Linux Essentials exam available on OnVUE in Spanish

Candidates can now take their Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Linux Essentials exam in Spanish online. LPI has been offering its Linux Essentials and LPIC-1 exams in English through the Pearson VUE OnVUE testing system since 31 May 2020. Further languages are being added since then. LPIC-1 exams are available online in Spanish since February 2021.

“Since I joined LPI in 2020 we have been receiving requests from our partners and the Latin American community to have it available in Spanish, this will allow many candidates to take the exam without the fear of doing it in a language different from the one they know. Today we complete the combo of Linux Essentials Learning Materials and Exam in Spanish for the whole community,” said Juan Ibarra, Partner Success Manager at Linux Professional Institute.

A note for the candidates

The OnVUE online proctoring platform is available in the English language only, and is monitored by proctors who can be expected to understand English. Candidates are expected to have a quiet, private location, a reliable computer with a camera, and a stable Internet connection. Currently, only the Windows and MacOS operating systems are supported. As a Linux certification body, we understand that many of our applicants prefer the system they have been studying and working with. We will continue to encourage Pearson VUE to make OnVUE testing available on Linux systems too.

Source: lpi.org

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SFD 2021: An 11-hour community gathering

To be honest, we didn’t know what to expect.

In retrospect, the year 2020 may have been a very odd year for Linux Professional Institute (LPI) to get initially involved with international Software Freedom Day (SFD). After all, this has typically been a day when Linux user groups, open source advocates, schools and others celebrate the day with local events. Some do open houses, some stage “Installfests” (bring your computer and people will help you load Linux on it or help with support), others do training or just informal ask-me-anything (AMA) gatherings.

Indeed, it has always struck me that the open source world has taken the 70s phrase, “Think Global, Act Local” very seriously to heart. LPI couldn’t be what it is without staff, friends, partners and exam takers in almost every country and territory. I still recall LPI being part of the World Summit on the Information Society conference in 2003, promoting open source with a diverse contingent from a dozen countries. We gave out thousands of Linux CDs and even ran an exam lab. But we also had the Geneva Linux Users Group there to provide guidance to local diplomats (and keep the bar fridge well stocked).

We were hoping for a similar global/local vibe for SFD 2021, but the virus had other ideas. I, and most of you, haven’t been to another country or even a local event since early 2020.

When we first contacted the Digital Freedom Foundation, creators of SFD, in late 2020 we were hopeful that there might be a return of in-person events in 2021, but it was not to be. To be sure, we committed that LPI was going to be a major participant one way or the other. However, the year has been filled with lockdowns, ever-changing advice on masks, vaccinations and mobility. As it turns out the world wasn’t ready – YET! – for a return to safe, face-to-face gatherings on September 18, the date of this year’s event.

Given what had confronted us, LPI stepped up to the challenge. Helmed by our über-composed events manager Kaitlin Edwards, we assembled a team to determine what could be done. Talking to LPI partners, user groups and others in our community, it became clear that in-person events were off-limits this year. So we did the next-best thing: we spoke to some of the expertise and advocates in our Linux and open source communities, and we staged a global, virtual, SFD open-house.

The result, thanks to the team’s tireless efforts, was an 11-hour marathon of talks, demonstrations, panel discussions and even some AMA time, co-hosted by Kaitlin and me. We had good attendance throughout, and because of the sheer duration of the program had something to offer in every timezone. Best of all, we were about to keep the program diverse, with participants in 14 different countries and multiple languages. And six of the presenters were women.

While it was quite the task in keeping all this working smoothly, I also had the opportunity to take in the sessions myself. We were able to bring in something at all levels, from beginner to expert, covering not only technical but also legal and social issues surrounding open source. And it wasn’t even all about Linux, thanks to Deb Goodkin’s presentation on BSD.

Of course there was something missing, given the inability to shake hands or make eye contact with the audience. The world is slowly opening up again, and LPI is already planning to attend some of the in-person open source conferences scheduled for later this year. Our commitment to SFD is serious and multi-year, and we now have a year of lessons to learn from. I’m looking forward to building on this beginning, to really live the global/local character of open source, and to seeing you join us September 17, Software Freedom Day 2022!

