«

I'm pretty sure I replied to this topic ...

http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Ca...Out_of_College

That's more fun to read, with lots of great critical comments about
the story.

On Jan 17, 7:01*pm, Bobs <sandyvag...@thebeach.com> wrote:
> Bobs wrote:
> >http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.a...nav=menu1362_2
>
> > MADISON (WKOW) -- Our original story on Tuesday was only trying to help..
>
> > A young woman from McFarland called the 27 News Troubleshooter after she
> > says she accidentally ordered a laptop with Ubuntu, instead of Windows.
>
> > As a result, she says she canceled her online courses at Madison Area
> > Technical College because she couldn't get her Verizon internet to work
> > or install Microsoft Word.
>
> > 27 News helped her resolve those problems.
>
> > However, the story didn't stop there.
>
> > Ubuntu is an operating system that contains Linux. * It's free and part
> > of what's called open source software. *Ubuntu also, clearly, has an
> > extremely passionate fan base.
>
> > The original story on our website,www.wkowtv.com, received more than
> > 120,000 page visits on Thursday. *To put that in perspective, our main
> > page got about 15,000 hits.
>
> > Ubuntu fans read our story and linked to it on Linux fan message boards
> > and other technology blogs. *By Thursday morning, several major
> > technology websites featured WKOW's article on their front pages.
>
> > That's also when the comments - many of them angry, rude, and hateful -
> > started pouring in.
>
> > Some Ubuntu users accused 27 News of "unscrupulous reporting," hitting a
> > "new low for local news," and writing an "atrocious article."
>
> > Many Ubuntu users also wrote very personal attacks about the young lady
> > who was having trouble using the operating system. *They called her
> > "lazy," "a dumb girl," and "not worthy of a college degree."
>
> > The young woman also contacted 27 News to report she's being harassed on
> > her Facebook account by Ubuntu users.
>
> > This story has gotten so much attention, computer experts are calling us.
>
> > "They're mad because it puts Ubuntu in a bad light," said Adam
> > Wiesenfarth, a technology consultant at UW-Madison.
>
> > Wiesenfarth said Ubuntu has many good points and is considered stable,
> > but he also stressed it's not for everyone.
>
> > "If you're not a computer tinkerer, and you're not willing to do
> > research and digging, it may not be for you."
>
> > Meanwhile, Dell contacted 27 News to say its representatives would
> > contact the young woman to help her deal with her computer situation.
>
> > Send comments to dcass...@wkowtv.com.
>
> > READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE:
> >http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.a...v=menu1362_8_6
>
> > LOL!!! Charming.
>
> http://addins.wkowtv.com/blogs/troubleshooter/?p=24
>
> LOL! Good stuff.
>
> --
> What do Michael Jackson and Santa Claus have in common?
>
> They both leave little boys' rooms with an empty sack

In article <e3ebd835-33a5-474c-ad71-5cfc444534b4
@i18g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> I'm pretty sure I replied to this topic ...
>
> http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Ca...Out_of_College
>
> That's more fun to read, with lots of great critical comments about
> the story.
>

[/rant]

It's kind of funny, or ironic, or whatever (maybe sad). What I am
referring to is the kneejerk reaction of most of the 'commentators' on
the digg site.
"stupid" turns up often. "should be at Mc'Donalds and not at college".
Blah blah.

This is the 'supportive' unix community at their best?

What it shows up front is that there's a large part of the geekish
community who have absolutely no concept of the depth of ignorance,
computer wise, that is prevalent amongst large parts of the population.
Which leads to some kind of pot<-> kettle thing, n'est ce pas?

If you ever want to persuade those (luser) people to move away from
microsoft products, you have to create tools that are *easily*
understood, up front and obvious, and put up help that a non-geek can
comprehend. Calling them stupid is, indeed, just going to turn their
brains off entirely, innit!

I know enough people of 'college' level, in fact I know tertiary
teachers who know how to push the on button, double click an icon on the
desktop and use the start button to shut their computers down. Anything
beyond that .... they need help. HELP, even. Don't know what a file-type
is, don't understand protocols, compatibility or anything else. Don't
want to, just like they don't want to understand how an automatic
gearbox in their car works. --- How's somebody like that supposed to
dive into the depths of setting up *anything* on Ubuntu beyond what gets
installed by default? Yep, call them stupid, that'll make them willing
converts ......

[/rant off]

I feel sorry for that young woman, is all I can say. I can understand
the depth of her frustration. She's been talked into something that it
would probably take her a couple of years to figure out for herself,
were she willing, even (and why the F should she have to, if she's not
going for a computing degree). In her perception she ordered a
helicopter and found herself with a submarine in her garage, and she
hasn't a clue how to make it do what she wants it to do.
Her one mistake was to trust the 'expert advice' that persuaded her to
stick with Ubuntu.

-P.

