Unfortunate Ubuntu media coverage

[Maureen Thornton]

Okay, this I have heard a number of times and is why I have joined Colin
and Jon to try to educate the common mass.  Usually I just lurk on this
sight and learn as much as I can but this touches me where it hurts.

I am not a programmer nor a computer whizz  or guru, I am an Executive
Assistant who normally has an IT dept. taking care of problems.  This
said, I had Linux put on a machine and handed to me to try by a
programmer (those of you who know me will guess who!)  I hated and loved
it!  Loved it for the idea of a free system for all those who could not
and should not have to pay the Microsoft shit.  Hated it 'cos you had to
know too much about computers and realized where Microsoft had jumped
way ahead with their thinking.

It has taken me four years to get comfortable with Linux, most of my
friends and co-workers that I turned on to Linux have done exactly what
this lady has done...given up and (fortunately had the cash) purchased
Windows, taken it so someone who understands computers and had it
installed.   If you guys want to promote Linux to "everyman" make it
more user friendly for the rank that just wish to turn it on and it
works.  I have  had Ubunutu  Installed on my Toshiba laptop in July and
I am still trying to get it up to where I want and need it!

My two bits worth.
Maureen

On Thu, 2009-01-15 at 11:28 -0500, Madison Kelly wrote:

> Ian Petersen wrote:
> > This link came through an internal mailing list at work today:
> > http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9667184
> > 
> > Summary: Lady wants to go back to school, so buys a computer from
> > Dell.  The sales guy encourages her to choose Ubuntu over Windows.
> > She discovers Ubuntu "won't work" and drops out of school.
> > 
> > Sounds like user error to me (she claimed that Ubuntu couldn't get on
> > the net with Verizon), but it's still probably bad press for Ubuntu.
> > 
> > Ian
> 
> Saw this on Digg... Looks like they were actually gunning for an 
> anti-Dell angle, according to the editor's blog, and missed entirely.
> 
>  From what I read, she didn't know anything about her computer, and just 
> threw her hands up in frustration and gave up without doing even the 
> most cursory research. To be honest, it sounds to me like she wasn't 
> very motivated to go to school and used this as a convenient excuse. 
> Also, the article says that she couldn't run her Verizon CD. Didn't talk 
> about her actually connecting. Again, I think she just gave up without 
> trying.
> 
> Regardless, she sounds like the kind of user that is honestly best 
> suited to Windows or OS X.
> 
> Madi
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