Wow

Don't mess with Texas.

Probably a Texas conservative fighting back against socialism.

Apparently this teacher has never heard of Google because if she had taken 30 seconds to look it up she would know she's dead-ass wrong

lol what?

"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."

Gee imagine that. The teacher will pursue charges rather than actually try to teach the students why this is wrong ... I think that statement is what sickens me, and I think this teacher should be fired for having the wrong attitude.

Well, after jumping to the second link it seems like the teacher was educated herself by the blogger. Won't mean that these things will keep happening, but at least in this case it's been quelled.

Wow... I would LOVE to see the reaction when the teacher finds out she is wrong.

This makes me want to act out. Meet me by the bike racks at 3:15.

Google is for the curious, teachers prefer being right at will.@friendlynerd:

Give unto Ozzie that which is Ozzie's, give unto Linus that which is Linus'.

And now she gets the public chiding she deserves - courtesy: Consumerist.com! :D

Google is a trap! How could there be a company that tells you how to find things for free!

@friendlynerd:

I've no supporting evidence either way, but I would not be suprised if this whole thing was a publicity Stunt for HeliOS (see: paypal links for donating to HeliOS on the linked blog)

The best line: "Mr. Starks, I along with many others tried Linux during college..."

and this is why our nation is falling behind. Teachers like this.

@DeanOfAllTrades: Sounds like an entitlement program if I ever heard of one, gull dern it!

Nobody has ever accused teachers of being smart.

I hope she spends years digging through every resource she can, trying in vain to bring these marauders to justice. Seems like a pretty good use of her valuable time.

Theory: This teacher, or someone she has close ties to, works for Microsoft.

@mcreigh: I have soccer practice, and then I have to see the dermatologist. Can we meet tomorrow during recess?

@xwildebeestx: In the interest of full disclosure, I work in the IT department of a K-8 school district. I'm pretty familiar with the subject matter.

@TakingItSeriously:
I didn't see where that was the only course of action she was going to take.

@DeanOfAllTrades: Since she is a teacher she is probably a liberal and anything free can't be taxed so she is therefore against it.

I work in a school system and I know SEVERAL completely ignorant teachers, who believe they are always right, and anyone trying to convince them differently is an idiot.

I wish they would fire teachers like this, it only makes our kids grow up to be more stupid than they already are.

Boy, if I was that kids MOTHER... no one calls my kid a liar and steals whats rightfully theirs. Woman must of fallen from the highest branch of the stupid tree and got hit with stupid all the way down. I hate when people do things without THINKING first. "Gee, on the off chance this child was telling the truth..."

I will still be fuming about this at 2:00pm this afternoon when I have parent-teacher conferences about my own kids.

Misinformed? Sure. Its easy for us who read and posts to blogs to know about Linux and its story.

But not everyone knows this. This is made evident by the fact that Ben felt it necessary to inform us, the reader, "Linux is a free and open-source operating system, it's meant to be passed around without cost"

Going of half-cocked? Sure. She could have done some research before sending off the email.

But how many of us have posted a quick comment to a post before even RTFA? It happens so often, we created an acronym for it.

This is humorous post about a teacher who got caught up in the anti-piracy movement, and leaped before she looked. It's nothing to get our panties in a bunch over.

@xwildebeestx: "Nobody has ever accused teachers of being smart."

I'm sorry you made it through however much schooling you had without a teacher you admired, and I'm not being sarcastic.

But that line is so lame, you can use a few bad examples to slime any profession you want.

1) Find an idiot (easy enough to do)

2) Find what he/she does for a living

3) Insult entire profession

Like so:

1) George W. Bush

2) President

3) Presidents is stoopid! Hyuh hyuh!

@TakingItSeriously: "Gee imagine that. The teacher will pursue charges rather than actually try to teach the students why this is wrong "

What's that supposed to mean? This is one teacher out of hundreds of thousands. Sounds like you are lumping all of them in the same intelligence group as her. A little unfair, don't you think?

