Girl orders ubuntu laptop and...

Wisconsin Girl Cancels Online College Courses Thanks To A Mind Blown By Her Ubuntu Dell

http://i.gizmodo.com/5132132/wiscon...ses-thanks-to-a-mind-blown-by-her-ubuntu-dell

 

I don't know who wrote that article but it was hard to read. She might have to sue for loss of income due to no college and then be on welfare her entire life. I hope she can over come this and go back to school.

 

*facepalm*

What gets me isn't the fact that she's computer illiterate (some of my friends and family members would probably react the same way), but that she sought NO help whatsoever. She could've run down to the library, asked a friend for help, called a tech, anything, but no, she threw up her arms and decided to have a hissy fit (which is probably the way she gets most things done).

She was just looking for any excuse to get out college IMO, it's better if she doesn't go back.

Are you kidding me? Dell and Canonical should sue her for stupidity.

EDIT: Oh, and lets thank the facking news station for all the negative Ubuntu press, bunch of morons couldn't even pronounce it to save their life.

 

That was an interesting video to say the least.
They discredit ubuntu when it was mostly her own ignorance
She could have brought it to a computer shop and had them install xp or vista.

NEWBIE NOOB

 

Well, the transition to Ubuntu isn't "cake" for everyone. My gf needed gentle guidance when I put it on her laptop. She is a convert now, of course. She says that Gnometris saved ubuntu for her. Go figure. She would have requested a switch back to Windows if it didn't have a simple tetris clone pre-installed.

The real reason is she realized it's the same as windows and there's nothing she can't do on Ubuntu that she could on MS.

 

I suspect that events like this (okay maybe not this bad) are why so many Linux based netbooks are returned, ( http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/10/linux_netbooks_returned_4x_more_than_xp_editions_says_msi-2.html) and why Wal-Mart pulled Everex's Linux based desktop systems from stores and resorted to online only sales ( http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/10/wal-mart-is-pulling-plug-on-in-store-gpc-experiment/2)

People see the low starting price of a Linux netbook, and are disappointed and confused when they try to install their copy of Works 2000 or any Windows software, only to have it not work at all. They don't know that there are plenty of Linux alternatives or stuff like that. Sit one of these in front of my parents and they would be pretty much lost. I know, I've tried when they wanted to borrow my computer.

 

I can't see the video because I'm at work and it's firewalled, and the person who wrote this article needs to consider a new career outside anything journalistic. Didn't that girl know that she ordered a laptop with ubuntu? My guess is she just thought that was the name of the model she was ordering... probably didn't even look into it. She looks like a clueless dummy who doesn't need to worry about what she spends daddy's money on. Well I guess that's kind of mean... she's probably a nice girl who just needs a little help getting out of bed in the morning. Anyway, how did this make the news again???

 

It was a consumer action story, lot's of local stations do similar things and ask people to call in if they're having trouble with a product or company. Local Ubuntu/Linux users probably noticed the article/web clip, the news spread throughout the usual channels and the rest was history.

 

Sorry, but personally I love the thought of the main stream idiots staying away from Linux.
The last thing we need is people trying to dumb down, and kill Linux just so "normal" people can use it.

Now as for how this made news...that's a question that is probably best left unanswered..if it has an answer....

 

Wow, not only is Ubuntu a horrible game but it will also make you fail out of school too!

 

Gah Either that was tongue in cheek, or....well...I think part of my hope in people just died.....I would normally be more sad, but I cant stop laughing.....

 

If you use Ubuntu as your distribution, I lawl at this.

 

Unbelievable.. Im glad she canceled the course, she needs to take a course in Common sense 101

She doesnt even know what she ordered. I would have thought the word Ubuntu would have rang bells, it sounds funny as it is. OOO-BUNNN-TUUUU

 

OOOHHHHHH BUNNNNN TUUUUUUUUUUU

Well, that's what I don't get. She confirmed the guy about programs running on Ubuntu, and he said yeah, sure. At that point, she should have known that something's fishy. Either she is really computer illiterate or gets fooled easily,,,,

 

actually its ouuuu buuuun tooo (i think)

 

Its ooo-bun-too, its African for humanity to others. It says it on the website somewhere.

 

What? It's oo-BOON-too. says it right on the website.

 

Girl is an idiot.

