$2,400 “Introduction to Linux” course will be free and online this summer

[lxskllr]

Earlier this week, The Linux Foundation announced that it would be working with edX, a non-profit online learning site governed by Harvard and MIT, to make its “Introduction to Linux” course free and open to all.

The Linux Foundation has long offered a wide variety of training courses through its website, but those can generally cost upwards of $2,000. This introductory class, which usually costs $2,400, will be the first from the Linux Foundation to run as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). There is no limit on enrollment through edX's platform.

The course will be held this summer, although an official start date has not been posted yet. Jennifer Cloer, Director of Communications for the Linux Foundation, said that over 2,500 people signed up for the course within the first 24 hours of it being posted. There are no prerequisites, and a note on the course's information page says that most users will find the course takes between 40 and 60 hours to complete.

Students can either audit the course, which means they'd get access to all the course materials but not have to commit to completing the tests and assignments, or they can take the course for a certificate of completion, which will be offered for free. (On some edX classes, "verified certificates of achievement" cost a fee.)

If all goes smoothly, the Linux Foundation may consider making more courses available on edX in the future.

In the press release from the Linux Foundation, executive director Jim Zemlin wrote, “Our mission is to advance Linux and that includes ensuring we have a talent pool of Linux professionals. To widen that talent pool and give more people access to the opportunities in the Linux community and IT industry, we are making our training program more accessible to users worldwide.”

http://arstechnica.com/information-...x-course-will-be-free-and-online-this-summer/

Looks like it might be a worthwhile class, and you can't beat the price. I have to look into it, but I might sign up to audit the course. I don't want to commit to something I won't end up having time for, and I'm more interested in the knowledge rather than certificates anyway.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

 

[Away]

Awesome, thanks for the link.

 

[ArisVer]

Thanks for the link; just registered.

 

[ch33zw1z]

awesome, thanks for the heads up. I may just audit it..

 

[jaydee]

So, it costs $250 (minimum) for the "Certificate of Achievement", or take the class with "Honor Code Certificate or "Audit" for free. Do I understand this right?

 

[Elixer]

Hmmm... doesn't look to have much value for people that have used linux.

This course explores the various tools and techniques commonly used by Linux programmers, system administrators and end users to achieve their day-to-day work in a Linux environment. It is designed for experienced computer users who have limited or no previous exposure to Linux.

 

[jaydee]

Hmmm... doesn't look to have much value for people that have used linux.

Agreed.

http://training.linuxfoundation.org/linux-courses/introduction-to-linux/outline

Introduction
Linux Philosophy and Components
Graphical Interface
System Configuration from the Graphical Interface
Command-line Operations
Finding Linux Documentation
File Operations
User Environment
Text Editors
Network Operations
Manipulating Text
Printing
Bash Shell Scripting
Advanced Bash Shell Scripting
Processes
Common Applications
Local Security Principles
Conclusion

 

[KeithP]

FYI, the course starts August 1st.
https://www.edx.org/course/linuxfoundationx/linuxfoundationx-lfs101x-introduction-1621#.U8g5h4Ds8X4

-KeithP

 

[ArisVer]

I audited the course last time lxskllr posted about this a few months ago. Lessons start on the first of August. A good thing is that you are allowed to work on a VM for the lessons. And I am only doing this for fun and to learn maybe a few more things.

 

[slugg]

I preregistered for the course. Question - would I be able to download all the material and work on it offline? I'm not interested in the "certification," but I'd like to have something I can chip away at little by little, even if I run past the due dates of the assignments.

I'm excited! I've been looking for something like this. I'm not much of a Linux guy (MS fanboy here), but I'm good enough to break stuff. This will be great for me. Thanks for posting, OP!

 

[KillerBee]

It started today.

Pretty good intro course - maybe not exactly $2400 worth of info
but the free edx.org price is good

 

[ArisVer]

And in case you want to study further...

Congratulations on being one of the first graduates of LFS101x Introduction to Linux! As someone who has demonstrated strong Linux experience, we would like to invite you to become a Linux Foundation Certified Systems Administrator or Engineer.

Because you completed the course so quickly, we’ve arranged for a special discount for you. Just use the coupon code XXXXXXXX to get 50% ($150) off your exam fee.

I finished the course in 7-10 days and got 87% pass marks. I knew almost everything after running Debian 6 for two years. In those two years I also read a lot about Linux. And I "skipped" two lessons, Bash Shell Scripting and Advanced Bash Shell Scripting, which I know nothing about.

 

[ArisVer]

LFS101x.2 Introduction to Linux

Course Starts - Jan 05, 2015

 

[axlrose87]

That looks awesome, will definitely sign up!

 

[Kaido]

If you're looking to really dig into Linux, either separately or subsequently from this course, check out Linux From Scratch:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

You basically build the entire system from scratch. From there, you can do neat things like make a hardened system. Since you're compiling the entire OS, you get extremely granular control over what goes in the system, which is really cool both for building a customized personal distribution & for learning the real ins & outs of the system.