Woman Claims Ubuntu Kept Her From Online Classes 1654
stonedcat writes "A Wisconsin woman has claimed that Dell computers and Ubuntu have kept her from going back to school via online classes. She says she has called Dell to request Windows instead however was talked out of it. Her current claim is that she was unaware that she couldn't install her Verizon online disk to access the Internet, nor could she use Microsoft Word to type up her papers."
Re:it figures, (Score:5, Funny)
why are the cute ones always dumb?
Take comfort in Judge Judy's quote: Beauty fades, but dumb is forever.
CALL VERIZON INSTEAD OF THE NEWS!!! (Score:5, Funny)
As a result, with no internet and no Microsoft Word, Schubert dropped out of MATC's fall and spring semesters.
Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too.
Re:it figures, (Score:5, Funny)
why are the cute ones always dumb?
Take comfort in Judge Judy's quote: Beauty fades, but dumb is forever.
Or Ron White's line: You can't fix stupid.
Idiocy (Score:5, Funny)
A Wisconsin woman has claimed that General Motors has kept her from going back to school. She says she has called GM to request a bike instead however was talked out of it. Her current claim is that she was unaware that she couldn't drive.
She must have talked to a slashdotter (Score:2, Funny)
she has called Dell to request Windows instead however was talked out of it"
Re:In Other News... (Score:4, Funny)
No...There is a Wisconsin WOMAN. This WOMAN has Linux on a laptop. This WOMAN needs help. Come on guys, how big an opening do you need?!?
Is her name John Dvorak? (Score:5, Funny)
This sounds like one of his troll articles.
Re:it figures, (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In other news... (Score:4, Funny)
A girl couldn't finish her paper because her pc ate it and went beep beep beep beeep.
it was a really good paper.
Newsflash! (Score:5, Funny)
Newsflash: Online student discovers that basic brain functions are required to run and operate a computer. Film at eleven.
Re:This is a real problem (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Expected (Score:5, Funny)
Believe it or not, our linux enthusiasts here are as enthusiastic as many slashdot posters.
That she needs and deserves Windows probably escaped the rep...
Man claims Porsche kept him from getting laid (Score:4, Funny)
He asked Porsche to install the ignition the other way around but was talked out of it given the decades old tradition of left mounted ignition in Porsche vehicles. He refused to handle the key with the left hand and subsequently broke his elbow during the attempt of operating it with his right.
His lawyer announced today that he was going to sue Porsche and the Left-Handers Society of America for building such a highly inconvenient car and damages amounting to 15.0000 US dollars and two Apple-tinis.
In other news: Stupid woman saves money with alternative open operating system - Misses Online Strip Class
Thank you for your suggestion (Score:5, Funny)
"Dell, if someone calls and says they got a Ubuntu computer by mistake, just have them ship it back. "
We'll get right on that.
Sincerely,
All of Dell (we all read Slashdot, but just share this one account)
Re:CALL VERIZON INSTEAD OF THE NEWS!!! (Score:5, Funny)
[quote] Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too. [/quote]
Yeah, send the morons out to operate heavy equipment and then wonder why your underground fiber got cut...
Re:Humor? Entertainment? (Score:5, Funny)
Thank you. Rather than arguing about saying "Linux isn't for everyone" can we all just agree that in this case "college isn't for everyone?"
Thanks.
Re:Humor? Entertainment? (Score:5, Funny)
A few google searches by her...
How would she do that if she doesn't know how to connect?
Re:it figures, (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Humor? Entertainment? (Score:5, Funny)
She dropped out of school because she couldn't figure out how to make her computer work.
Dude, it's even better than that. She dropped out of technical college because she couldn't figure out how to make her computer work.
Re:Expected (Score:5, Funny)
Although it's much better than it was even a few years ago, it's still not an idiot-friendly OS where things 'just work'
Judging by the number of support calls I get from friends, nor is Windows.
Re:This is a real problem (Score:0, Funny)
Actually, this story did cause some criticism, which resulted in a followup story [wkowtv.com] (even calling it "Ubunto" once - nice). So more angry (or informative) letters from Linux-advocates aren't going to set the record straight [xkcd.com] at this point.
But it does raise a larger question about the adoption of Linux. How can the perception that Microsoft Windows and its trappings are effectively mandatory be overcome? Her computer can handle all of her needs: email, web browsing via Firefox, Microsoft Office-compatible documents via OpenOffice.org, and no need to "install" any Windows-only "Verizon High Speed Internet CD" to use Verizon DSL.
But since many Linux-advocates presumably want to see things like Ubuntu go mainstream, the answer can't be "this woman is a moron and the TV station is worse for covering it". Her problems, even if they seem ridiculous, were real enough to her. So how do you counter this kind of problem? (Some might say decent journalism could have helped here, but that's part and parcel of the perception problem.)
Thats right, keep giving the morons out there more ammo .. how retarded are you?
Re:Until the point at Windows doesn't "just work" (Score:4, Funny)
Wine has serious compatibility issues with most viruses. They should fix this.
Re:In Other News... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Still not as bad as the women who doesn't understand that -5 is higher then -8.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1022757_cool_cash_card_confusion [manchester...news.co.uk]
What's depressing is that the clerk was fooled into believing she won too which means there is more then one idiot out there.
Really (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Humor? Entertainment? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Expected (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Expected (Score:1, Funny)
Let's remember to distinguish between flavors of Windows, shall we?
Why? They all taste like catshit and molasses.
Re:CALL VERIZON INSTEAD OF THE NEWS!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too.
The world still needs PHD's.
