Ubuntu Causes Girl To Drop Out of College

[soumya]

Her Verizon High-Speed Internet CD won't load, so she can't access the internet. She also can't install Microsoft Word, which she says is a requirement for MATC's online classes.

Abbie Schubert paid more than $1,100 for a Dell laptop hoping to enroll in online classes at Madison Area Technical College, or MATC.

But something stopped her: she bought an operating system for her computer she never heard of, Ubuntu.

That's an operating system for your computer similar to Windows that contains Linux. It's highly regarded among some people and extremely popular with certain circles of computer users because it's free.

Schubert says she ordered her laptop online at Dell.com expecting to buy your classic bread-and-butter computer.

She didn't realize until the next morning her laptop defaulted to the Ubuntu operating system.

"It's been a mess," she said. "I regret ordering the computer."

Schubert says she never heard of Ubuntu until learning that she accidentally bought it. She called Dell the very next day and says the representative told her there was still time to change back to Windows.

But she says Dell discouraged her.

"The person I was talking to said Ubuntu was great, college students loved it, it was compatible with everything I needed," said Schubert.

So she stuck with it.

Later, she discovered Ubuntu might look like Windows, but it doesn't always act like it.

Her Verizon High-Speed Internet CD won't load, so she can't access the internet. She also can't install Microsoft Word, which she says is a requirement for MATC's online classes.

As a result, with no internet and no Microsoft Word, Schubert dropped out of MATC's fall and spring semesters.

She also says Dell claimed it was now too late to get Windows and any changes she made herself would void her warranty.

"I'm extremely frustrated," said Schubert. "I wanted to get back to school, but I needed a computer to be able to do that."

27 News contacted Dell, but the company has not responded to us yet.

Source

[hellknight]

Girl + Computer = Cramming (Rattafication).. No proper knowledge

Wasn't she wise enough to consult with her parents or someone wise enough.. And these Amreeeekans are always calling online for help.. She should have taken the advice from someone wise enough who could deal with her issues..

[vista__n00b]

Originally Posted by hellknight

Girl + Computer = Cramming (Rattafication).. No proper knowledge

What a chauvinistic attitude my dear friend! After passing that statement do you feel more man than you ever did? I hope you do cos otherwise it would be a serious waste of those brain cells in which you are having "proper knowledge".

Anyways, even though I am seriously offended by statement that the omniscient above me just passed, but this girl did some serious favour to herself by dropping out of the Technical College. If she doesn't even know how to buy a computer for herself, then she is much better doing something else than studying for engineering or something similar. She should feel that it is a blessing in disguise for her.

[hellknight]

it was a joke.. don't take it seriously.. i aplogize if i offended anyone on this forum..

[victor_rambo]

Now how come the blame is passed to 'Ubuntu'?

I thought the only idiots were in Indian new channels. Now I think the media abroad is outsourcing idiocy from Indian new channels. Seriously, how did the media feel that this news was even worthy?

There are stupids in every corner of the world, why give them publicity which only encourages more stupids.

[utsav]

nonsense.its totally the fault of the girl. there are so many computer users in US when compared to india and y the hell she didnt took help from anybody for that. its not ubuntu which caused this mess. she could have used GOOGLE to know about ubuntu before ordering .

imagine a noob guy buying a Dell XPS M1730 lappy for gaming wid sli gpu and uber cool hardware for $4k and the representative tells him : aap ubuntu dalwa lijiye , bilkul windows jaisa lagega . then someone else will come up wid a thread here

Guy unable to game because of ubuntu

PS: dont misjudge me as a linux fanboy. i use windows all the time.

[MetalheadGautham]

Thanks for the article. Was one of THE most amusing things I ever read.

Looks like she didn't know how to configure her Internet by going to Network in the Administration menu, and that OpenOffice.org 3.0 Writer exists

Anyway, what made her "DROP" out of collage ? Couldn't she just buy Windows ? Its not as if Dell laptops have an EULA stating that you can't replace the OS it comes with.

