That one thing it does for me is quite redeeming.

For those of us who are toying with the idea of installing Linux on a laptop, it gives us a reminder that it's still not a carefree process. No, the author didn't figure out a solution to the problem, and instead just backed out of the Linux plan entirely. Frankly, I think that's an entirely fair decision. That's what I would have done, too. I suspect that's what most people would have done.

For those of us who want to advocate Linux on the desktop, or who want to take an active role in making Linux a better desktop environment, it's relevant in that it's valuable feedback about how people are perceiving the product. No, the author didn't end up figuring out the problem. As an end user, he shouldn't have to. It's the maker of the product who should be responsible for making sure it works. Perhaps they need more information, in which case Canonical would do very well to take charge of the situation by having someone contact the author to ask for more details about the situation, so that they can put some work into effecting a diagnosis and solution.