If the course materials specifically asked for Microsoft Word (I wonder why just document compatibility wasn't enough, maybe they were specifically using some of the colaborative features of Word) it's her fault. Dell can't be blamed not to teach their customers about the different OS ecosystems. She should have checked wether Word is available for Ubuntu (yes I know to most of us reading this might sound odd, but we're talking uninformed mass-market).
The only way Dell would have some responsability on this would be if she had asked them and they'd told her Word is available for Ubuntu or if it was just file compatibility the issue and the Dell reps didn't point her out towards openoffice.
Current-gen game collection uploaded on the profile, full of win and good games; also most of my PC games. Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts 1982-2008 (Requiescat In Pace).
