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You showed that you have no clue about programming, computer and network security or how computers actually work and you rip on someone else that is more intelligent and educated than you?

When I worked at Google in 2008, I had to demonstrate to a software engineer how to turn on his computer because his intelligence and education never prepared him for the real world. Most software engineers are really clueless when it comes to working with hardware.

You should go get another AA to boost your cred.

I'm working on the CompTIA Security+ certification for my government job as a security support specialist. After that I'll get my ITIL Foundation certification since I'm working for an ITIL organization. The next step after that is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and the CCNA Security certifications. Just because I have two associate degrees doesn't mean that my education is over.

I don't have A+ myself, but I taught a course for it recently. Lots of hardware-related stuff on it, mixed bag of useful and non-useful things. Some of it is outdated. Lots of assorted information about the various PC components and how they work together.

Pretty much just a "do you know how a computer works?" and "can you memorize a bunch of seemingly arbitrary details?" It's not bad for someone just starting out, though it's redundant for someone with more than ~1year experience.

To get the cert you actually have to take TWO exams now, and in the newest version they added some stuff for mobile devices, though I haven't seen the material for this version yet.

My CompTIA Certification Story

I got my CompTIA A+ certification working as a repair technician in Computer City (defunct now) in 1999. Their two tests were pretty good at determining if you had basic skills to be junior computer repair technician. Their test was valued by employers who wanted some kind of a basic measure of people who did not have a college diploma or a vocational certification from DeVry to determine if they should even bother interviewing you for basic computer support jobs in repair or help desk. This test is still a basic benchmark of computer repair ability.

Later as I started working as a junior Windows Desktop & Server Administrator at a small company and I liked what I learned in the study books from the previous exam and I started gaining skills in server administration so I bought study books to learn more and took their new Network+ and Server+ certifications. I liked that the study guides gave me a general but well rounded overview of network and server administration and it certainly taught me a few things about the field even though I was already administering two dozen Windows 95 desktops and four Windows NT 4.0 at the company along with the network and Internet connection. Later CompTIA released a beta of the Security+ exam and they invited me to take it and get the certification if I passed the exam after answering and commenting on each of the questions in it.

I am planning to go back to take the Linux+ certification sometime this year to round-out my CompTIA certification list since I've been doing a little more work with Linux with Asterisk PBX on CentOS based Elastix release. I know just enough Linux to get around and configure Asterisk but not nearly enough to do any type of even basic administration since I don't use the OS on a daily basis as most people. I looked at the study guide and it gives a nice rounded view of things to know about Linux to fill in some of the holes that I have in my knowledge and since I'll be reading the guide that I already bought a while back I might as well take the certification.

Since then I've put 10-years behind my belt and am now a senior Windows Server Engineer with three MCSE's and various vendor hardware certifications like the HP ASE and others. I will be working on my fourth MCSE this year and some more high end certifications like Cisco, VMWare, Symantec, etc.

CompTIA Became Almost Irrelevant

What a strategy for CompTIA, if this passed they would have become irrelevant in the certification field because they decided to change their minds and renege on their past promise of lifetime certification. If they did decide to expire all the lifetime certifications then I certainly wouldn't bother retaking any of them and I would let them expire since I've moved way beyond what those certifications offer. I bet that most of the folks in my position would just give up on CompTIA then and forget about them. The only folks that would have to worry are those in help desk, desktop support and computer repair who need their cert for their job since they haven't moved up from those jobs yet or their employers who would need to spend even more money to keep their techs certified so they can advertise as an A+ certified shop. Most of these folks who have plans on upward movement within their career already have or will be moving on to the Microsoft Certified Processional (MCP) certifications by now for Windows and Office and I think that they wouldn't bother retaking the CompTIA upgrade exams anyway.

Microsoft Tried to Expire MCSE Certifications Also

My CompTIA Certification Story

I got my CompTIA A+ certification working as a repair technician in Computer City (defunct now) in 1999. Their two tests were pretty good at determining if you had basic skills to be junior computer repair technician. Their test was valued by employers who wanted some kind of a basic measure of people who did not have a college diploma or a vocational certification from DeVry to determine if they should even bother interviewing you for basic computer support jobs in repair or help desk. This test is still a basic benchmark of computer repair ability.

