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An unnamed correspondent writes: "Looks like Linuxgruven has been making offers that if you pay them a few grand for them to train and Sair certify you, they will hire you on for a $45,000/yr entry level position. Besides that fact that this smells like a scam, it seems that Sair is now in legal proceedings against Linuxgruven. Here is a link to an e-mail from Sair [Director of Courseware & Instruction Ross E. Brunson] posted on a users group mailing list." (Read more, because it gets more complicated.)

"Here are other links to mailing list discussions about those offered positions at Linuxgruven:

• [Email from Ronald Boney and Paul Berlin]
• [Email from jiin@jiin.org]
• [Email from tmservo@pitton.com]"

Sair GNU/Linux provides certification and testing materials for personal or corporate use intended to show proficiency with various GNU/GPL software. Eric S. Raymond, Jon "maddog" Hall, Bruce Perens, Richard Stallman and other luminaries of Free software sit on the board of Sair, which lends an air of credibility that few organizations can boast.

In an economic niche somewhere near that of Sair, Linuxgruven also focuses on GPL software, by providing training courses and materials and certification, but also provides professional services. They currently have offices in eight U.S. cities, and plan on opening an equal number soon, according to their CEO.

I exchanged email and telephone calls with representatives of both Sair GNU/Linux and Linuxgruven yesterday to find out what each had to say about any legal entanglement between the two companies, and about the uncomplimentary descriptions online of Linuxgruven's hiring practices. If you read the links above, you'll find accounts by Linuxgruven course applicants, who claim that they were offered well-paid entry-level jobs -- in advance, prior to taking any course -- in exchange for paying up-front for the training courses offered by Linuxgruven.

Lenny Sawyer, Sair's Vice President of Operations, was the first to respond to my email, but could offer little information. He said "[w]e (Sair Linux and GNU) feel it would be inappropriate for our company to comment publicly on any possible legal proceedings or an investigation by an outside agency. Sair Linux and GNU Certification has stated it will always take the necessary and proper steps to protect its copyrighted training and certification materials, but we can not comment on any possible individual situations."

Shortly after this, I reached by telephone a Linuxgruven employee named Alex White, who told me that I needed to talk to Matt Porter, the company's CEO. Porter, he said, was on another phone call at the time, but would be able to call me back later in the day. I asked whether I could have Porter's email address in addition, but White said that he had been told not to release email addresses.

While he was on the phone, I asked White (in Linuxgruven's St. Louis office) a little bit about Linuxgruven and his experience there. Was he a Linux user? Did he take a Linuxgruven training course? White answered Yes to both of those questions, and described the 4-week training course as "very comprehensive -- about 80 hours of classroom instruction." White, though, said he was unaware of any legal action either active or in the works involving Linuxgruven, and that I'd have to wait to talk with Porter. White also said he'd never heard of anyone being offered a job at Linuxgruven contingent upon pre-payment of course fees.

I asked White if when he had taken the Linuxgruven course he had been asked or required to pay in advance. "I don't recall," he said. When I expressed surprise at not remembering at what point he'd had to hand over the thousands of dollars the four-week course costs, he explained, "I had relatives who paid for it, and they went through that whole [payment] process." He saw the training course as a route to a better job, after a stint in tech support for another company. What is his job at Linuxgruven now? "Basically, I set up interviews," said White.

A few hours later, Porter called me back, and promised an email with some information (it arrived a few minutes later), and provided his cell phone number; we both agreed that I should read his email and then we would talk again.

During a second telephone call, I asked Porter whether anyone was offered employment at Linuxgruven on a quid pro quo basis, as the user-group emails above indicate, and Porter flatly denied that anyone was ever offered a job based on prepayment for Linuxgruven's training course. "That's never been the case," he said. "That's not how we operate."

"There is absolutely no requirement that any job applicant take our training course and, in fact, we have many employees who have passed either our own examination or the Sair examination without ever taking our training course," reads part of his e-mailed response. "If someone wishes to take our training course in order to prepare for either our own examination or the Sair examination, we offer a discount on our course and we offer to employ the person if he or she subsequently passes one of the two examinations. We do not offer employment in return for simply enrolling in the course, and we do not guarantee that anyone who takes the course will pass one of the two examinations."

Porter told me by phone and in his email that he was aware of the Ross Brunson email cited above, but that he knew of no active legal action involving his company and Sair, or anyone else. Rather than the (singular) "ongoing Better Business Bureau investigation" mentioned in that email, Porter said that he is aware of two BBB investigations, one apiece from the St. Louis and Kansas City bureaus. "We are currently working with both Better Business Bureaus to explain the correct nature of our employment practices," according to his email.

But what is the status of Sair's relationship with Linuxgruven, and why the talk of legal action? According to the email linked above, which Porter says he "assumes is genuine," Sair has "suspended operations with [Linuxgruven] due to non-compliance" with Sair's contracts regarding instructor qualifications.

Porter puts it slightly differently, allowing that Sair and Linuxgruven are no longer parters, but according to him this is because the two companies could not agree on terms for contract renewal. He said via email, "We have not received any word from Sair Linux asserting that it believes that we have misappropriated any of its copyrighted materials. Of course, it is not our company's policy or practice to misappropriate anyone's copyrighted materials."

