Report Sees Windows Servers Gaining On Unix; Linux Still Off Analysts' Radars

Linux Pipeline is carrying a report detailing the demand for different OS flavors. It appears that in the first quarter there was about $4.2 billion demand for Unix servers. Windows also had the same demand. Later in the article Linux is brought up into the discussion with $1.2 billion in demand. Both Windows and Linux are showing strong double digit demand, where as Unix only grew by 2.8%.

I'm sure Linux is pulling some of the strengthaway from Unix, but the fact that Winodws is making susch a stron showing is something to take note of too. It almost appears that Windows is trying to take advantage of any questions organizations might have in a switch over from Unix to Linux.

heise online has another part of this story expanding on the Linux demand side.

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Techworld has another takes on this story.

This comment summarizes the whole story, "the world's favourite open source OS is destined to remain a niche product serving Web pages for the time being, while Microsoft makes hay with its core product. It has been a long time since this reporter was able to ask Microsoft representatives if they still believe that Microsoft will ever succeed in the enterprise. It looks like it now has."

In the Trenches Podcasts concerning Certification Training

Kevindevin has run a 2 1/2 part podcast looking at certification. The 1/2 part comes from the first part. The last half of the first podcast covers certification. The last 2 podcasts cover Cisco certification. The podcasts help give a good overview of what goes on at some of these training centers.

There are several ways of going through training for IT certifications and everyone needs to find what works best for them.

The second podcast and third podcast are here.

If you haven't heard of In the Trenches this is a site which you should check on a regular basis. Here is where system admins come to share ideas with each other.

Red Hat Summit 2005: New Orleans

redhat.com is having their Big Easy summit next week in New Orleans.

Am I Certifiable?

LINUXWORLD has an article concerning one person's experiences in taking the LPI 101 exam at Linux World Boston. Still not even close to the midwest.

Some of the conclusions he makes are intersting in where he thinks the role of certifications should play. "If I were an employer, I might use it as a first-level filter to see if the person is serious about the technology. It certainly doesn't replace an in-depth interview and perhaps some practical test of one's abilities."

His last comment really is the telling story on where the certification/experience mix plays a role in the hiring process. "Until you see how someone deals with a real-life situation, you're not really going to know how in-depth his skill set is and you're not going to know how well he approaches problems."

Novell Linux announcements point to possible future of Novell education

NetworkWorld has an article concerning some recent anouncement coming out of Novell. It seems that Novell has been working with CompTIA to develop Linux training materials for academic environments to promote open source training. Novell will also donate $1.5 million in SuSE Linux software for the universities too.

I wonder what this does to Novell's deal with LPI??

I know universities are interested in training materials for Linux and open source. I personally know of one university that was using the SAIR material when the SAIR exams were essentially a dead certification. The material was good training material but it prepared people for the wrong exams.
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Linux Log has picked up on this story and has supplied several links on it's site to 6 other sites with the same information. There is also an article on Novell's web site that details Novell's program more indepth. This story is turnign out to be very important. Novell is trying to reestablish itself as a leading IT firm and it is doing it through products & training.

LPI Exams To Be Offered on Education Day at LinuxWorld Italy

LXer has an article regarding LPI's involvement with Linux World over in Milan, Italy. I used to wish that Linux World would come to Chicago, but now I just wish they would come to the midwest.

LPI - April 2005 Newsletter

LPI has been in talks with Novell to include LPI in the certification path for Novell's Linux certification path. From what their brochure looks like the LPI exams will be listed but the brochure doesn't exactly list what role they will take within the Novell sphere of certifications. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

LPIC 1 Exam Cram 2

Slashdot has a book review of the Exam Cram book by Ross Brunson. I think somewhere within this blog I've talked a little about this book. The review will give you an additional overview of the book along with some commentaries of the book.

In the Trenches - 05-07-2005 - Chat with George Starcher

In the Trenches - 05-07-2005 Kevin Devin has a chat with George Starcher covering a number of different items. The actual podcast can be found here.

I thought a very relative part of what they covered is what to expect from some of these 4 & 5 day certification cram camps. The most important part of which is not to expect to take these camps and expect to learn the subject matter but to use these camps as a way to cram for an exam. If you are trying to learn the subject matter there are better ways to learn the subject matter than something that is to prepare someone for particular IT subject matter.

Career Opportunities Columns

Career Opportunities Columns: The High-Tech Career Handbook is a good blog that is focused on High-Tech Careers. This is another blog that'll be added to my list for a daily read. Have fun with this one.

I like his post on May 10th, "certifications. They matter. If you are not certified, then you’re a hack....Find that offensive? Then put it to the test - when your car breaks down, take it to an uncertified, intelligent, talented, and experienced person you know and have them fix it."

