Learning something about computers doesn't necessarily mean learning how to compile a kernel. One might not be aware of this, but the field of computer knowledge is so vast that you can learn lots and lots of things without ever learning how to compile a kernel. But the whole thing isn't exactly about learning. Learning has been closed off at every angle in this case.
Dell are fuckers. This is demonstrated in their UK advert where they try to convince people that they need a dual core CPU just to check your email and download tunes at the same time. The reality is that somewhere between a Cyrix P150+ and a K6-2 500 you get enough performance for mp3 decoding to be done in realtime while simultaneously scrolling a page of html.
I can see Verizon's point of not supporting every single device that they're capable of providing a service to, but they should have been sure to tell the woman the truth - that it could connect but they didn't specifically support it. The article and the woman appear to claim that the Verizon rep lied.
The woman seems to have been holding a few misconceptions - such as that you have to buy a new computer to change operating system, and that companies who take your money give impartial advice and tell you the full truth ever.
We don't even know if the woman asked the college or not, but the notion that the course required Microsoft Office had to have come from somewhere.
So here we see a pattern of nobody telling the full truth, and overly simplifying things - "as good as not working" - when really everything would have worked all along. This culminated in her going to a local TV station and blaming Ubuntu, whose support community didn't get a chance to be fucked over by trolls and assholes until after the fact.