Anonymous
Fri, 25 Jun 1999 04:35:33 -0700
Chuck Mead <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on 25/06/99 00:28:55 To: Alina Swietochowska/QA Training Ltd cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: A task for Corprel! On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Alina Swietochowska spewed into the bitstream: >>I'm new to this list... and would like to help... >>I'm new to this list. I'm a Unix lecturer for QA Training, UK, besotted with Linux and would like to help. I have NO idea what your plans are. <snip> >>Shoot! >I don't think there's a limit... in fact I want to hear what you, and other >potential vendors have to say about this... now I know thet *you* specifically >haven't asked for this program but... Well, we were slow of our marks, and - unfortunately - I only heard of LPI just a couple of months ago. There are very few links on the web leading you to the LPI site :-( >I'd still like to hear your views... on list... not off... okay!?! OK. My problem has always been a dilemma between what I think and what the large corporates expect these days of a training company. I always believed unix guys do not need certification - they must be good or they wouldn't last five minutes in the business. That applies thousand-fold to Linux. But corporates DO expect certification. Most of our customers come on our courses or programmes to collect various bits of paperwork at the end of it. The only exception has always been with Unix courses, and that is because we always stayed as vendor independent as it is possible. It took me years to convince people around me that UK market has matured enough to swallow Unix being taught on Linux. We now use Linux for all our unix courses, except for the admin. But I believe UK corporates are by far the slowest in accepting Linux into the mainstream of their operations. They are light years behind the States and even the rest of Europe in that, but where they do, they ask for certification the way they never asked for it with straight Unix courses. Is this an indicative of corporates covering their backs? Maybe. Either way, the first question I usually get is: "Do you do Linux certification", closely followed by "Which one", ie which distribution. I had three such conversations in the last two weeks, with three different BIG customers (think the size of AT&T and you will not be far off :-). The point is they all DID NOT want a distributor specific courseware and certification, as most of the Linux used is put on and chosen by the employees - vastly differing. Corporates do not yet have strategic Linux implementation plans. As soon as they agree to use it (that is still an obstacle in itself - Linux being forbidden), the guys on the floor go and install whatever they prefer. In fact I would say that the question within corporates is not if they allow *Linux* but any *OSS*. Once they do, Linux mushrooms like nobodys business. I personally believe very strongly that POMS General Linux I and General Linux II is what is going to be needed mostly, and I can't see much demand for any of the other papers in any large volumes if at all. Too much fragmentation, for the moment anyway. I reckon the problem is in WHO exactly is certification aimed for. Most of the Linux users (at least in the UK) are still either individuals or small/medium companies. These will not want/afford to pay for the exams at all. Large corporates can afford, but they are unlikely to use uniform distribution and follow a single programme. I may be wrong, but I can't envisage a repeat of what used to happen with Unix in the old days, where BIG BOSS would decide to go for HP, Sun, IBM or any other, and all the support, training , etc was sourced with the same provider. If it does happen, ie a company adopts one distribution across the board, they are likely to take all the services from the provider (including training) and will not worry too much whether it has LPI's seal of approval. Regards, alina ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chuck Mead / Director of Corporate Relations / Treasurer [EMAIL PROTECTED] / Linux Professional Institute / http://www.lpi.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________________________________________________________ This message was sent by the linux-cert-corprel mailing list. To unsubscribe: echo unsubscribe | mail -s '' [EMAIL PROTECTED]