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Awesome guy. Knows everything!!

Very enthusiastic teacher, definately take any class he teaches

I've never had a more approachable (or enthusiastic) teacher.

Excellent class! for the people who thought it was hard, good luck in level 4

Seems to enjoy setting students up for plaigerism... gives assignments that will look the same for all students, then claims people copied. Very poor, but knows his stuff.

I had him as a teacher, the first 3 tests I aced, later on I went down big time. Unix is not easy, but there are more then enough resources online to help you pass. Don't blame the teacher if you are not willing to spend hours learning how the shell works

Great teacher. A little obscure in the help since he wants you to learn well (unlike high school where you can copy your friend's VB code and get away with it). He doesn't set up people for plagiarism: I checked some students' scripts: copies. Really.

I had the pleasure of taking compilers with Ian in 1997. It's one of the VERY FEW courses that is relevant to my work today. A tough teacher and a tough course. You can learn a lot from Ian Allen. Sincerely Shane Langdon [email protected]

A few things to watch out for. Don't work with a friend because your assignment will be graded as plagiarism. He uses scripts and programs to grade so similarities are easy to find. He probably lives and breathes UNIX/Linux.

He is the best teacher!!!

Ian knows what unix/linux scripting is. His study guide and course notes helped me through the shell scripting course and I got good marks on this class. He can be anal, but if you keep plugging away at it, you will love his course.

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he is a good person and Pro.

Good teacher, he is slow on marking assignments though. By the time you get the first one back you have made the same mistake on the next 5 assignments. CS

Knows everything about the subject. Helps you alot by telling you where to find the answer rather than just telling you it. Gives very good reviews for tests.

His old compilers notes helped me a lot prepare for final exam as well as understanding compilers in general.

Excellent in teaching, but too hard while marking assignment. If you love the subject he is teaching, than he is the best prof. you can find .

Very knowledgeable prof, I found him to be alright. That being said, he's absolutely horrible with midterms (too long, terrible multiple choice questions). Even when correcting your assignment with one of his scripts (this makes correcting faster), he amazingly manages to return it to you a month later.

This guy is a Linux Guru, he really does know his****. He's the type of prof to keep you awake, because his constant yelling will never let you sleep in class. No matter what anyone says, he's the one that inspired me to start using Linux. Great prof~!

Ian rocks

The guy who said "boring, uninspired ect...." is on some bad drugs. I have know Ian for only two weeks and he's a ball in the class room. In a good mood and LOVES helping people to figue things out. Bright and funny and knows his stuff. I wish all my profs were like him. It really is fun being in the class room with him.

The best teacher I've had in a while. He surely knows how to keep people awake, keeps things interesting, and is always in a good mood. I wish I had more classes with him.

This guy is very moral. Very friendly, and gives you the benefit of the doubt from the beginning, but don't mess it up...then you're up sh**s creek

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Great teacher, hard marker. Very interested in the subject material (network programming); total unix geek. Helpful, interesting. Extends tough deadlines. Gives marks based on following a strict commenting, testing, and README scheme with emphasis on doc thoroughness and correlation. Usually does not run your program.

Enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He hates plagiarists and slackers, but if you prove to him you care about the material, he will go beyond the call and give you all kinds of information and support. He's also funny. A girl asked a question about which which Ian had just lectured on, and Ian slapped the floor with his hands and screamed. Ha!

Never trust a hippie

One of the most entertaining professors in terms of sheer zaniness, he is an incredibly brutal grader and wants very specific - or perhaps super clear - responses to his questions. I did have an issue with an assignment's grade and had it modified after speaking with him regarding it. If you can present a logical argument, he's pretty leniant.

Funny & entertaining. Has a very positive outlook and a great way of explaining things to the class. Will spend time with you after class if your having difficulty.

Excellent teacher! If you are having difficulty, just talk to him, and he will go above and beyond to help you out! He helped me understand things that other teachers never even bothered to try and help understand. But if you want his help, you have to show him that you want to do the best you can!

Brilliant. Only reason I screwed up in his class first semester was my lack of work ethic. He's hilarious/easy to get along with. I realize that the other comments on this page are quite out-of-date, but if anyone from today's lecture is reading this, remember his rap today? 'Nuff said.

Very enjoyable. Tries to keep even the most driest topics entertaining. Very good use of multiple teaching styles.

Ian has a fun presence and will push you to learn. I find him very helpful.

Excellent teacher. He wants you to learn and not copy and paste.If you need help. Go and ask him. He is almost begging students to ask questions but yet many don't.

Excellent prof I have seen in my life.

His enthusiasm for teaching what I worried could be a dry or boring course makes it so much more interesting.

READ ALL THE WORDS!! This is what you will learn. He teaches you how to look for the answers in his notes and they are all there. He is fun as a prof goes but you have to work hard. He knows his stuff so be prepared to be challenged. This isn't for the faint of heart. He is not there to fail you but to make you really good at Linux!

Ian is a very smart person and treats his students as such as well. His classes are not easy, but as long as you keep up with the work, attempt to do everything yourself first and in general work hard, he will help you and show you the best way to do everything. Makes learning Linux very fun and exciting as well, never a dull moment in his class!

Ian has an eccentric manner and a straightforward and highly technical teaching style that does not suit everyone. Lots of good information, no bad/useless information. I had no difficulty understanding, and I learned a lot. I would be happy to have him as a professor again.

Ian! is very approachable and helpful if you are willing to learn, but you need to show you are making effort first. If you are having trouble he will gladly sit down for hours and teach. He updates errors immediately in his labs and spends the time to make the course material current. 2 semesters with him, sad he doesn't teach semester 3.

READ ALL THE WORDS!! This guy teaches you how to find the answers not neccesarilly all the answers them selves! Resourcfulnes and self-direction are key to passing these classes. If you show interest in the material he will show an interest in you. He has alot of online resources and learning material that is very helpful.

Excellent teacher, makes you work for the answers. Really believes in RTFM.

Ian is possibly the best professor I have come across. The thorough learning I got from the course was excellent. If you are willing to work hard , study & revise the you will get 110% from the material , lectures and lab. If you are having difficulty in understanding his lectures and notes then bread making is right for you.

READ ALL THE WORDS!! the notes are a bit confusing but during lectures or labs IF you have any question he is there for you. keep notes and try to learn not memorise

Awesome Teacher if you care about what your learning about.

A little weird but great teacher

Extremely knowledgeable - the course website he has built is used by many other professors. The material must be practiced to be understood, so the labs are designed to force you to understand the material to solve the problems. A LOT of work involved, but if you want to be a Linux sysadmin or in network security, you can't get a better start.

Very Particular

his way of teaching is very good and he is also very helpful for midterm exams.

He is the Linux.

His method of teaching is excellent - he explains difficult concepts in a variety of ways. Isn't afraid to review if things don't stick. Well structured assignments that provide a lot of practice. Test/quiz questions are unpredictable (Read All The Words), which helps to cement your knowledge. The CST program will take a huge hit when he retires.

Ian is the most enthusiastic prof i've ever had. He obviously eats, breaths, and sleeps Linux. He taught my first linux class, and while many of his assignments and tests felt somewhat pedantic and contrived, that's what Linux is. I was lucky enough to have him as the lab TA for my 2nd linux class. Our prof was terrible and Ian saved our butts!