Linux: Not for everyone.

What have we learned from this?

We've learned that at least some Linux users fit the unflattering stereotypes. Granted, it's not "you insulted my cracker so you die", but... sheesh.

Shameful, the way some people treated that woman. And shame on Verizon for even requiring their subscribers to install a CD full of crap. I have dealt with this locally; it is an intrusion on the subscriber's computer.

Practically everything comes with a CD full of crap, by the way: DSL subscriptions, digital cameras, MP3 players, printers, scanners, etc. You haven't lived until you helped a user deal with Kodak EasyShare and HP Scan Utilities duking it out for their attention in a computer that's stuck on 98% CPU load and doing a whole lotta nothin'.

Practically everything comes with a CD full of crap

Place the CD's data side up in a microwave oven, then run the oven on hi for 8 seconds and enjoy the fireworks (Happy 4th of July!).

If she is helped to understand and learn Ubuntu, she will be more valuable to her future employers and I wish her luck. We have two Ubuntu-loaded systems at home and one Windows laptop and the kids use the Ubuntu while I slog with Windows. I am just about at the point where I can dismiss windows and migrate to Ubuntu on this laptop. Yeah!

And shame on Verizon for even requiring their subscribers to install a CD full of crap

I have to tell you that this part is made up. This is actually a problem with this whole story. The girl with the computer and the press have ganged up on Linux and made the Linux community look bad.

Version and the other providers assume you have a PC with windows or a mac, but they DO have staff that can work you through setting up their dumb modems with Linux. It is actually easier to do it in Linux.

The version she was showing on TV was Ubuntu 7.10 (you can see it in the browser window pointing to the local help documents). On the Dell website you can see that they install at least 8.04 on standard machines, mostly 8.10, and Ubuntu itself is on version 9.04 soon to release version 9.10. There is a big difference in setup, network discovery, and even versions of OpenOffice (which _can_ load and modify Word Documents, TYVM) between 7.10 and 8.04, the latter of which is much more usable.

I use Ubuntu at work (8.04, same version that does come standard with Dell laptops) and have no problems reading and modifying anything coming out of Sales, who all use Windows specifically. And I use Ubuntu/Vista dual boot at home; when I installed Ubuntu out of the box(also 8.04) it was able to discover my wifi connection without me prompting it. Now, I will not claim that my usage of Ubuntu hasn't been without problems (setting up dual-screen monitors was a pain), and there are programs (such as iTunes) that force me to use Vista still. But I will counter the notion that it can't be used by everyone.

If you are using your OS as an excuse not to enroll in college, then you're probably not self-driven enough to attend college. If you buy a Dell laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed and are not aware of it, you just aren't paying attention, and that's a scary prospect if you're spending hundreds of dollars. If you call your local news station complaining of these two shortcomings (presumably just to score handouts and attention), it says something about your character.

Nathaniel: Dead on.

She doesn't need that silly Verizon disc to get internet access anyway. If she's capable of remembering her login name and password, Ubuntu will handle the rest.

This smells like a new wave of MS ads. I was wondering when they'd get back to attacking linux after they claimed to shut down their "Get the FUD" sites (they never did shut down the sites - there are still new articles appearing about how wonderful MS is and how linux and other free software are evil).

Well, it's always good to see that free software gets more attention than Apple. I never did see a point to any of the MS ads - but I'm happy because they're blowing money on ineffective ads - I pretend that somewhat makes up for the fact that I pay the MS tax every time I buy a new machine.

How stupid.

If she didn't like Ubuntu all she had to do was install Windows.

Hello?

But they still don't pronounce it correctly, putting a y sound at the beginning.

Old news nothing to see here...
...Move along...

This is from January and all her issues have been resolved with help from the school and Verizon.

btw she was enrolling in technical school...ahem. If she cannot order a laptop I hope no one ever needs her...ahem... technical skills.

Aaahahahaha... those videos just had me rolling on the floor laughing. I'll have to agree with the "stupid girl" and "lazy" comments. Instead of (a) having Winduhs installed or (b) finding someone who can help, she runs off to complain to the (ahem) news people?

People are just so used to being given a CD and told "click here if you have Winduhs, click there if you have a Mac" rather than explaining what needs to be done and why. I never even look to see what's on the CDs these days, I just throw them into the trash; the CDs are loaded with useless stuff at best, and if you're unlucky (which is most of the time), various scripts totally screw your system especially if you have 'internet explorer' - they just 'customize' things to the CD creator's liking and screw you if you didn't want that. I remember spending 4 hours back in 2003 undoing all the damage done to my system by one of those CDs.

Science Pundit, I love your version with the microwave oven. Unfortunately, most people do not call me until they have stuck several manufacturers' CD's full of crap into their machine and it has ground to a halt. Then I have to try to make it back into a computer.

Even in Windows most of that junk is unnecessary. Linux seems to come with just about everything already. I plugged in my Canon scanner and discovered the best scanning utility I've ever seen waiting for me.