[NucleusKore]

Well for starters the headline in the source^ reads

27 News Troubleshooter: Woman blames Dell for missing online classes

and not Ubuntu causes a girl to drop out of college.

The OP has chosen to stop at the following line

27 News contacted Dell, but the company has not responded to us yet.

And I will continue quoting the article highlighting what's required, as I find that misleading for those who will not go to the source mentioned at the end of the article.

However, we think we've helped her get back to school.

Verizon says it will dispatch a technician to try to assist her accessing the internet without using the Windows-only installation disk. Verizon says its high-speed internet does indeed support Ubuntu, but some advanced features and installation disks clearly don't work with Linux.

MATC also says it promises to accept any of Schubert's papers or class documents using whatever software she has installed.

Schubert's computer came with Open Office, a word processing software package that is compatible with Microsoft Word. She says she wasn't aware it was compatible. MATC promised to show her how to save documents in compatible formats so she could enroll in online courses again.

When students see her using her Ubuntu laptop for her course, hopefully, it will bring about some awareness that there is life without Microsoft and their products.

[x3060]

foolish girl....whats open office doing all that time?

she could google..post in forums, ask nearby friends, go for linux support clubs.

i guess its one of the lame excuse that you give when you fail."blame the tools"

[thinknano]

Oh poor girl!!! ;(

well that's why buy stuffs from your nearest trusty vendor....you can kick him and he will provide the best right after the next sunrise.....

sad sad...

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by hellknight

Girl + Computer = Cramming (Rattafication).. No proper knowledge

Stop being a sexiest..

Wasn't she wise enough to consult with her parents or someone wise enough.. And these Amreeeekans are always calling online for help.. She should have taken the advice from someone wise enough who could deal with her issues..

She is a paying customer so she deserves to get support from Ubuntu on phone just like she can get on phone via Microsoft. We in India pirate, but in USA piracy is low so since they are paying, they demand support.

Looks like she didn't know how to configure her Internet by going to Network in the Administration menu, and that OpenOffice.org 3.0 Writer exists

No, she doesn't. General public doesn't know about all this & there is no "Get Started" Wizard in Ubuntu either showing all the features etc

[GauravCJ]

Crappy Linux makeovers and crappy DELL.........+ a girl, that too American, without the slightest knowledge of computers..... perfect recipe for a disaster.

But jokes apart, how dumb is she? Didn't she know that garbage like Ubuntu etc. are only good for those gay pedophile-porn watching faggots screaming their lungs out for buggy open source software and anti-Microsoft feelings, which are in fact hidden cries rising out of the inability to BUY quality software?

She should have known that when it comes down to any form of real work, Windows is the most convenient option. Dumb goddamned dodo.

[red_devil]

Thanks to NucleusKore for clarifying about the title and giving out more details...

AND btw, the oP, SOUMYA, is a MVP trying to confuse and misguide people about LINUX [or is she herself confused ? i don't know ]

oh and GauravCJ, STFU!!!

you are a MS fanboy, please keep it to yourself...there is no need to call other OSes as garbage.

[pr.itdude]

Originally Posted by GauravCJ

Crappy Linux makeovers and crappy DELL.........+ a girl, that too American, without the slightest knowledge of computers..... perfect recipe for a disaster.

i dont want to blame linux or dell....its only the fault of that girl.........
but yaaro....dont say that only american girls r nooby of the noobs although studying in a technical college........Indian girls r also not smart too........
I share one xperience with u guys ......
in last sem....we all hav to give presentations on some topics of networking.....i gave it perfectly.....then the nxt was gaving his ppt....
The girl whose turn is nxt to nxt of the current presenter comes to me and asked for help and said "yaar meri ppt/slides start nahi ho rahi , pata nahi kya problem ho gayi hai....?"
when i checked in her file.........what she actually did was that.....she just made a shortcut of the ppt file in the pen drive and bring it to college..... .....and when i asked her about it what she said : "actually maine ppt file ka shortcut bana liya tha desktop pe aur mai vahi le ayi, dhyan nahi diya" ..........
the extent of idiocy.........moreover i havnt told u one thing that this girl is topper of my class.......

now what u say abt this.........??? a B.Tech girl student ,topper of the class dont know about the difference between shortcut and the actual file.......

note : its just about some girls......this doesnt mean that all r in the same case...