Later as I started working as a junior Windows Desktop & Server Administrator at a small company and I liked what I learned in the study books from the previous exam and I started gaining skills in server administration so I bought study books to learn more and took their new Network+ and Server+ certifications. I liked that the study guides gave me a general but well rounded overview of network and server administration and it certainly taught me a few things about the field even though I was already administering two dozen Windows 95 desktops and four Windows NT 4.0 at the company along with the network and Internet connection. Later CompTIA released a beta of the Security+ exam and they invited me to take it and get the certification if I passed the exam after answering and commenting on each of the questions in it.

I am planning to go back to take the Linux+ certification sometime this year to round-out my CompTIA certification list since I've been doing a little more work with Linux with Asterisk PBX on CentOS based Elastix release. I know just enough Linux to get around and configure Asterisk but not nearly enough to do any type of even basic administration since I don't use the OS on a daily basis as most people. I looked at the study guide and it gives a nice rounded view of things to know about Linux to fill in some of the holes that I have in my knowledge and since I'll be reading the guide that I already bought a while back I might as well take the certification.

Since then I've put 10-years behind my belt and am now a senior Windows Server Engineer with three MCSE's and various vendor hardware certifications like the HP ASE and others. I will be working on my fourth MCSE this year and some more high end certifications like Cisco, VMWare, Symantec, etc.

CompTIA Became Almost Irrelevant

What a strategy for CompTIA, if this passed they would have become irrelevant in the certification field because they decided to change their minds and renege on their past promise of lifetime certification. If they did decide to expire all the lifetime certifications then I certainly wouldn't bother retaking any of them and I would let them expire since I've moved way beyond what those certifications offer. I bet that most of the folks in my position would just give up on CompTIA then and forget about them. The only folks that would have to worry are those in help desk, desktop support and computer repair who need their cert for their job since they haven't moved up from those jobs yet or their employers who would need to spend even more money to keep their techs certified so they can advertise as an A+ certified shop. Most of these folks who have plans on upward movement within their career already have or will be moving on to the Microsoft Certified Processional (MCP) certifications by now for Windows and Office and I think that they wouldn't bother retaking the CompTIA upgrade exams anyway.

Microsoft Tried to Expire MCSE Certifications Also

My CompTIA Certification Story

I got my CompTIA A+ certification working as a repair technician in Computer City (defunct now) in 1999. Their two tests were pretty good at determining if you had basic skills to be junior computer repair technician. Their test was valued by employers who wanted some kind of a basic measure of people who did not have a college diploma or a vocational certification from DeVry to determine if they should even bother interviewing you for basic computer support jobs in repair or help desk. This test is still a basic benchmark of computer repair ability.

Later as I started working as a junior Windows Desktop & Server Administrator at a small company and I liked what I learned in the study books from the previous exam and I started gaining skills in server administration so I bought study books to learn more and took their new Network+ and Server+ certifications. I liked that the study guides gave me a general but well rounded overview of network and server administration and it certainly taught me a few things about the field even though I was already administering two dozen Windows 95 desktops and four Windows NT 4.0 at the company along with the network and Internet connection. Later CompTIA released a beta of the Security+ exam and they invited me to take it and get the certification if I passed the exam after answering and commenting on each of the questions in it.

I am planning to go back to take the Linux+ certification sometime this year to round-out my CompTIA certification list since I've been doing a little more work with Linux with Asterisk PBX on CentOS based Elastix release. I know just enough Linux to get around and configure Asterisk but not nearly enough to do any type of even basic administration since I don't use the OS on a daily basis as most people. I looked at the study guide and it gives a nice rounded view of things to know about Linux to fill in some of the holes that I have in my knowledge and since I'll be reading the guide that I already bought a while back I might as well take the certification.

Since then I've put 10-years behind my belt and am now a senior Windows Server Engineer with three MCSE's and various vendor hardware certifications like the HP ASE and others. I will be working on my fourth MCSE this year and some more high end certifications like Cisco, VMWare, Symantec, etc.

CompTIA Became Almost Irrelevant

What a strategy for CompTIA, if this passed they would have become irrelevant in the certification field because they decided to change their minds and renege on their past promise of lifetime certification. If they did decide to expire all the lifetime certifications then I certainly wouldn't bother retaking any of them and I would let them expire since I've moved way beyond what those certifications offer. I bet that most of the folks in my position would just give up on CompTIA then and forget about them. The only folks that would have to worry are those in help desk, desktop support and computer repair who need their cert for their job since they haven't moved up from those jobs yet or their employers who would need to spend even more money to keep their techs certified so they can advertise as an A+ certified shop. Most of these folks who have plans on upward movement within their career already have or will be moving on to the Microsoft Certified Processional (MCP) certifications by now for Windows and Office and I think that they wouldn't bother retaking the CompTIA upgrade exams anyway.