"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."

This reminds me of a lady who called in to complain about Opie and Anthony the other day because they were talking about "Call in Gay Day" or "A Day w/o Gays". She took the time to call and complain as well as fire off letters, and chastised O&A for doing something which "offends everyone". They called her back, and even after it only taking ten seconds to look it up on Google and realize it was a campaign by Gay Rights Activists, she refused to apologize.

@Murph1908: I don't see many people responding to the SECOND link, in which the blogger was called by the teacher and they talked it over.

They have teachers in Texas?

That's so cute!

@tc4b: I would have to say that this teacher is hardly the exception to the rule.

Try to teach a teacher something, then get back to me.

@dragonfire81: For what it's worth, her letter is signed with "AISD," the Austin Independent School District. Microsoft had a big push a few months ago for a call center that they operated there. It's possible someone she knows works there.

This has already played out: [linuxlock.blogspot.com]

He's talked with her, and is installing linux for her on Saturday :)

@Jakuub: yea..... except every linux distro has donate links all over every site they operate.... you know, because they're giving the product away for free.

The fact that this was in Texas shouldn't surprise anyone.

@mcreigh: "...but we didn't inhale!"

The guys and gals working on Linux may be nice enough to donate their time, but that time has value.

AISD? Hmmm....That doesn't narrow it down. My thoughts is that she is tweaked and possibly been charged with teaching certain requirements. Coupled with a teacher who got fired because of a porn pop-up that had no abiltiy to be controlled.....yeah.

She overreacted to something that needed a reaction. I'm guilty of that for sure and, if I was ignorant of what I was reacting to, overreact ignorantly.

Anyways, be sure to read the second link. It really helps bring issue to being settled.

1. raise salaries for teachers so you can attract smarter ones.
2. fire anyone that fails a monthly common-sense quiz with questions on it like " Does software exist that is free to distribute? "
3. Wait 20 years for the brightest minds ever to emerge from school.
4. Hire them.
5. Profit!

LINUX guy, you are charged with giving free computers with a crappy FREE operating system that hates the very children that use it.

HOW DO YOU PLEAD?

This depresses me because it would be the FIRST teacher I've ever heard of actually caring about copyright/etc.

I became ostracized at one point when I refused to pirate MS Office on all the computers in the building- a direct order from the principal. Ironically, Open Office is free so it really applies here.

/worked in public schools for 6 years, higher ed for 3

@The_IT_Crone: Oh I can't believe I almost forgot to mention all the teachers/media specialists/principals/parents that wouldn't listen that they couldn't scan and post to the web everything they could get their grubby hands on.

More than a few times we'd get cease and desists from the COPYRIGHT OWNERS who didn't like it.

She ends the letter saying

"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..."

Yes, because Microsoft is all about giving away Windows.

Best quote seen on consumerist...

"This concept makes people's heads explode, and then they go on to teach our kids."

@xwildebeestx: I am a teacher, I work with teachers, and every one of us, in my district anyhow, pursues at least some professional development every year. We are constantly learning. Last year, I attended seminars on math pedagogy, autism, and one on recent brain research that blew me away.

PEOPLE are ignorant, and some people are teachers. No matter what your profession, there are ignorant people practicing it.

As part of my position here, I have, in fact, taught things to many teachers.

@undefined: @xwildebeestx: Agreed a hundredfold. It looks like we had the same job at one point.

I just read both posts in their entirety, and I'm glad I did. It's not as simple as it seems. After I did, I really can't sustain my righteous indignation at the teacher's behavior. Seems like the blogger and the teacher both learn at least a little.

@crashedpc: I read them all, but it's still appalling the conclusions she came to without a simple phone call, and the letter she was all too eager to type without verifying facts. I'm glad they understand eachother now but the fact remains, none of this would of happened if she picked up a PHONE to call this man in the first place.