Re: Please start LPI training

[mike808@users.sourceforge.net]

Jonathan wrote:
> So any idea when SILUG members can expect LPI courses to be offered ?

Why? Are you offering to teach one?

Anyone can do self-study and take the tests at any Thompson/Prometric 
centers here in the area. See http://www.lpi.org/en/home.html for the 
details.

And you _can_ find pre-packaged, onsite, etc. training in the St. Louis 
area if you're interested. It's just not easy, and you can make your own 
determination as to their reputation and whether you will get 
commensurate value for your monetary expense. IMHO, I wouldn't spend my 
money on them. YMMV. Caveat Emptor.

Epicenter Open Source. http://www.epicenteros.com/index.php
Apparently a local company. I know nothing about them. They've never 
popped up on any local Linux community events/lists that I know of.
Looks like $580 for what is essentially Mandrake Campus materials and is 
a self-study course. And the prominent link to the long defunct Sair/GNU 
certification may or may not indicate anything.

And a "Made-for-google-can't-you-tell-from-the-URL" courseware company.
I also know nothing about them either. They may just be a 
"rent-a-center" outfit. And their "LPI track" just doesn't seem 
"LPI-specific".

$1895 Unix/Linux Fundamentals
http://www.hott-unix-linux-training.com/CityCourses/St-Louis-MO-Linux-Unix-Fundamentals-Hands-On-Linux-Training-Course-Linux-Class-UNIX-Training.htm

$2295 Linux Administration course
http://www.hott-unix-linux-training.com/CityCourses/St-Louis-MO-Linux-System-Admin-Hands-On-Training-Course-Class-Seminar-NIS-DNS-DHCP-LILO.htm

It's very much a caveat emptor prognosis if you're looking for 
LPI-certification-in-a-box training.

In addition, I'm sure many of us remember a very well known local 
company in the go-go dot-bomb '99-Y2K era that traded on Linux' good 
name recognition and market goodwill to base a business plan on what was 
eventually exposed as a pyramid scheme.

And another certification/training courseware company that was bought 
out and pretty much left to wither away, and abandoned. Unfortunately, 
not before their courseware was freed from the shackles of copyrights.

Given the spectacular failure of these companies in the local area, it's 
pretty much left a bad taste in the local business community for 
anything having anything to do with Linux-related certifications and 
training of any kind. And the people that claim "Linux expertise" in the 
local area. Microsoft itself couldn't have done a better job than the 
a55hats at those two companies. One did it on purpose, the other never 
gave Linux a chance once the corporate takeover was complete.

That may change with Novell's acquisition of SuSE, and Sun's offering 
Linux alongside Solaris. Both companies have a strong history of 
*credible* certification programs as a form of brand development.

Mike/

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