

["Michael R. Jinks" <mjinks saecos com>]

I've been asked to help a friend spec out a new computer, from hardware
through configuration.  On his wish list is music composition software.

When I've gone looking in the past, I've found a plethora of packages. 
But most of them seemed as though they were aimed at people who were
interested in experimenting with sound, and with the computer as a
composition and experimentation tool.  My friend is probably more
interested in something more "traditional", with staff notation, maybe a
sequencer, something that will augment his acoustic guitar rather than
turn his computer into an experimental music studio.  I believe that
he's also more interested in an interface onto his sound card's
synthesizer than in digital recording and editing.

Years ago when I was into electronic music myself the commercial package
to get was CakeWalk (maybe still for all I know).  Does anybody know of
a free work-alike that will run on Linux, or something similar?

Thanks,
-m

-- 
Michael Jinks, IB // Technical Entity // Saecos Corporation
Opinions expressed above are my own, and not those of my employer.