On this day 16 years ago, using Ubuntu led to a girl dropping out of college.
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
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I haven't seen the video, but that title does not seem correct. Pretty sure it would be her choice to use Ubuntu that got her to drop out. I don't believe Canonical/Ubuntu can force someone out of college.
If you don't like me writing when I haven't seen the video, then please post some TL;DW info, so we all know what's going on without having to watch a youtube video.
Watched the first few seconds: non tech person buys a laptop with Linux instead of Windows without realizing, can't install required software. Stupid story.
So I was right. She chose (maybe unknowingly) to run Ubuntu and dropped out because she couldn't install the software required. Not Ubuntu's fault at all.
Yep, pretty much.
If you watch to the end, the reason she can't get to her online classes was because her ISP's configuration CD was windows only.
So if we're looking to find fault, it's partly Dell for insisting everything would just work, partly Verizon for not having a good Linux process, and partly her for not just calling her ISP for tech support.
The same thing might have happened if she bought a Mac and needed some Windows only software.
Also worth adding, since this story was big many years ago, when the college was contacted they were fine with her laptop. They had no requirement that she use Wimdows.
And then went to TV to complain
Why couldnt she just install windows? Or use a virtual machine? How is her only option dropping out? It seems like she lacked even basic planning and problem solving skills and if it wasnt this that made her give up it would've been something else.
Vm 16 years ago no where near as easy as now or as capable.
I had a vm running in 2007 or 2008, but regardless she didnt even need windows for her classes. She just couldn't figure out how to get her internet set up and could've just called verizon. Totally helpless and probably would have been thrown the first time she ran into a problem with windows as well.
non tech person
It's dumb as shit. It's not completely her fault. From the video, it seems she knew the laptop came with Ubuntu, and she bought it anyway (price difference maybe? They don't mention why she opted for that one). The blame should be on Dell, they convinced her that it was good.
Edit: forgot to say that Ubuntu has nothing to do with this. They had no hand in this whole thing at all.
On this day 16 years ago some girl learned that you have to actually think about what you buy before actually buying the thing to make sure it does the thing you want it to do.
This girl decided to buy something listed as a "computer" and it is her own fault for not bothering to look into what her money was going towards beyond that.
This is like if I were looking for a new jacket, bought the first thing I saw with "jacket" in the name, and then was pissed off at the jacket because I couldn't use my arms when I wore it because its a straitjacket, not at all intended for the purpose I wanted a jacket for.
Is the linuxsucks community leaking?
Aren't they constantly? ;)
My software doesn't work better just give up on my life path
linux must go
who must go?
...
Techlead went.
does it seem really odd that Dell would be selling the laptop bundled with Ubuntu as a "recommended" option?
in early 2009 it would have been windows vista, i think? so maybe that's the problem
At the time (and possibly still) Dell was promoting laptops with Ubuntu preinstalled. These laptops also avoided the "Windows Tax" and were ~$50-$100 cheaper.
*The "Windows Tax" being that Windows cost money. Most companies just built the cost of Windows into their product with no (easy) method of not purchasing Windows. So if you bought a $800 laptop, you actually bought a $700 laptop plus a Window license, even if you never planned on using Windows.
The best response!
Wow, wasn't expecting to click that and see the old h3h3 intro. Really brings back good memories. That channel was pretty good back in 2014-2015.