If you missed Linux Professional Institute's Software Freedom Day 2021 activities, you will soon find the recordings on our YouTube channel.

Source: lpi.org

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Steps Toward a Great Career in Free and Open Source Software, Part 1

A career in free and open source software can be not only satisfying, but financially rewarding. You feel the excitement of being part of intense, goal-directed communities and of furthering projects that benefit people around the world.

Because free software is independent of any particular company, you can find a new employer when it’s necessary to change jobs—and move geographically too, because the same popular free software tools can be found everywhere. (Yes, some free software projects are maintained by single firms, but "expats" from those firms can be widely found, and there are opportunities elsewhere for people who know the software.)

According to the 2020 Open Source Jobs Report from the Linux Foundation, hiring managers are 70% more likely to hire computer professionals if they know open source cloud technologies. Meanwhile, the market is begging for more people with open source skills: 93% of hiring managers report difficulty finding them.

In the early days, free software contributors would have to work in a cubicle eight hours a day for some easily forgettable company that paid the bills, then help out at some cool free software project at night. Non-programmers had almost no role to play in free software. Maybe they could use a free software tool here and there, but most of the tools were for programmers and system administrators. Only in the mid-2000 decade did jobs for non-programmers—marketing, community management, etc.—became recognized and rewarded roles.

Today, there are lots of jobs in free software—diverse types of jobs. This article lists the following steps people take to build careers in free and open source software:

◉ Educate yourself.

◉ Get a GNU/Linux system.

◉ Be an advocate for free software.

◉ Learn a programming language.

◉ Contribute to a community.

◉ Build up contributions on GitHub or GitLab.

◉ Get certifications.

This article will cover the first four steps, and a second article in the series will cover the rest.

Educate Yourself

Here's a reality check: free software requires study. Why? First, its developers usually don't invest the effort that proprietary companies do to make simple user interfaces and user experiences. (Let me hasten to say that some user-focused projects such as KDE and GNOME have made impressive achievements.) Some conventions could baffle you at first.

As for documentation—let me assure you that documentation for both proprietary and free software is equally bad. Believe me, I've spent a long career trying to improve them. Besides the official documentation—which is normally perfunctory—There are lots of blogs postings and white papers online, and some are quite good. But most are studded with confusing passages and distractions, and nearly all the writing about free software gets outdated fast.

So don’t stint—invest in books on the topics you're interested in. Do the exercises diligently. Try out new things.

One of your goals should be to move from consumer to producer of information. Get onto forums for the tools that interest you, and learn their culture and conventions so you can smoothly join conversations. The joys and benefits of community membership will be discussed in a later section.

Get a GNU/Linux System

If you want to talk to free software developers and advocates, being comfortable with their terms and interests, you must know the GNU/Linux operating system. There's plenty of free software that runs on other systems, but the community generally revolves around GNU/Linux. (I'll use Linux as shorthand for the system in the rest of this article.)

If you're a lifelong Windows or Mac user, don't fret: after all, this is free software. It's ubiquitous and open to all. You can get familiar with the tools, concepts, and community of Linux gradually.

What if you don't own a computer at all? Linux will be your entry point to computing. Many philanthropic organizations exist to provide people with computer systems running Linux and other free software. Some organizations take old computers whose users are ready to upgrade. Dedicated hackers load free software on the discarded computers and offer them to people who need them. One example is the Huayra project in Argentina, which loads Linux into notebooks distributed to students.

If you have a personal computer running Windows, install Windows Subsystem for Linux. Microsoft joined the Linux community many years ago. They knew very well that many Windows users want to run programs available on Linux, and (like you) want to learn Linux. So Microsoft released this virtual environment where you can play with Linux.

If you run macOS on an Apple computer, transitioning to Linux may be even easier. Apple's macOS operating system runs on a kernel called Darwin, based on the same Unix roots as Linux. The most important tools that run on Linux have been ported to macOS, although the versions that run on macOS may not be as up-to-date or as carefully tested as the Linux versions. It's valuable, for instance, to familiarize yourself with some free text editor—Vim is probably the most popular—and you can do so on both macOS and Windows Subsystem for Linux. 

As soon as you can, however, start running Linux itself. Many of the activities Linux users and developers discuss, notably in regard to administering systems, require special tools and processes on different operating systems. You can't understand Linux without plunging your hands deep into it.

