I've read this story before, and my opinion on it is mixed. The news story
itself is shoddy, what with its references to "open source" and how GNU/Linux
is for technical people and "tinkerers."
But I think the behavior of the Ubuntu fans is unwarranted and uncalled for.
This person expected to buy a computer with Windows and ended up with one
running GNU/Linux. Yes, GNU/Linux is the overall superior choice both in
ethical as well as practical terms, but the abusive comments from Ubuntu
users don't help her understand that. She's understandably scared and
confused.
I also understand perfectly that a college would want its students to run
Windows. We know it's stupid and downright wrong, but the average college
doesn't. I've been to my college bookstore and I see books about how to use
Windows, Office, etc. Schools that offer "computer" classes really offer
"Windows" classes, and "computer literacy" really means "Windows literacy"
(see, monopoly at work here...). Lots of these people are stuck in the
mindset that a "PC" is Windows, and there are only "PC and Mac." We can't
really blame the student for this. Heck, maybe the college requires some
proprietary courseware, or she signed up for internet courses that require
proprietary Windows plugins or DirectX.
