Deliberate propaganda. How many colleges and universities in your state have a "partnership" with Microsoft? That's rule #1 in the dictator's handbook. Control the knowledge. Most people coming out of uni waving their shiny new PhD in Computer Science have Microsoft tattooed across their foreheads.
The sad part is that once you attain a certain comfort level with Linux, using the terminal can be downright exciting at times. Even then, I'm still copying and pasting, even making my own cheatsheets. Example:
HIGH DEFINITION AUDIO HACKS - LINUX UBUNTU DISTRIBUTIONS -REALTEK ALC887-VD DRIVERS
A. Provide sound to external speakers:
1. Download “Alsa-Tools-GUI”. Select the feature called “HDA Jack Retask” and select “Realtek ALC887-VD”. Then check the override box marked “Green Line Out, Rear Side” - ”Internal Speaker (Back)”.
2. Check the box under “Options” marked “Parser Hints”. Then select from “Hints” and change the first line called “Jack_Detect” value to “NO”.
3. Then click the box marked “Install Boot Override” and click the “ok” prompt. Then reboot the system.
* Alsa-Tools-GUI can also be downloaded from the terminal with the following commands:
a. sudo apt-get update -y
b. sudo apt-get install -y alsa-tools-gui
Then reboot the system.
B. Fix random popping sounds:
Root Authority: Right-click file manager to choose “open as root”, then access the files accordingly:
1. Using root authority, access: sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save
Change the value from 1 to 0.
2. Using root authority, access: sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save_controller
Change the value from Y to N.
3. Using root authority, access: etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
Add the following as the last line: options snd-hda-intel power_save=0 power_save_controller=N
4. Then access the Terminal, and input the following: sudo apt update and reboot the system.
5. Download the following application from the repository: Pulse Audio Volume Control. Access “Configuration” and change the Built-In Audio Profile from “Analog Stereo Duplex” to “Analog Stereo Output”.
* These changes should not only restore speaker sound, but fix the output so the audio output no longer has any discernable audio glitches.
LOL...I'd be totally screwed without my own cheatsheets.