Enjoy the site.

LPI test prep and stuff

A popster over on the LPI Forums .com site has made a nice rundown of several sites which are good to help prepare for the LPI exam. It's nice to see the different sites which are out there. Hopefully I can run through these sites and add any new ones or atleast comment on the new sites which are out there.

Special Offer for LPI Alumni: PHP Certification discount

LPI is offering a special discount for LPI candidates who are looking to get PHP certified. This looks like a limited time offer but it is nice to see LPI starting to team up with other organizations which are involved with a LAMP set up. It will be interesting to see if this will be a continuing trend within open source to support more integration.

LPI Announces Improvements to Certification Program

Linux Professional Institute Announces Improvements to Certification Program. LPI has been busy keeping their exams current. Some of the changes have already been put in place while others are nice changes to see.

The exam question rotation has been in place for several months now and I'm sure it has frustrated any one who has been trying to create brain dumps for the exams. This has been an excellent proactive step that LPI has taken to maintain the integrity of their exams. Over the past year I've seen a refocus by certifying organizations to maintain their quality and integrity also I've seen a move from employers looking for someone who is using certifications to stay current in the job market.

The objective review has always been open processes with LPI, a significant part of what goes into LPI’s objectives are what is included in the Linux Standards Base. LPI is also willing to include input from the larger community and stakeholders into what is important for the LPI exams to test for. Firms that are actively involved with the LPI can ensure the parts of Linux which are important for them are included in the exams.

The final change is the merging of the two exams for the first LPI exam. Instead of having a separate exam for RPM and DPKG, LPI will merge the two exams into one. I know when I went for my exam I basically printed out the man page for RPM's and memorized the whole page. This made it easy to pass those questions. With more Linux distributions coming out more people will need to be familiar with a variety of options that are available for package managers.

All in all these changes are good news for the Linux community. I know it's been quite recently in regards to certification news but I'm sure things will get interesting. I know the job market is staying active and there will be a continuing need for people with proven experience with Linux.

Billion-dollar babies in the tech sector

CNET News.com has a good article focusing on where the technology industry is

Some important comments, which should be remembered, are focused on where technology companies are growing towards and where their focus remains. " The industrial logic behind many technology deals is now very similar to heavy industry. These kinds of deals are focused on achieving better economies of scale, better use of research and development and better use of general and administrative costs...They are profit plays more than growth plays. This is new in technology." It's almost as if the late 90's was a time of new technology and the current time is more for how people will use the new technology. The need to update to the newest technology isn't as prevalent as what it was in the late 90's when everyone was afraid of Y2K bugs and were more interested in protecting their past investments in technology.

One of the areas where growth still remains is in providing internet content. "The interesting thing about Internet content is that it's not that hard to start an Internet company and build a brand. Although a lot has been done already, there are very low barriers to entry if you have a good idea...Internet distribution is increasingly being proven to be effective." The article also goes on to mention the differences in magazines available. At one time there were only a hand full of magazines and now there are racks and racks full of magazines. The important thing that each magazine brings to the table is a focus on a specific group of people who want to enjoy what is available from each publisher.

When I worked in the Futures Trading industry a number of brokerage houses realized that by providing updated information was a way to draw people to their web site and then hopefully turn those clicks into customers. What firms eventually did was turn their best research into an area that only members could use and would need to log on to the site to access. Thus turning clicks into dollars. Several online magazines follow the same idea of providing a brief description of the article and making the whole article available only for subscribers.

All of this points to several ideas available for anyone wanting to go into business for himself or herself. Provide new, original content that people will enjoy and that is easy for them to use.

U.S. economy adds tech jobs

CNET News.com is carrying a story which further adds to the belief that the IT industry has turned the corner in regards to hiring trends. Earlier this year there was some concern with the telecommunications field cutting jobs with all of the mergers going on. It looks like during the month of April the telecommunications field added 6,700 jobs.

According to the report and from what other analysts added on the hiring trends should continue for the next several months. Venture capitalists have also been funneling money into a variety of fields which include wireless communications and the internet.

Over all I can attest to the fact that I am still holding onto 2 jobs. From what I've seen alot of people who have been involved in the IT field have become settled into their knowledge base and focus more on learning what they need to learn to do their immediate jobs. This is leaving a gap in where they can grow from their current status. I don't know if this has as much to do with people just happy to be employed or complacency in where they are currently at. I know at both of the companies that I'm currently at the promotion prospects are currently not good but that has as much to do with being in a flat corporate structure than anything else.

It will be interesting to see what happens when opportunities do open up and who they will be offered to or if the companies will go outside to hire new talent. I still think there will be tremendous opportunities for those who keep improving their skill sets and look to apply the different skills to help the companies they work for.