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by n6300

AND btw, the oP, SOUMYA, is a MVP trying to confuse and misguide people about LINUX [or is she herself confused ? i don't know ]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Dude, his name isn't soumyaa, its Soumya..notice the omission of a 2nd "a". he is a guy for gods sake...

you are a MS fanboy, please keep it to yourself...there is no need to call other OSes as garbage.

He is a Macboy.

[GauravCJ]

Originally Posted by n6300

oh and GauravCJ, STFU!!!

No I won't, you cheap, broke prostitute with cobwebs in crowd-rejected trans-sexually operated dark colored vagina, it's my right to voice my opinion in whatever way I like, we live in a democracy. Obviously, a cheap crowd-rejected prostitute like you will not understand what that means, since you can't afford a pocket dictionary, much too far some quality software that one has to pay for.

Originally Posted by n6300

you are a MS fanboy, please keep it to yourself...there is no need to call other OSes as garbage.

I don't have to keep anything to myself. Get the f.uck out of here if public (honest) conversations are not your thing. People don't come here to stay shut and keep their thoughts within themselves dumb f.uck, that's really not how a forum is meant to be used my sweet little f.uckhead.

Oh and btw, I'm not an Ms Fanboy, I hate many of their products just as much as I love many of them. I highly respect their products like Visual Studio, the Windows SDKs and .NET tools, even Office to a good extent, and I dislike SQL server a lot for various reasons, VISTA!, which was a very unproductive affair for me etc.

Funny thing, you had no reasons to take my post that personally, unless of course you were one of "those gay pedophile-porn watching faggots screaming their lungs out for buggy open source software and anti-Microsoft feelings, which are in fact hidden cries rising out of the inability to BUY quality software". Now I'm convinced you are.

Carry the rant on f.uckhead, go ahead, entertain me. I'm sure I'll get a big kick of out of listening to a 2-paisa prostitute like you.

[VD17]

I wonder how much brains are required before making a right decision. And I wonder why I'm not surprised at the computer-related fiasco considering it was a girl.

[Faun]

Ubuntu must be convicted for this felony

PS: Btw I wonder why soumya never posted anything good about Linux And each and every thread by him reek of a partisan tyro.

[gxsaurav]

@ GauravCJ

if you talk about democracy & that u can freely talk whatever U want in a public forum, then I would like to remind you that using a mannered language is also a rule of democracy which u r not following right now.

[Plasma_Snake]

Well Ek Ban k baad ye GauravCJ sudhar bhi jayega aur samajhdaar bhi ho jayega.
Forums are for discussion and brick bats but in a healthy manner. Its better u get in line before Mods make u to do so. Every OS has its own Pros and Cons and going into that is futile at this point. It wasn't a Girl's mistake initially as much as it was DELL's who trying to sell their product, ignoring the intended use of it. I too was suggested a Vostro notebook for my multimedia purposes by a Dell consultant and when I asked as to why the limit of Studio notebook is of 4GB RAM only whilst its a GM45 chipset (capable of supporting both DDR2 and DDR3 RAM and 8GB+ DDR2), is it because of the number of DIMMs and she said," No Sir it is because it has only 2 RAM slots". Its an irony of fate that she was a girl.
In my college too, a girl who's roll no is earlier than me, in Analog Comm final Viva gave full form of E.M.F as "Electronic Modulating Frequency". Now u don't have to be an Engineer to know the full form of E.M.F!
The American girl shud've explored her options afterwords like exploring Ubuntu more or getting Vista or XP installed on the system. AFA going to Customer Support goes, everyone who pays for the product wud definitely like to get support for it, irrespective of the country. If the thing is under warranty every guy in this wud either call up the support or try to get it RMAd so does that makes us really different from us?
Women are like that only and we shud accept them for that. Tell me if a girl comes to u with more knowledge than u, one is bound to feel challenged and jealous. Their stupidity makes us look smart. Because them only we are valued. So love those Stupid Sexy B1tches.

