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<title>Creating a Linux Certification Program, Part 7 LG #46</title>
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<h4>"Linux Gazette...<i>making Linux just a little more fun!</i>"</h4>
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<h1><font color="#800000">Creating A Linux Certification Program, Part
7</font></h1>
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<center>
<h4>By <a href="mailto:dyork@linuxcare.com">Dan York</a></h4>
</center>
<hr>
<h2 align=center>A Word of Thanks</h2>
<p>One year ago, in the October 1998 Linux Gazette, there appeared a brief
<a href="../issue33/york.html">article</a> laying out the reasons why I felt
a professional certification program would benefit Linux. It concluded with
several questions and asked how I could join in the discussion:
<blockquote>
<p><i>If you agree that a certification program can be beneficial for the
growth of Linux, how do we as a community go about addressing the points I
made above about creating a certification program? Do we create another
mailing-list or newsgroup? (Does such a group or list already exist? If so, I
have so far failed to find it.) Do we meet at a conference? </i>...
<p>...<i>I don't necessarily have the answers - but I would like to participate
in the discussion. If someone can suggest the appropriate forum in which this
discussion should take place (or is currently taking place!), please let me
know. </i>
</blockquote>
<p>I had absolutely <b>no</b> idea that this article would lead down the
paths that it did! Looking back, I think my reasons still stand, but certainly
my own thinking has evolved on how a program is structured as we all have
discussed and strategized. It's been an interesting journey! And one I
<i>never</i> would have anticipated...
<p>And at this moment, I think it is important to pause and say a word of
thanks to all who have joined in. The effort that became the
<a href="http://www.lpi.org/">Linux Professional Institute</a> could not
have happened without the incredible support we have received from the
Linux community.
<p>Now, less than one year after discussion began (the mailing list started in
November), we stand nearing completion of the first LPI exam... and it could
not have happened without those of you reading this article.
<p>What all has happened? Let's take a short look:
<ul>
<li>We began a series of mailing lists discussing <i>how</i> we could create
a certification program for Linux. Today over 400 people have joined those
lists.
<li>We evolved a <a href="http://www.lpi.org/board.html">leadership team</a>
that has been willing to put in <i>extremely</i> long hours to make this
project happen.
<li>We attracted a wide range of supporters to our <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/ac.html">Advisory Council</a>, including
representatives of the Linux world as well as the worlds of publishing,
training, and general information technology.
<li>We have raised around $300,000 in our first wave of <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/sponsors.html">sponsors</a>, with more sponsors
already in the pipeline.
<li>Led by our primary psychometrician, Scott Murray, we created a <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/jasreport.html">Job Analysis Survey</a> in which over
1400 people participated, many of whom chose to be <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/jasrecognition.html">recognized.</a> This data was
used to ensure the legal and statistical validity of the our program.
<li>Building on that data, we developed the <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/objectives/">objectives</a> for our exams.
<li>We did something different from the rest of the certification industry in
that we opened up the writing of exam questions to <i>everyone</i> through our
<a href="http://www.lpi.org/cgi-bin/tips.py">web interface</a>, rather than
gathering a small group of subject-matter expets to write the exam.
<li>All of those questions will then go through a series of technical reviewers
assembled from within the Linux community followed by a psychometric review
before they are made available in exams.
<li>Along the way, other certification efforts joined in... both <a
href="http://www.calderasystems.com/">Caldera Systems</a> and <a
href="http://www.suse.de">SuSE</a> were going to pursue their own program, but
decided to join in with LPI. Even more significant, the folks at <a
href="http://www.digitalmetrics.com/">DigitalMetrics</a> <i>were</i> offering
their own certification program, but decided to merge it into LPI! And most
recently, <a href="http://www.prosofttraining.com/">prosofttraining.com</a>
has agreed to tie their Linux certification efforts into that of LPI.
</ul>
<p>Beyond all that, we sent an awful lot of e-mail! We've discussed things,
argued, praised, fought, even had a flame-war or two... and in the end worked
professionally to develop a whole series of Consensus Points outlining our
ideas and decisions. We've spoken at conferences, issued news releases,
written articles, held meetings and done a hundred other things. We've spent a
lot of long hours and sometimes stressed our relations with our spouses.
We've worked hard but have also had some fun along the way. Many of us have
become friends through the process. Many of us have had new professional
opportunities presented to us through our involvement. We've learned an
amazing amount... and truly demonstrated the power of a group of people
working together to accomplish a common goal!
<p>And <i>none</i> of this could have happened at the speed and scale that it
did without all the people who chose to join in. The subscribers to our
mailing lists... the participants in BOF sessions at conferences... the
financial sponsors - both corporate (especially Caldera Systems, IBM,
Linuxcare and SuSE, along with Wave Technologies and SGI) and individual - who
have backed up their belief in the LPI program through solid financial
contributions... the Board members... the people who have visited our web
site... those helping with publicity... and all the many others throughout the
globe helping our effort move forward in some small way.
<p>And now today, as we continue to <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/cgi-bin/tips.py">accept and review questions </a>that
will enable us to release our first exam within the next few weeks, all that
we can say is <b>THANK YOU</b> for helping to make this dream a reality!
<p>We do, of course, have a lot more to do! This is just the beginning...
and we will need the help of <i>all</i> of those who have helping in the past
and many, many more to continue to move the program along. Please join with
us! Visit our web site at <a
href="http://www.lpi.org/">http://www.lpi.org/</a> or read my <a
href="../issue43/york.html">July 1999 Linux Gazette article</a> for tips about
how you can help.
<p>It's been a long and amazing journey since that first small article a year
ago! Thank you all for your support!
<hr>
<center>
<h4><a name="Previous"><a name="Previous1">Previous</a> ``Linux
Certification'' Columns</a></h4>
</center>
<a href="../issue33/york.html">Linux Certification Part #1, October 1998</a>
<br>
<a href="../issue34/york.html">Linux Certification Part #2, November 1998</a>
<br>
<a href="../issue35/york.html">Linux Certification Part #3, December 1998</a>
<br>
<a href="../issue37/york.html">Linux Certification Part #4, February 1999</a>
<br>
<a href="../issue40/york.html">Linux Certification Part #5, Mid-April 1999</a>
<br>
<a href="../issue43/york.html">Linux Certification Part #6, July 1999</a>
<br>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1999, Dan York <BR>
Published in Issue 43 of <i>Linux Gazette</i>, July 1999</H5></center>
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