David M Williams
Sunday, 14 December 2008 18:14
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
The Middle School teacher from the Austin Independent School District (AISD), identified only as “Karen”
wrote to The Helios Project with these words:
Karen said that she “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 conference with the student and that is how I came to discover [the Helios Project]”
She continued, “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.”
As if that was not shocking enough, Karen added, “I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful.”
Yet, it does not end there! Karen also said, “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 version of Windows and that way, your computers would actually be of service to those receiving them.”
Such a message is mind-boggling. Where do you begin in responding to it? Every sentence is dripping with sheer misunderstanding and confusion.
The claim that “no software is free” demonstrates a sad and dismal view of the world which Linux seeks to combat. Indeed, Linux could be truly liberating for people like Karen who are trapped in an endless trap of software costs and feature comparisons and upgrade cycles.
The concept that distributing Linux could be illegal – tantamount to piracy – is beyond belief. Indeed, even the exhortation to contact Microsoft and “I am sure ... they would be more than happy” to supply copies of Windows is erroneous.
Karen’s e-mail brings back memories of the
Bizarro world that Superman periodically travelled to where everything was mixed around: here we have a crazy topsy-turvy scenario where Linux costs money and is illegal to distribute and where Microsoft will supply charities with free software!
Ok, sure, Karen was ignorant of how things really work but, although firey enough to wrongly lambast Helios, was she really guilty of anything much?
Well! Let me tell you!
CONTINUED
