It's funny because she's a technical idiot, but really there's not a whole lot she can do after that.
It was an online school, so it might be hard to go to a computer lab for your entire school. She paid $1100 for her computer and it's too late to return it, so it's not like she can just get a new one. She trusted the folks at Dell that it was a better choice. How is she supposed to know they are idiots?
A couple friends of mine, one a lawyer and the other with a masters from Cal-Berkeley, are pretty technically savvy. They recently had a friend of theirs help with a computer, and he suggested Linux for them, then installed it and set it up. They're not idiots, but it really wasn't right for them. There were issues converting files between Open Office and her Word at her work, they had trouble getting their peripherals working, and there were a few other minor issues. My point is that Linux isn't for everyone, and it doesn't make sense to encourage someone to switch unless you prepare them for the likely issues they'll face.