 

Windows is the standard. If you've had no contact with any computer OS, learning Linux, I think, would be natural and beneficial. Of course, you'd quickly realize obstacles as you tried to interact with your friends and their media, since they probably would run Windows. But it would be less confusing for the most part.

On the other hand, if you're fairly illiterate, but any contact you've had is with Windows, sure, Ubuntu could freak you out when you try to apply what you do know.

Bottom line, though: are people too dense to do a simple web search for their questions? Ask someone more computer-savvy? Seriously.

 

Maybe she has no friends? No tech geeky ones anyway..

 

Now, for the good of mankind, we must prevent this woman from reproducing.

 

Or she's probably too ignorant/too arrogant to ask. It's people like her that give Linux a bad image. They need to understand that linux is not harder, just different, that's all.

@Lysander: Quadruple post spam troll! How do you even do that?

 

Talk about all over the place! That article, and I use the term loosely, it reads like a blog post more then a professional article, was really difficult to read, I agree with the others who posted about it being hard to read. It was downright painful! My head hurts! And that is just stupid she ordered a lappy without researching it properly, it's her own darn fault she got the free OS, oh yeah for chicks and guys like her (that are here froma google search and not reggied members) that means OPERATING SYSTEM! Sheesh!

You guys make me laugh! Thanks for posting this it made me giggle this morning.

 

Frenzy Posts
If she is as ignorant as it looks we need not worry about her reproducing
OH btw she could have come to notebookreview.com and gotten plenty of help

 

The proper article is linked in that page.

 

Ah I missed that flipfire. Thank you!

 

Notebookreviews servers are flaky.

 

^ Yeah, but the fact that you could make 4 posts is just... awesome.

*click* "30G Achievement Unlocked - Four Post Chain"

 

Yeah, that was so irritating when the news reporters were mistakenly correcting her pronunciation.

 

Interesting read..

And, agreed w/Erwallie..she would've received the best help here at NBR


Cin

 

is that a girl or mom?

 

You know they did do several follow ups to this, right?

Follow up one: http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9682258

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Follow up two: http://addins.wkowtv.com/blogs/troubleshooter/?p=24

 

Meh. That computer consultant guy didn't really describe Ubuntu right.

And "Low profile operating system"?! You must be joking..

 

Well you have to consider where their coming from. If I walked up to a random person on the street and asked them what Ubuntu was, chances are they would either think that I mispoke, or they would say flat out that they have no clue. Compare that to Windows, chances are pretty high that plenty of people would know what it is. Couple the fact that one doesn't exactly see Ubuntu advertised on mainstream media like Windows and Mac OS, and the result is a lack of knowledge about Ubuntu (and Linux in general) among mainstream computer users. Another example: I know many really educated people who think that accessing the internet is the blue "e" in the corner of the Windows desktop, heck most of my college student peers still go right to the IE icon and haven't a clue about Mozilla Firefox. Even tabbed browsing is unheard of to a majority of people, even though IE has it they just open a completely new browser window.

 

Another uneducated consumer is used to portray the product as inadequate; ffs, she didn't even know what she was buying.

 

I wouldn't call that reporter the troubleshooter. Maybe the Firestarter.

 

:laugh: :laugh:

 

If I walked up to someone and asked what Windows was they wouldn't even know(most people, at least).

 

I'm not surprised. I'm in a Digital Entertainment course, and there's a girl in my class who has no freaking idea what Windows Explorer is.

 

lol @ video,

This is why you never mess with the world of open source....it fights back.

No, they would say its a part of a house

 

Yeah, you refer to several people I know when you say that accessing the Internet is the blue icon on the desktop, and what's this "tabbed browsing", anyways?

 

Reminds me of the time some posted here about "theres something wrong with my starbucks"

Turned out it was the Java icon. lol

 

That's really great.

 

I can't believe they actually blame Dell for that. It's pretty much the same as buying a laptop with Vista and then blaming the laptop's manufacturer because you don't like it...

 

I can kind of see where she's coming from, but then again kind of not: The rep. did say that Ubuntu could easily be a great OS for a college student, which is true, but (and this is pretty important) how did the girl even find the Linux machines. I mean, it's not like they are front and center on the dell site. I only know of four ways to get to them, all of them involve clicking on something that should be a dead giveaway that the computer won't run Windows. Heck, there's even a click through warning on most of the pages.