"The whole stuff about Sair confuses me, because we look at that test, and we have complete respect for what Sair and those guys are doing," said Porter. "We have the utmost respect for the Linux community,and we owe a lot to the community." Porter pointed out that his company accepts Sair-certified applicants, and said this was a good indicator of how much respect Linuxgruven holds for the worth of Sair's training, whether or not the two companies are currently working together.

On the telephone, Porter also seemed slightly taken aback by the disappointment and skepticism expressed online by the people behind the links above, saying "We're a legit company ... We have happy customers," pointing to the testimonials and case studies featured on the Linuxgruven web site. Porter, in fact, is chairperson of the St. Louis LUG, and seems genuinely interested in spreading the idea of Open Source software.

With eight offices open at present, and plans to open eight more in the works, there's no doubt that that aggressive hiring practices are the natural result of Linuxgruven's growth. But why do several people claim to have been offered jobs in exchange for paying for the Linuxgruven training course, if that's "never been the case," as Porter says? The answer to that is likely to come out soon.

If courtroom action is initiated, we're sure to hear more about both Sair and Linuxgruven; anyone with experiences of any kind as a Linuxgruven applicant or employee, or with thoughts on the Sair certification, is encouraged to post comments below.

Update: 01/31 02:04 AM by T : Thanks to Matt Porter for this clarification: Alex White, the Linuxgruven employee I spoke to on the phone, has not yet received certification from Linuxgruven, and his current position is one which allows him to work toward that certification. Any implication otherwise was in error.

Thanks to LinuxPR for this one. It seems that the Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts have opened web-based registration for this October's Atlanta Linux Showcase. According to the press release, the first 100 registrees receive an OS Wars (it's a spoof of Star Wars) shirt. They also announced that Jeremy Allison, one of the key Samba developers, will be giving the keynote. The full text of the press release can be read here.

Chris Farris writes "The Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts, in cooperation with USENIX and Linux International, is pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Atlanta Linux Showcase. The Atlanta Linux Showcase will be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta on October 12-16 1999. Interested exhibitors should contact exhibits@linuxshowcase.org More details will be coming via our website soon. " If its anything like last years-- hell who am I kidding? I ate half a tin of Penguin Mints. I don't remember anything except the head ache and dave and nate drinking 151.

Hope Rob doesn't mind... Well, I have a new poll on my site: Themes.org aka: [ t.o ] If you get a chance swing over there and vote fore Rob for best theme creator ;) (I did heh). Also, I got bored and made a Atlanta Linux Showcase Theme! I hope this helps drum up some more interest in the Showcase. Did I mention Malda would be naked?

chris writes "The Conference Schedule for the '98 Atlanta Linux Showcase is Here . Seats are filling up so it is recommended people Register." Scoop & I are gonna dance for quarters in our booth. Jeff is going to performance art headstands, and I think Trae is going to mix drinks. Mind you our plans might change between now and then, so don't hold us to this.

chris writes "The Conference Schedule for the '98 Atlanta Linux Showcase is Here . Seats are filling up so it is recommended people Register." Scoop & I are gonna dance for quarters in our booth. Jeff is going to performance art headstands, and I think Trae is going to mix drinks. Mind you our plans might change between now and then, so don't hold us to this.

Ian Downard writes "According to ALS's web page, there will now be two keynote addresses. Allen Miner from Oracle will present a keynote on Friday, and Dr. Michael Cowpland from Corel will give a keynote on Saturday. "

OctobrX hinted at it, but here's the deal. Slashdot, Freshmeat, and Themes.org are going to be going to the Atlanta Linux Showcase at the end of October. Hemos and Myself will be representing Slashdot, along with OctobrX and Scoop from Themes & FM respectively. We'll have a booth and some VA Research machines to run web sites on. The whole adventure is being sponsored by VA and Cyclic Software. If there is demand I can bring shirts for folks. We're still working out what we're going to do with the booth- the nude interpretive dance idea seems to be a popular choice though.

David Hamm wrote in to plug ALS. He says "The Atlanta Linux Showcase is progressing nicely with 40 vendors appearing. Recently Informix, Motorola and Oracle joined the growing list of exhibitors. Registration for talks is also increasing. Register now before the auditoriums fill up! Online registration is available the website." Someone needs to perfect teleportation so I can go.

Nils Lohner posted to debian-announce that Debian will be at the Atlanta Linux Showcase (which seems to be coming together nicely. Wish I could go). Anyway, Debian will be there showing off their distribution running on a Netwinder, as well as t-shirts, CDs, and a demo of the new package manager (I'm getting shivers waiting for that).