Besides, by running Linux every day you throw in your lot with the free software community. Let's not paint too rosy a picture: as a Linux user, you get used to activities such as searching for a free software tool that can connect with some proprietary service all your friends and colleagues are using. Well, such struggles will make you an even more ardent proponent of freedom for all.

Be an Advocate for Free Software

Many predicted in the 1980s that free software would crowd out proprietary software—and in some areas of programming it has. But proprietary software is still the top choice in some sectors, and one reason is that many people are still gripped with an ill-informed fear of free software. I recently talked to a very intelligent and idealistic programmer with some 40 years experience who spouted the same misinformation that we've been fighting during those same 40 years (for instance, that you can't get support for free software).

When you use free software, talk about your experiences with friends and colleagues. File a change request when important services aren't accessible from Linux systems or when institutions require documents in Word formats.

Be honest with your contacts. You want to advocate for the free software you respect, but you want them to be aware of potential stumbling blocks, such as the ones I just cited. People have to realize that freedom doesn't come easily.

Learn a Programming Language

Being a professional programmer is a very special discipline, and many people (including me, I have to admit) lack the right type of thinking to design large-scale programs. But a little programming language learning is not a dangerous thing, so long as you understand your limitations. Programming skill is a goal to aspire to.

The best way to learn programming is through a mixture of classes, published books, and hands-on practice as part of a free software community. If you don’t have access to classes and books—because of financial constraints, geographic location, lack of time, or some other reason—seek creative ways to get them. For instance, many communities have set up projects such as Girls Who Code, to train people who otherwise might not get access. Publishers donate computer books to libraries and non-profits who distribute them to interested readers; some of these books are outdated but still might suffice for a beginner.

If you know something about programming, you can better understand the pressures on free software, and the demands it makes on developers, testers, and users. This knowledge is useful not only for doing your own programming, but to contribute to advocacy and outreach, documentation, and project management.

Just pick up a little Python or JavaScript (or some other language that may be all the rage at a given moment). You'll learn the basic disciplines of programming, such as looking for things that could go wrong and planning for future enhancements. You can understand what's holding up some software releases or why security problems exist.

And don't assume that you have to settle for superficial knowledge. We'll see in a later section what you can accomplish if you become a good programmer.

The four steps covered in this article put you in a position to work with others and contribute to the world of free software. The second article in this series will take you through three more steps toward a career in free and open source software.

Read More: The Many Meanings of Linux, Part 2 of 2

Source: lpi.org

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The People Behind the Learning Portal: Marco Colombo, Learning Materials Author and Translator

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Learning Portal brings you cost-free teaching materials for teachers and students developed by Linux Professional Institute. Materials are written and translated into many different languages by members of an international community.

With this post, we get acquainted with Marco Colombo, an LPI certified professional who started his journey of developing LPI-related learning books years ago and is now part of the Learning Portal Team.

Marco, what is your academic and professional background?

I have a degree in Telecommunications Engineering, and I am currently working as a network administrator in an organization operating in higher education. I have always been a lover of technology and Linux, and I love to stay up to date, especially in the open source field. I do believe that in life you never stop learning and that you must always give the best of yourself, loving what you do.

When and how did you decide to use your skill in developing learning materials?

Immediately after earning the LPIC-1 certification.

The idea of collaborating with LPI in writing completely free educational material was undoubtedly a great way to put into practice what I learned during my certification journey, while allowing me to further hone my Linux skills. It's "Learn by Doing", quite literally!

While on my LPIC-1 certification journey, I started creating a series of exercises that could help me learn Linux. I decided to redesign the exercises into a series of questions and answers, perfectly matching the actual LPI exams. All that work became two, let’s call them "simulation books" for the 101-500 and 102-500 LPI exams. The books had quite a great success.

My vision behind them was to create educational material that could help anyone become an LPIC-1 certified professional. Each book consists of 250 questions and answers divided into 4 practice exams—simulating the actual exam—and 1 assessment test.

All the questions are explained step by step, so the reader can fully understand the general background to which each question refers. Now the books LPIC-1 101-500 Practice Exams and LPIC-1 102-500 Practice Exams are part of the official LPI Learning Materials too: Thank you, LPI!

