I think this is a normal Ubuntu review that's been spiced up by painting the reviewer as an amateur user and Mac fan. I don't believe the last part though.
The amateur user thing just doesn't seem consistent throughout. And the way he talks about his limitations as a user ("I’m not a software engineer; if I can’t grab it off the shelf, I can’t use it.") just strikes me as reciting a persona.
Two other obvservations:
* His experience with OS X must have been a long time ago because there's no mention of Exposé, Spaces, or Spotlight – which are all comparable features to the Ubuntu ones that impressed him. And if he was truly an OS X user all these years he'd know about them because they were the main features touted on the upgrade boxes. (Unless he's never upgraded from OS X 10.1.)
* From my memory and quick research Ubuntu doesn't come with KDE – you have to install it. I'm guessing the journalist read about the Linux war between Gnome and KDE and decided the throw it into his story even though it didn't actually happen to him. (Though it's possible Virginia Tech gave him a customized Ubuntu install to play with.)
The amateur user thing just doesn't seem consistent throughout. And the way he talks about his limitations as a user ("I’m not a software engineer; if I can’t grab it off the shelf, I can’t use it.") just strikes me as reciting a persona.
Two other obvservations:
* His experience with OS X must have been a long time ago because there's no mention of Exposé, Spaces, or Spotlight – which are all comparable features to the Ubuntu ones that impressed him. And if he was truly an OS X user all these years he'd know about them because they were the main features touted on the upgrade boxes. (Unless he's never upgraded from OS X 10.1.)
* From my memory and quick research Ubuntu doesn't come with KDE – you have to install it. I'm guessing the journalist read about the Linux war between Gnome and KDE and decided the throw it into his story even though it didn't actually happen to him. (Though it's possible Virginia Tech gave him a customized Ubuntu install to play with.)