Re: certification

[Joseph S D Yao <jsdy@gwyn.tux.org>]

> I don't think anyone's suggesting it be mandatory.  ...
>    ...  The Merit Badge idea has _always_ been to construct a set of
> "learning tools" so folks could acquire new skills or verify that their
> skills were extant.  It's not a mandatory program; no one's suggesting that
> everyone need have the same set of "badges".

Of course not.  That's why I like it.  If everyone had to have the same
MBs, what would be the difference between that and a rigid full-cert
program?

Of course, you might want to strongly suggest a "core curriculum" of
certain MBs - basic security, IP and Internet connectivity, DNS,
tracing system problems, designing backup systems ...

[Steve - the word "require" is not in the above sentence.  ;-)]

> Greg offered to write a PGP badge because he knows that subject well; I
> doubt he was suggesting that PGP knowledge is essential to sysadmin.

The way things are, it probably would be good for all of us to know
	- what it's used for
	- what problems it solves
	- what problems it doesn't solve or exacerbates
	- how to install it
	- how to use it
	- how to help other people use it [different!]
	- how to interface it to other systems [e-mail, news, web] for
	  ourselves or others to use
	- how to debug problems
	- how to de-install it

Joe Yao				jsdy@tux.org - Joseph S. D. Yao