What is your contribution, so far, to the Learning Portal, and what's next for you in this project?

Working on the Learning Portal, I have designed lessons for the Linux Essentials, LPIC-1, BSD Specialist, and Web Development certifications.

In the future, I would also like to contribute to the translation of the Learning Materials into Italian. The LPI Learning Portal is indeed a fascinating and engaging project.

Being a certified professional and a learning material writer makes you aware of the two sides of the coin: From this particular point of view, what is your advice to people studying for their LPI Exams?

My advice is: “practice, practice, practice!”

Of course you need to know, but you must make skills out of that knowledge: hence, you need to practice a lot. Because once you earn your Certification, you will have to face the actual work environment, and you need to be ready for it. Just stuffing in concepts is entirely useless, so: practice, practice, practice!

And how do you advise teachers and, more broadly, people involved in the use and even the production of Linux and open source learning material?

As I said, the LPI Learning Portal is an exciting project: I take this opportunity to invite teachers and Linux and lovers of open source to come forward and collaborate in the drafting of educational material that can help others. If each of us makes our knowledge available, the community will benefit a lot, in addition to empowering the community's individuals.

The LPI Learning Portal is a community, as you say: what is your experience so far, what tools and features do you use in the process? What can you tell us about the workflow? And what "opensourceness" can you recognize in a project about education?

The experience within the community is just brilliant. Each person who decides to collaborate is entrusted with a specific activity based on abilities and availability. The drafting, verification, and translation activities are expertly coordinated by professionals who are always ready to provide their invaluable help if needed.

Read the previous post: The People Behind the Learning Portal: Dr. Markus Wirtz - Manager Learning Materials

Source: lpi.org

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What is GNU/Linux?

Linux is an operating system: a series of programs that let you interact with your computer and run other programs.

An operating system consists of various fundamental programs which are needed by your computer so that it can communicate and receive instructions from users; read and write data to hard disks, tapes, and printers; control the use of memory; and run other software. The most important part of an operating system is the kernel. In a GNU/Linux system, Linux is the kernel component. The rest of the system consists of other programs, many of which were written by or for the GNU Project. Because the Linux kernel alone does not form a working operating system, we prefer to use the term “GNU/Linux” to refer to systems that many people casually refer to as “Linux”.

Linux is modelled on the Unix operating system. From the start, Linux was designed to be a multi-tasking, multi-user system. These facts are enough to make Linux different from other well-known operating systems. However, Linux is even more different than you might imagine. In contrast to other operating systems, nobody owns Linux. Much of its development is done by unpaid volunteers.

Development of what later became GNU/Linux began in 1984, when the Free Software Foundation began development of a free Unix-like operating system called GNU.

The GNU Project has developed a comprehensive set of free software tools for use with Unix™ and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. These tools enable users to perform tasks ranging from the mundane (such as copying or removing files from the system) to the arcane (such as writing and compiling programs or doing sophisticated editing in a variety of document formats).

While many groups and individuals have contributed to Linux, the largest single contributor is still the Free Software Foundation, which created not only most of the tools used in Linux, but also the philosophy and the community that made Linux possible.

The Linux kernel first appeared in 1991, when a Finnish computing science student named Linus Torvalds announced an early version of a replacement kernel for Minix to the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix. See Linux International's Linux History Page.

Linus Torvalds continues to coordinate the work of several hundred developers with the help of a number of subsystem maintainers. There is an official website for the Linux kernel.

Linux users have immense freedom of choice in their software. For example, Linux users can choose from a dozen different command line shells and several graphical desktops. This selection is often bewildering to users of other operating systems, who are not used to thinking of the command line or desktop as something that they can change.

Linux is also less likely to crash, better able to run more than one program at the same time, and more secure than many operating systems. With these advantages, Linux is the fastest growing operating system in the server market. More recently, Linux has begun to be popular among home and business users as well.

Source: debian.org

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LPIC 1 vs Linux+: Where to Start

If you're ready to set down the path of Linux specialization, there are several key certifications that will help you. While some exams are tailored to vendor-specific distributions, Red Hat certifications being the most notable, there are two that stand out in the vendor-neutral, entry-level space: CompTIA Linux+ and Linux Professional Institute (LPI) LPIC-1.