Chris Farris writes "As per popular request from /.errs, the dates our speakers will be speaking at the Atlanta Linux Showcase have been posted to The Website . "

David Hamm writes "Momentum for the Atlanta Linux Showcase is growing as October 23rd and 24th draw neer. Along with Adaptec, Corel, Corel Computer, ISS and many others Sun has committed to exhibit. Join the Linux community in this celebration of the success and future growth of Linux. Register on line "

Chris Farris writes "Online Registration for the 1998 Atlanta Linux Showcase is opened. Showprices are $60/day regular and $35/day student during pre-Registration. Prices go up at the door so register now. ALS '98 will be held right after Networld+Interop on Friday October 23rd and Sat Oct 24th. Speaker and vendor lists can also be found on the web page. This year will be even bigger than last year. "

Allright a couple a tidbits that I just wanted to throw out. First off, I am definately going to Linux Expo, and am really looking forward to it. The hard part is going to be posting Slashdot Stories while I'm there... hopefully I'll be able to get good net access from kind willing souls *grin*. Secondly, a bit furthur off is the Atlanta Linux Showcase coming in October. Greg Hankins has written a blurb plugging the event and asking for speakers and vendors- hit the link below for some gory details.

The following is a blatant plug for the Atlanta Linux Showcase by Greg Hankins

Atlanta Linux Showcase Needs Your Help!

The Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts users group is preparing for their second annual Linux show, the 1998 Atlanta Linux Showcase, October 23 - 24, 1998 in Atlanta, GA. We are going to have 2 days of Linux talks, vendor exhibits, BOFs, and non-stop Linux action, and you can catch NetWorld+Interop the same week.

We're looking for vendors to exhibit at the show, and sponsors -- we need help covering speaker travel, hardware and equipment loans, and Internet access. We also need speakers to talk about Linux and free software or Open Source topics.

Last but not least, we're in need of a few people that can volunteer to help put on the show (you don't necessarily need to be located in Atlanta). If you are interested in helping out with a large all-volunteer run conference and trade show, please get in touch with us. We're also seeking involvement from other Linux users groups.

Visit our web pages (http://www.ale.org/showcase/) for details, or email us at als-info@ale.org.

Allright a couple a tidbits that I just wanted to throw out. First off, I am definately going to Linux Expo, and am really looking forward to it. The hard part is going to be posting Slashdot Stories while I'm there... hopefully I'll be able to get good net access from kind willing souls *grin*. Secondly, a bit furthur off is the Atlanta Linux Showcase coming in October. Greg Hankins has written a blurb plugging the event and asking for speakers and vendors- hit the link below for some gory details.

The following is a blatant plug for the Atlanta Linux Showcase by Greg Hankins

Atlanta Linux Showcase Needs Your Help!

The Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts users group is preparing for their second annual Linux show, the 1998 Atlanta Linux Showcase, October 23 - 24, 1998 in Atlanta, GA. We are going to have 2 days of Linux talks, vendor exhibits, BOFs, and non-stop Linux action, and you can catch NetWorld+Interop the same week.

We're looking for vendors to exhibit at the show, and sponsors -- we need help covering speaker travel, hardware and equipment loans, and Internet access. We also need speakers to talk about Linux and free software or Open Source topics.

Last but not least, we're in need of a few people that can volunteer to help put on the show (you don't necessarily need to be located in Atlanta). If you are interested in helping out with a large all-volunteer run conference and trade show, please get in touch with us. We're also seeking involvement from other Linux users groups.

Visit our web pages (http://www.ale.org/showcase/) for details, or email us at als-info@ale.org.

Allright a couple a tidbits that I just wanted to throw out. First off, I am definately going to Linux Expo, and am really looking forward to it. The hard part is going to be posting Slashdot Stories while I'm there... hopefully I'll be able to get good net access from kind willing souls *grin*. Secondly, a bit furthur off is the Atlanta Linux Showcase coming in October. Greg Hankins has written a blurb plugging the event and asking for speakers and vendors- hit the link below for some gory details.

The following is a blatant plug for the Atlanta Linux Showcase by Greg Hankins

Atlanta Linux Showcase Needs Your Help!

The Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts users group is preparing for their second annual Linux show, the 1998 Atlanta Linux Showcase, October 23 - 24, 1998 in Atlanta, GA. We are going to have 2 days of Linux talks, vendor exhibits, BOFs, and non-stop Linux action, and you can catch NetWorld+Interop the same week.

We're looking for vendors to exhibit at the show, and sponsors -- we need help covering speaker travel, hardware and equipment loans, and Internet access. We also need speakers to talk about Linux and free software or Open Source topics.

Last but not least, we're in need of a few people that can volunteer to help put on the show (you don't necessarily need to be located in Atlanta). If you are interested in helping out with a large all-volunteer run conference and trade show, please get in touch with us. We're also seeking involvement from other Linux users groups.

Visit our web pages (http://www.ale.org/showcase/) for details, or email us at als-info@ale.org.

I know everyone has been talking about the Linux Expo coming up in may, but Greg Hankins asked me to plug the Atlanta Linux Showcase as well. Bruce mentioned it in passing in his debian-announce message. The showcase runs from Oct 23 to 24 in Atlanta. Sounds cool...

debian-announce just sent out a message saying that Bruce Perens will be speaking at the LinuxExpo. In addition to LinuxExpo, Debian hopefully will be at The Atlanta Linux Showcase, International Linux Kongress, and the SANE conference.

As a side note, the message also mentioned that the Berlin is joining up with Software in the Public Interest (Debian's Corporation).