[gxsaurav]

Originally Posted by Plasma_Snake

Now u don't have to be an Engineer to know the full form of E.M.F!

Eat my fries ...seriously even I don't know the full meaning.

[Hitboxx]

@GauravCJ, we don't require that kinda language on the forum and you don't deserve a warning.

So in your own words, Get the f.uck outta here!

[esumitkumar]

^^Well done Hitboxxx

Regd Ubuntu issue..Americans are pretty dumb and rich..Thats why so many BPOs had mushroomed in India..so ...it was obvious..

Plus gals dont know much abt technology...Leave Ubuntu alone

[desiibond]

Originally Posted by vista__n00b

Anyways, even though I am seriously offended by statement that the omniscient above me just passed, but this girl did some serious favour to herself by dropping out of the Technical College. If she doesn't even know how to buy a computer for herself, then she is much better doing something else than studying for engineering or something similar. She should feel that it is a blessing in disguise for her.

There are people desiging software in Microsoft that doens't know what exactly RAM is, what exactly Pentium is....

Not having computer knowledge doesn't mean that the person should not be in tech universities.

[Liverpool_fan]

I actually can't believe how she ended up buying the Ubuntu PC. Dell has made sufficiently difficult for that Laptop to be traced and even then they ask whether you are sure with Ubuntu or want Windows.
Personally as a Linux user, I feel the "blame" should go to the representative who said "ubuntu is great, etc." Linux is great, particularly Ubuntu yes, but he/she should have warned the girl about pitfalls as well (such as no native MS Office 07, etc.).
Also I think the girl is not clever at all. Couldn't she just purchase a retail copy of Vista Home Basic + MS Office Home and Office?

I think it's more of her mistake really.

[red_devil]

Originally Posted by gxsaurav

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Dude, his name isn't soumyaa, its Soumya..notice the omission of a 2nd "a". he is a guy for gods sake...

He is a Macboy.

dude..check my post... i've said SOUMYA itself.. and not SOUMYAA [like you said]

and btw, from the user name, i thought it was a gal... never had i heard a name called SOUMYA and it turn out to be a guy ... but yeah now i guess its some kinda shortened up name for something else..

but whatever be the case, my apologies to SOUMYA ... sorry mate

Originally Posted by GauravCJ

Carry the rant on f.uckhead, go ahead, entertain me. I'm sure I'll get a big kick of out of listening to a 2-paisa prostitute like you.

lol...you sure got a BIG KICK ... possibly bigger than what you expected didn't you

[Liverpool_fan]

Originally Posted by VD17

I wonder how much brains are required before making a right decision. And I wonder why I'm not surprised at the computer-related fiasco considering it was a girl.

Please don't be a sexist. I know a few guys who are worse...

EDIT:
Hey I see a Mr. Troll (GCJ) in this thread. Gosh! Trolls are entertaining.

[Ecstasy]

I think the girl and the dell company must have had a miscommunication or something, thought it was weird.

This thread proved more of a flame war than a discussion. =p

[Faun]

Originally Posted by Anurag_panda

I actually can't believe how she ended up buying the Ubuntu PC. Dell has made sufficiently difficult for that Laptop to be traced and even then they ask whether you are sure with Ubuntu or want Windows.

She must be a digger !

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Hitboxx

@GauravCJ, we don't require that kinda language on the forum and you don't deserve a warning.

So in your own words, Get the f.uck outta here!

You forgot to delete his post though