Thinking she was going to be getting a run-of-the-mill computer, Abbie Schubert bought one of Dell"s machines with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed in the hope that it would allow her to take online classes at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin, USA. When her Verizon High Speed Internet CD would not install, she became confused. Then she found that Microsoft Word could not be installed on her machine, and so she hit Dell customer support with her complaint.
Dell were, according to Schubert, not terribly helpful. She says, "The person I was talking to said Ubuntu was great, college students loved it, it was compatible with everything I needed."
Even though Dell told her she could still switch to Windows, their response apparently led her to stick with Ubuntu--a decision that ultimately led her to drop out of her autumn and spring online courses.
WKOW, a television station in Madison, intervened and got Verizon to help her connect to the internet. Madison Area Technical College then showed her how to use Openoffice.org, which comes free with Ubuntu, to open and save DOC files.
Thankfully, she has been able to return to her studies, though she admits, "It"s been a mess. I regret ordering the computer."