Linux probably Illegal, claims Austin TX Teacher.

[Bob Hubbard]

:rofl:


So, the guy running the Helios Project gets an email from an angry Austin TX teacher. Seems she came across a student giving a Linux demonstration, became alarmed, confiscated the software and wrote him about his "probably illegal" activities.

Email fragment:

"...observed one of my students with a group of other children gathered around his laptop. Upon looking at his computer, I saw he was giving a demonstration of some sort. The student was showing the ability of the laptop and handing out Linux disks. After confiscating the disks I called a confrence with the student and that is how I came to discover you and your organization. Mr. Starks, I am sure you strongly believe in what you are doing but I cannot either support your efforts or allow them to happen in my classroom. At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. These children look up to adults for guidance and discipline. I will research this as time allows and I want to assure you, if you are doing anything illegal, I will pursue charges as the law allows. Mr. Starks, I along with many others tried Linux during college and I assure you, the claims you make are grossly over-stated and hinge on falsehoods. I admire your attempts in getting computers in the hands of disadvantaged people but putting linux on these machines is holding our kids back.

This is a world where Windows runs on virtually every computer and putting on a carnival show for an operating system is not helping these children at all. I am sure if you contacted Microsoft, they would be more than happy to supply you with copies of an older verison of Windows and that way, your computers would actually be of service to those receiving them..."

Karen xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx Middle School
AISD

His reply in full is at http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/12/linux-stop-holding-our-kids-back.html

Some bits:

The fact that you seem to believe that Microsoft is the end all and be-all is actually funny in a sad sort of way. Then again, being a good NEA member, you would spout the Union line. Microsoft has pumped tens of millions of dollars into your union. Of course you are going to "recommend" Microsoft Windows". To do otherwise would probably get you reprimanded at the least and fired at the worst. You are only doing what you've been instructed to do.

The most disturbing part of this resides in the fact that the AISD purchases millions of dollars of Microsoft Software in a year's time when that money could be better spent on educating our children. A dedicated School Teacher would recognize that fact and lobby for the change to Free Open Source Software and let the money formally spent on MS bindware be used on our kids.

A teacher who cared about her students would do that.

Now. You give that boy his disks back. Aaron is a brilliant kid and he's learned more using Linux than he ever did using Windows. Those disks and their distribution are perfectly legal and even if he was "disruptive", you cannot keep his property. I have placed a call to the AISD Superintendent and cc'd him a complete copy of your email. It looks like we will get to meet in his office when School starts again after the holiday. I am anxious to meet a person who is this uninformed and still holds a position of authority and learnedness over our children.

Ken Starks
HeliOS Solutions

Bravo Ken. Bravo.

I wonder if she feels the same way towards Apple, who has donated billions of dollars in hardware and software to schools?

 

[crushing]

WOW! My thoughts are pretty much in line with the majority in the comments section.

 

[Archangel M]

Good for him!! Whats going on in SOME schools under the guise of education is the crime here.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I've been using Linux since, oh 2000, maybe earlier on my servers. I'll admit, I use Windows on my laptop due to business needs. But the desktop version that's out there now is lightyears ahead of where it ws 8 years ago. For the average home user, they could run a linux system and not even blink. Email? got it. word processing? got it. web surfing? got it. videos and mp3's? got it. All free, all legal.

Seems she's well out of the loop.

 

[crushing]

My eldest son has gotten into Linux recently, particularly Ubuntu, and is helping with the computer systems at his high school. I sent him the link to the linuxlock blog and warned him to be careful carrying FOSS paraphernalia.

I think it was the first OS he ever installed. He had it up and running in just a few minutes and not much after that he was using it to IM and facebook/myspace with his friends.

 

[Makalakumu]

My guess is that this teacher is just stupid. I doubt she is part of some NEA/Microsoft New World Order conspiracy to destroy people's freedom.

Well, at least, if she is, she doesn't know it...

 

[DavidCC]

When I worked at TD Ameritrade a few years ago, they switched over ALL of their web and applicaiton servers from SUN/Unix to Linux. Some people were freaking out over the idea but it went very smooth and saved a ton of money. This is a 5-9s (99.999%) availability environment processing millions of trasnactions per day. Also, they use 100s of small servers as opposed to a few gigantic units. Each server cost under $2k to build, and used commoditized hardware components.