 

this isthe reason why most people think blondes are complete idiots

 

Well, it depends on what kind of support Dell claims to provide to its users. It may well be the case that they failed to provide what they claim to provide.

 

This article never really highlights my biggest gripe about the IT industry, the ability to communicate. For an industry that is founded on helping people get the information they need through technology, we aren't very good at the first part, people. We are good at the information and the technology part.

IMO, if anyone called me up and asked, "Should I buy an Ubuntu laptop," my immediate answer would be "No." Why? If you have to even ask someone that question, then an Ubuntu laptop isnt' right for you. Linux is a niche market, designed for a niche audience. Pretty much anyone that wants to use Ubuntu will move into that platform on their own. And the community is designed that way.

While a vast majority of schools require you take classes to become familiar with Windows and MS Office, there are no schools that I know of that require you to become familiar with Ubuntu. In that sense, it is a OS for the self motivated, self learner. It is a platform for people who is actively willing to seek help and willing to do research to understand this platform.

Its appalling to see the selfishness that pervades the IT community. Imagine if my tax accountant mocked me every year for my inability to do my taxes. Imagine if my dry cleaner mocked me for my inability to clean my own shirts.

Every other industry understand that specialization means your knowledge is, well, special. Yet we mock people when they don't share the same knowledge as we do. This immature attitude we have towards others really limits the potential of the IT industry and the community as a whole.

 

(In the quote above, the emphasis is mine.)

That's just not true. There's a minimum level of knowledge that people interacting with computers should have. When people don't posses that knowledge, then they are mocked. It is debatable what what level of knowledge should be minimally expected of the general population. I guess a good deal of Linux users think that if someone buys a computer which runs Ubuntu, then the customer should do their homework and check out what the heck Ubuntu is. If they do not do their homework, and then act all indignant when the poop hits the fan... well, they had it coming. (And I'd say in this specific case that relying only on Dell's word is naive.) But I have not heard any Linux expert saying the girl should have the same knowledge they have.

As for other professions mocking their clients, I can think of mechanics who take advantage of their customers by charging for repair that are not needed or charging for repairs they don't perform. Or people who service home appliances doing the same thing. Or contractors who cut corners in places where the corner cutting is not clearly apparent. (I've witnessed this example more often than I wished to.) By pulling a fast one, they are not only ripping off their customers but they are also covertly mocking them because they are counting on the lack of knowledge of their customers: "The idiot won't know the difference. Ka-ching!"

 

This is the kind of attitude that I think is hurting our industry as a whole. Minimum level of knowledge? I don't recall a license needed to buy a laptop.

When I go to buy a TV and ask what is the differences between an LCD and a Plasma TV, I find people who are tripping over themselves to sell me a TV. In fact, Bestbuys will send a Home Theatre consultant to my home and make sure I am buying the right length of cable, that I am buying speakers that can be concealed in my home, etc etc. It is just sorta expected out of the home entertainment industry.

Yet the IT industry still have this attitude where people should posses a bachelor's degree or something. You think people have hours of free time to all the sudden make up for years of experience with computers? I, myself have been working with PC since the IBM XT days. I don't expect anyone to catchup to my expertise in less than a year. And I still don't know everything. I still find aspects of computers baffling.

And these examples don't further their respective industries. Rather they paint a negative reputation. Which is my whole point. There is no denying that mainstream users don't know everything about their computers. And their is no denying that there are users that often buy equipment that is beyond their sophistication. But it is counterproductive to spotlight the mistakes. Rather, we should educate the users about their equipment.

For those in the IT industry, I ask how much time in a year do you spend educating your co workers? How much time do you spend raising the "minimum level of knowledge?" The amount of time at my company is laughable at best. We spend more time planning holiday parties than we do educating users about the technology available to them. The attitude is that users should learn about the technology on their own. It is the prevailing attitude throughout the industry. The industry as a whole needs to grow out of the geeky, nerdy, elitist stereotypes and into the charming and eloquent guy that everyone likes to talk to.

The IT department isn't a bunch of engineers. We aren't a bunch of software engineers, electrical engineers, and technical writers. We should be educators, public speakers, doctors, and personal trainers. We have the tools to allow people to organize their lives. We have tools to allow companies to look at their past mistakes and predict the future. It should be us that teaches them how to use these tools.

They shouldn't have to ask their nephew how to set up their network.