Making an Open Source Project Work: The 12-Step Program
Open source changes everything. That’s what the pundits will tell you. What they mean is that open source isn’t just about free or better software. It’s a whole new way of thinking about how to solve problems and manage projects. When we launched the project that I’m working on — the Linux Professional Institute — a year ago, we knew that we would be able to leverage this open source methodology to make the project stronger and better, even though we weren’t developing software.
Open source changes everything. That’s what the pundits will tell you. What they mean is that open source isn’t just about free or better software. It’s a whole new way of thinking about how to solve problems and manage projects. When we launched the project that I’m working on — the Linux Professional Institute — a year ago, we knew that we would be able to leverage this open source methodology to make the project stronger and better, even though we weren’t developing software.
To step back, the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) has been around since the fall of 1998. Its goal is to develop a certification program for Linux professionals similar to those available to Microsoft (MCSE) and Novell (CNE) users. We have developed a series of exams that people can take to demonstrate their knowledge of and proficiency with Linux.
Of course Linux is different from NT or NetWare. And one of the challenges we face at the LPI is that no one entity controls the Linux operating system, so no one can dictate the standards for certification. Anyone can create their own Linux certification programs — in fact several have. In this environment, our efforts have been focused on building a consensus and…
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