As a java applications developer I barely noticed. The biggest change was that all my server names suddenly got prefixed with an "L" haha

 

[BrandonLucas]

It bothers me that she thinks that no software is free...there are plenty of software programs that are really free floating around out there...

But, then, I do realize that she's basically being paid by Microsoft to say what she's saying....I would just think that someone would be a little better informed being in the position that she is in.

 

[Frostbite]

This is my favorite line:

Mr. Starks, I along with many others tried Linux during college and I assure you, the claims you make are grossly over-stated and hinge on falsehoods.

She makes it sound like marijuana or a lesbian tryst. It saddens me to think that ignorant people like this are allowed to teach our children.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

This site runs on Linux...as does over 60% of the internet. If this was on a Microsoft box, I'd probably have to charge everyone $5 a month to cover all the software licensing and extra support issues.

 

[exile]

My guess is that this teacher is just stupid. I doubt she is part of some NEA/Microsoft New World Order conspiracy to destroy people's freedom.

Well, at least, if she is, she doesn't know it...

Not a conspiracy; she's just a shill for them—and I hope she gets her *** in a sling with the Superintendent (whose OK would have been necessary for Helios to go in, as far as I know).

Just remember the Equestrian Paradox: there are more horse's asses than there are horses. :shrug:

 

[Archangel M]

My guess is that this teacher is just stupid. I doubt she is part of some NEA/Microsoft New World Order conspiracy to destroy people's freedom.

Well, at least, if she is, she doesn't know it...

Strike me dead, you dont think theres a conspiracy here??

 

[Makalakumu]

Strike me dead, you dont think theres a conspiracy here??

Die. I think she is just ignorant. I doubt she is getting paid by Microsoft to say anything. As a teacher, I can only imagine kind of **** storm something like that would cause. Although, I do know that various corporations are making in-roads into the PS system. That said, unless you are working for the MIC in some way, you can't pass for truth something that is so obviously false. As I said, I bet she just doesn't know.

 

[BrandonLucas]

Die. I think she is just ignorant. I doubt she is getting paid by Microsoft to say anything. As a teacher, I can only imagine kind of **** storm something like that would cause. Although, I do know that various corporations are making in-roads into the PS system. That said, unless you are working for the MIC in some way, you can't pass for truth something that is so obviously false. As I said, I bet she just doesn't know.

Yeah, it is more likely that she doesn't know what she's talking about, but is trying to sound like she is.

What I think happened is that she saw a student passing out cd's of software, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was pirated software, which, of course, is illegal. She probably didn't do her homework on what the software licensing rules actually are, and just assumed that somene passing out cd's of software just could not be a good thing...especially when it's a student doing it.

Maybe she really thought that she was doing the right thing...but she sure did go about it all the wrong ways...not to mention, she didn't put much thought into what was said.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Like, using Spellcheck?

 

[BrandonLucas]

Like, using Spellcheck?

Too-shay, sir.

 

[arnisador]

When I have a Linux box problem, our own IT folks ask me what version of Windows it's running. I tell them it isn't running Windows.

I lose the argument every time (and so nothing gets done by them). No joke.

 

[crushing]

When I have a Linux box problem, our own IT folks ask me what version of Windows it's running. I tell them it isn't running Windows.

I lose the argument every time (and so nothing gets done by them). No joke.

I don't blame IT. Can you imagine the IT department having to support all the OSes and version of OSes available? It makes sense for a business to take advantage and support a common set of tools. If you want the one-offs and such, be prepared to be your own support. They likely don't even want to support the Macs the marketing force into the organization.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Try running a hosting company when you get hit with support requests for 50+ email programs, a dozen different browsers, 100+ different FTP clients, and every flavor of every OS out there. Oy!

Oh wait.....I do that. -_-;;;

 

[Kacey]

As a teacher, I'd have to say she's an idiot. I have a copy of Ubuntu - and, in fact, when I received it, the minimum order for the free software CD was 5 - so I gave the other copies away to whichever of my TKD students wanted them (they came in the mail after school one day). By the time my TKD students took the copies they wanted, there weren't any left to offer at school.