Re: [zoe.moleshead@itp.net: RE: Linux feature for ACN]

[Isam Bayazidi <bayazidi at accessme dot com>]

I will not be giving answers .. it more of a brean storm, and first thing 
that comes to mind .. could be non-sense :-)



> 1) Firstly, with regard to skills and training. It's fair to say that
> skills are playing catch-up with IT needs, and Linux is perhaps suffering
> more than others. I have just completed a training guide, and very few
> companies actually provide Linux training. Why do you think this is and
> what do you think can be done to redress this?

	- In the middle east, there is indeed very few training centers that provide 
Linux training.. but test Centers for any linux certification is all over the 
place ( there is at least 5 in Amman) .. 
	- The reason that taining centers does not provide Linux taining are ( as I 
see them:
		- lack of trained and qualified instructors (I faced when I asked for a RHC 
(RedHat Certificate)  course )
		- lack of real demand , most of the demand and supply is toword MCSE, MCP, 
and Cissco. 

	- What to do .. as you said, the taining does catch up the IT move .. when 
the IT companies in the ME make a move toword Linux, the taining will follow 
.. but as I see it, luck of trained skills will slow down the IT move .. so 
again the E&C ( Egg & Chicken)


> 2) You mentioned in your answers to Greg that you are looking to educate
> and create awareness amongst local universities about the role they can
> play in developing Linux, what sort of response have you received from the
> universities, and do you have any contact details for universities that are
> working with Linux?

As far as I recall there is at least one university in the KSA that have 
Linux all over the Labs, that is the King Abdul Azeez .. and they made that 
move long before Arabeyes existed .. about Arabeyes call for university .. 
there was no official call for universities in high levels .. but as most of 
the Arabeyes members are University students, we are looking toword recueting 
them for the mission ..



> 4) Do you think user group web sites, such as yours, are undervalued or
> underrepresented in the region?

Arabeyes is not a user Group site as far as I can recall .. it is a Project 
:-)
About the region recognition .. I see that there is increasing recognition 
for Linux in the reagion, and thus this will increase the recognition to 
Arabeyes as the Leading Arabization project ..


> 5) Finally if you could just tell what benefits Linux provides to users,
> and why you have such a strong commitment to it.

Moe :-) the FreeBSD man :-) .. you answer :-)
Our commitment is not for Linux, it is for Arabization of *ix (Linux, Unix, 
*BSD) systems .. and Linux hapen to be the most popular, and talked about 
system. We like Linux, and we are glad it is existing.. after all the 
existance of linux did revolutionize the FSF, and Open Source movment ..


-- 
Yours,
Isam Bayazidi
Amman - Jordan
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 Think Linux + Think Arabic = Think www.arabeyes.org
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