Peter Huebner wrote:
> In article <e3ebd835-33a5-474c-ad71-5cfc444534b4
> @i18g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, says...
>> I'm pretty sure I replied to this topic ...
>>
>> http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_Ca...Out_of_College
>>
>> That's more fun to read, with lots of great critical comments about
>> the story.
>>
>
> [/rant]
>
> It's kind of funny, or ironic, or whatever (maybe sad). What I am
> referring to is the kneejerk reaction of most of the 'commentators' on
> the digg site.
> "stupid" turns up often. "should be at Mc'Donalds and not at college".
> Blah blah.
>
> This is the 'supportive' unix community at their best?

Probably not, I would check all the Ubuntu help forums and community
documentation before leaping in with your own kneejerk reaction

>
> What it shows up front is that there's a large part of the geekish
> community who have absolutely no concept of the depth of ignorance,
> computer wise, that is prevalent amongst large parts of the population.
> Which leads to some kind of pot<-> kettle thing, n'est ce pas?
>
> If you ever want to persuade those (luser) people to move away from
> microsoft products, you have to create tools that are *easily*
> understood, up front and obvious, and put up help that a non-geek can
> comprehend. Calling them stupid is, indeed, just going to turn their
> brains off entirely, innit!

Yes, its the paradox of choice, the more technology is available the
more trouble they have choosing a path.
>
> I know enough people of 'college' level, in fact I know tertiary
> teachers who know how to push the on button, double click an icon on the
> desktop and use the start button to shut their computers down. Anything
> beyond that .... they need help. HELP, even. Don't know what a file-type
> is, don't understand protocols, compatibility or anything else. Don't
> want to, just like they don't want to understand how an automatic
> gearbox in their car works. --- How's somebody like that supposed to
> dive into the depths of setting up *anything* on Ubuntu beyond what gets
> installed by default? Yep, call them stupid, that'll make them willing
> converts ......
>
> [/rant off]
>
> I feel sorry for that young woman, is all I can say. I can understand
> the depth of her frustration. She's been talked into something that it
> would probably take her a couple of years to figure out for herself,
> were she willing, even (and why the F should she have to, if she's not
> going for a computing degree). In her perception she ordered a
> helicopter and found herself with a submarine in her garage, and she
> hasn't a clue how to make it do what she wants it to do.
> Her one mistake was to trust the 'expert advice' that persuaded her to
> stick with Ubuntu.
>
> -P.

I think you have read what you want to believe into the situation, in
that respect you are no different from the original kneejerk responders.

In article <gl3mkb$r8j$>, says...
>
> I think you have read what you want to believe into the situation, in
> that respect you are no different from the original kneejerk responders.
>

What I want to believe? And I guess you're going to tell me what that
is?

Look mate, I am no microsoft fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. I
would like nothing better than to see an alternative take over - and I
was merely commenting, sadly, that it's just not going to happen if
people persist in reacting and thinking the way those kids were, and
that there appears to be a serious case of Venus vs. Pluto going on
here.

I've written software myself and I know *precisely* how easy it is to
fall into the trap that one deems whatever one has become intimately
familiar with to be obvious, and to diss and dismiss people who have
difficulty understanding one's own byzantine paths of thought and/or
doing things. There needs to be awareness of this in the open source and
linux, gnu etc communities, and appropriate behaviour (e.g.
documtentation and luser friendly support), or else they'll be sitting
alone in their little segregated playpens until the cows come home.

Something I personally would find regrettable.

-P.

Peter Huebner wrote:
> In article <gl3mkb$r8j$>, says...
>> I think you have read what you want to believe into the situation, in
>> that respect you are no different from the original kneejerk responders.
>>
>
> What I want to believe? And I guess you're going to tell me what that
> is?
>
> Look mate, I am no microsoft fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. I
> would like nothing better than to see an alternative take over - and I
> was merely commenting, sadly, that it's just not going to happen if
> people persist in reacting and thinking the way those kids were, and
> that there appears to be a serious case of Venus vs. Pluto going on
> here.
>
> I've written software myself and I know *precisely* how easy it is to
> fall into the trap that one deems whatever one has become intimately
> familiar with to be obvious, and to diss and dismiss people who have
> difficulty understanding one's own byzantine paths of thought and/or
> doing things. There needs to be awareness of this in the open source and
> linux, gnu etc communities, and appropriate behaviour (e.g.
> documtentation and luser friendly support), or else they'll be sitting
> alone in their little segregated playpens until the cows come home.
>
> Something I personally would find regrettable.
>
> -P.


If you just took your cue from some mid USA mainstream media news
non-event posted as flamebait you would end up with the impression that
this woman was left with no resources but the TV station.
If thats what you want to believe.
If you try say
http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en...=Google+Search
or
http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en...G=Search&meta=
or
http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en...G=Search&meta=
You get a different story

I can't see why you would be looking for different behaviour in a
flamewar on any topic, why should Ubuntu be different ?