(Post Hole Diggers)
How Software Works (Score:5, Funny)
This girl is typical of the mainstream, and what people often fail to grasp is that Windows is just as technically challenging to use as Linux, but there is a very large and established support infrastructure for Windows and years of conditioning the Windows experience.
As an aside, this girl is really dumb. You mean to tell me she can't find a guy to fix her computer?! Here are some easy to follow instructions:
Go to nearest Department of Computer Science
Find male
Use bedroom voice
Say "fix it."
Blow kiss
The hard part is not ending up with several guys at your apartment... Or maybe that isn't the hard part.
Re:Expected (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Expected (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Thank you for your suggestion (Score:1, Funny)
WTF?
Re:Expected (Score:4, Funny)
I actually ran into something amusing relating to rental cars. I went to lunch with a coworker of mine who had a rental while some accident damage was fixed. It was starting to rain, and she didn't turn on the wipers. I finally asked and she said something like "Oh, they won't stay on" and demonstrated by pushing down on the wiper bar. Sure enough, the bar popped right back up and they only did one wipe. I reached over, pushed the bar *up*, and they worked like you'd expect. Apparently the bar worked opposite her car, and it didn't even occur to her to try the other way. (Note I called her a coworker, and not a friend. She's actually pretty annoying)
Re:Expected (Score:5, Funny)
ThePhilips has a point though - all this girl had to do was find a nice computer tech and start dating him, turn him into her boyfriend and her entire life would have been saved.
Heck, it doesn't even take 100% dedication from the techie - she could have shared him with a half dozen of her other hot girlfriends, each of them spend one day out of the week with him and they could have all been saved.
Damn, someone needs to make some computer tech saves hot blond chicks porn. This would totally work.
Re:Expected (Score:4, Funny)
more than half of this comment matches my wife perfectly ( down to the hardware specs), but my son is only 20 months old. I knew the kid was quick , but didnt realize he could type already.
Re:Expected (Score:5, Funny)
Too bad I don't own a stun gun. :)
Good excuse to buy one though.
Re:Fear of Technology is the problem (Score:4, Funny)
>>>I bet she can do a thousand things you cannot.
An advanced knowledge in Kama Sutra still doesn't erase her stigma as an "airhead". It merely makes her more fun to have around.
(ducks a spitball)
Well, Cisco was supposed to teach you the ritual! (Score:5, Funny)
Here's the part about dealing with telcos that your CNA trainer must have skipped:
You: a squirrel has chewed through the FioS line, please send a tech.
Telco Support: Please repeatedly perform dozens of nearly random acts that demonstrate your social inferiority to my status as High Priest of Telco.
You: Sure thing!
Telco Support: What kind of computer are you running?
You: I have a desktop and a laptop. What do you recommend for best service?
Telco Support: Arcane and expensive mass-market product with obsolete features, bad support, firewall turned off and never patched, version the vendor no longer ships.
You: By amazing co-incidence, that is exactly the version I am running right here! What luck!
Telco Support: Twiddle many knobs and break lots of working stuff as I tell you to do things that cannot possibly fix a physically damaged line.
You: Sure thing! I like being helped! (be careful, here, you need to pause for appropriate amounts of time after each nonsensical suggestion is tendered so the Telco Rep will not figure out that you are watching TV and eating nachos instead of wasting your time actually doing the things he tells you to do).
You: Well, gee, it still doesn't work, even though I've reinstalled Windows three times now and stuck tender portions of my anatomy in the lightbulb socket as you instructed. What should we do now?
Telco Support: We'll have to send a truck out. It will be there sometime between 2 AM Friday a week from now and 3:15 PM Christmas next year. You will have to stay in the house between those times to let the technician into the house.
You: Sure thing, I love waiting in line! Thanks! You know, it's been such a great pleasure working with you an' all, I'd like to send you some cookies, how can I do that?
Telco Rep: We know that one. Wait for the truck.
You: OK, I'm off to my dentist appointment, I love all the drilling!
Now you wait for the truck to show up. DO NOT LEAVE THE PHONE UNATTENDED UNTIL THE TRUCK SHOWS UP. The truck will not come during the period the telco says it will come. The technician (who is not your enemy, incidentally) will receive a call from the dispatcher that goes like this:
Dispatcher: Some toad in Blooker street says his line's out. Most likely stuffed cheese and salami into his CDROM, but you better go check it out. Here's the number. If nobody answers just forget about it, his problem will most likely go away or he'll forget about it, I'm going to close the ticket now.
Tech: (Calls number)
You: Hello?
Tech: This is Jim from Telco, I got a call about a line being out?
You: Yeah, a squirrel chewed through the line. I can see it out my window.
Tech: Oh, is it FioS? We told purchasing to stop buying the kind insulated with molasses and peanut butter, but they won't listen, they say it is more cost-effective.
You: Yeah, FioS. It's the black jacket kind.
Tech: I'll be right over.
Re:Well, Cisco was supposed to teach you the ritua (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How Software Works (Score:3, Funny)
Are you saying you've never had that happen to you?
Re:I need a new computer, this one is full... (Score:3, Funny)
Not sure if that's intentional commentary on the show, or an ironic spelling mistake.
Keyboarding IS a word. (Score:3, Funny)
It appears that "keyboarding" [reference.com] is, in fact, a word.
Perhaps the college in question offers a course on using an online dictionary.
Re:Learning Curve (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Expected (Score:3, Funny)
With apologies to Joey, the word is Moo. As in "the point is moo." You know, like what a cow says: "moo". It doesn't mean anything. It's moo.