Hi, The Linux Professional Institute, http://www.lpi.org, is a non-profit community organization developing a Linux certification program. I believe it will become the leading Linux certification program because of the open and cooperative nature of its development. I have been asked if I, or someone I could recommend would serve as a liaison between LPI and Debian and to serve on their Advisory Board. I am very interested in serving in this position as I will be making an important contribution to Linux and Debian. I also feel that I should disclose the fact that I own the domain Linuxtech.com and plan to use it for future business ventures.
I have been following the LPI for awhile now and I have attended a BOF session on certification at Linux World Expo in San Jose. While attending the Expo I helped with manning the Debian booth and spoke to Wichert Akkerman briefly about the program. He would like the certification to be available at no cost. While I agree that ideally it should be available for no cost, delivering and verifying a quality exam for free will be very difficult to maintain with wide availability and access. I would be more than happy to offer certifications for free through the domain linuxtech.com if it can be done at no cost to myself, I'm not wealthy and really don't see a practical way to deliver a free program that is not subject to abuse. The LPI plans to deliver the exams through a professional test delivery company such as Sylvan or VUE, and they are open to less costly methods provided they do not compromise the security or integrity of the exam delivery process. Initially there will be a registration fee for applicants, as well as a charge for each exam taken. However LPI plans to make the program as affordable and accessible around the world as possible. As Debian liaison, my primary duties will be to insure the quality of the exams, especially the Debian portion of the distribution specific section and make sure that availability and accessibility is maximized. If for some reason you developers do not want me to act as liaison, please recommend someone who will do it as this is important for Debian and Linux. Thanks, Chuck Peters Chester County Interlink System Administrator