Until April 2019, CompTIA and the LPI had a partnership that guaranteed LPIC-1 certification to anyone who passed CompTIA's Linux+ exam. CompTIA's reasoning and the LPI's explanation diverge on a few details of their breakup, but that's not entirely the point here.

Here's what matters: which certification should you pursue? Is Linux+ or LPIC-1 right for you?

A Look at Linux+: A Breakdown

According to CompTIA, it's new Linux+ certification exam targets IT pros who use or will use Linux to manage everything from cars and smartphones to servers and supercomputers. It also will help candidates who work in enterprise environments that use Linux. The biggest change from the previous Linux+ exam is that it covers security in-depth, alongside new topics like kernel modules, cloud management, and DevOps.

If you're in the early stages of your system admin career and want to establish a solid groundwork for working in Linux environments, Linux+ is a great option. The fact that it's distro-neutral means that it's applicable to any Linux system, which will make you a valuable asset to wider range of organizations.

CompTIA is a well-known name in the IT certification industry. Their certifications certainly add a great deal of weight to a professional resume, especially in the United States, where their vendor-neutral certifications are easily recognizable. For U.S.-based IT professionals, especially those interested in working for organizations such as the Department of Defense, Linux+ offers attractive credibility. CompTIA certifications are DoD-approved.

Linux+ certification is also a great option for professionals who want to continue further down the CompTIA certification path, for example with cybersecurity certs like CySA+ and CASP+.

However, Linux+ does have its drawbacks. It's generally considered one of the easier IT certification exams, and many professionals believe that it doesn't carry the same weight as more prestigious certifications. Others claim that these faults result in an exam that doesn't indicate whether or not a professional is up to the task of Linux administration.

A Look at LPIC-1: The Breakdown

The LPIC-1 is the first certification in the Linux Professional Institute's multi-level Linux certification program. The LPIC-1 validates "the candidate's ability to perform maintenance tasks on the command line, install and configure a computer running Linux and configure basic networking."

Because the LPIC-1 certification requires two exams, it's generally regarded as more difficult than the CompTIA exam, as it casts a wider net and contains more extensive questions.

The LPIC-1 was released in 1999, making it the oldest available vendor-neutral Linux certification. The LPI is a non-profit organization that embodies Linux's open-source ethos. There are 175,000 certificate holders across over 180 countries, so this organization has unparalleled clout on a global scale. Put together, this makes the LPIC one of the world's most recognized certifications for Linux professionals, especially among the IT community itself.

LPIC-1 is also distro-neutral and ideal for IT professionals interested in pursuing positions such as system administrator, network administrator, and system engineer. Because the LPI embodies the community-driven nature of open-source software, this alignment makes LPIC-1 certification an even more attractive option.

Linux+ vs LPIC1: Which Should You Earn?

First, in a vacuum, we recommend the LPIC-1. We believe that LPI's position as a globally recognized body of Linux experts who strive to uphold the technology's foundational principles sets it apart from the competition. No matter where you are or what type of Linux environment you'll be working in, LPIC-1 certification will always be useful and relevant.

Secondly,  what are your career goals and desired trajectory? If you're a devoted Linux fan who wants to climb the LPIC ladder toward LPIC-3, then you'll want to start with LPIC-1. Another reason in LPIC-1's favor is if you're applying to positions outside the U.S. or want to work in IT, the hiring manager is more likely to have a tech background and therefore value LPI certifications.

If you're a U.S. professional, want to pursue a career that doesn't focus so heavily on Linux administration, or applying with an organization that isn't as IT-centric, then Linux+ may be a better option. In this case, the CompTIA certification will be more recognizable and provide a better pathway.

Final Thoughts

Linux is found in nearly every server room these days. Long gone are the days of it being a fad or an OS for hobbyists. In fact, many enterprises are now using Linux in some form or another. Even Microsoft has embraced Linux after years of dismissing open source technologies.

As a result, the demand for IT pros with Linux skills has increased rapidly in recent years. The best way to start building a Linux foundation is through certification — and you can't go wrong with LPIC-1 or Linux+. Start adding Linux to your IT skill set today.

Source: cbtnuggets.com

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