Microsoft Tried to Expire MCSE Certifications Also

My CompTIA Certification Story

I got my CompTIA A+ certification working as a repair technician in Computer City (defunct now) in 1999. Their two tests were pretty good at determining if you had basic skills to be junior computer repair technician. Their test was valued by employers who wanted some kind of a basic measure of people who did not have a college diploma or a vocational certification from DeVry to determine if they should even bother interviewing you for basic computer support jobs in repair or help desk. This test is still a basic benchmark of computer repair ability.

Later as I started working as a junior Windows Desktop & Server Administrator at a small company and I liked what I learned in the study books from the previous exam and I started gaining skills in server administration so I bought study books to learn more and took their new Network+ and Server+ certifications. I liked that the study guides gave me a general but well rounded overview of network and server administration and it certainly taught me a few things about the field even though I was already administering two dozen Windows 95 desktops and four Windows NT 4.0 at the company along with the network and Internet connection. Later CompTIA released a beta of the Security+ exam and they invited me to take it and get the certification if I passed the exam after answering and commenting on each of the questions in it.

I am planning to go back to take the Linux+ certification sometime this year to round-out my CompTIA certification list since I've been doing a little more work with Linux with Asterisk PBX on CentOS based Elastix release. I know just enough Linux to get around and configure Asterisk but not nearly enough to do any type of even basic administration since I don't use the OS on a daily basis as most people. I looked at the study guide and it gives a nice rounded view of things to know about Linux to fill in some of the holes that I have in my knowledge and since I'll be reading the guide that I already bought a while back I might as well take the certification.

Since then I've put 10-years behind my belt and am now a senior Windows Server Engineer with three MCSE's and various vendor hardware certifications like the HP ASE and others. I will be working on my fourth MCSE this year and some more high end certifications like Cisco, VMWare, Symantec, etc.

CompTIA Became Almost Irrelevant

What a strategy for CompTIA, if this passed they would have become irrelevant in the certification field because they decided to change their minds and renege on their past promise of lifetime certification. If they did decide to expire all the lifetime certifications then I certainly wouldn't bother retaking any of them and I would let them expire since I've moved way beyond what those certifications offer. I bet that most of the folks in my position would just give up on CompTIA then and forget about them. The only folks that would have to worry are those in help desk, desktop support and computer repair who need their cert for their job since they haven't moved up from those jobs yet or their employers who would need to spend even more money to keep their techs certified so they can advertise as an A+ certified shop. Most of these folks who have plans on upward movement within their career already have or will be moving on to the Microsoft Certified Processional (MCP) certifications by now for Windows and Office and I think that they wouldn't bother retaking the CompTIA upgrade exams anyway.

Microsoft Tried to Expire MCSE Certifications Also

My CompTIA Certification Story

I got my CompTIA A+ certification working as a repair technician in Computer City (defunct now) in 1999. Their two tests were pretty good at determining if you had basic skills to be junior computer repair technician. Their test was valued by employers who wanted some kind of a basic measure of people who did not have a college diploma or a vocational certification from DeVry to determine if they should even bother interviewing you for basic computer support jobs in repair or help desk. This test is still a basic benchmark of computer repair ability.

Later as I started working as a junior Windows Desktop & Server Administrator at a small company and I liked what I learned in the study books from the previous exam and I started gaining skills in server administration so I bought study books to learn more and took their new Network+ and Server+ certifications. I liked that the study guides gave me a general but well rounded overview of network and server administration and it certainly taught me a few things about the field even though I was already administering two dozen Windows 95 desktops and four Windows NT 4.0 at the company along with the network and Internet connection. Later CompTIA released a beta of the Security+ exam and they invited me to take it and get the certification if I passed the exam after answering and commenting on each of the questions in it.

I am planning to go back to take the Linux+ certification sometime this year to round-out my CompTIA certification list since I've been doing a little more work with Linux with Asterisk PBX on CentOS based Elastix release. I know just enough Linux to get around and configure Asterisk but not nearly enough to do any type of even basic administration since I don't use the OS on a daily basis as most people. I looked at the study guide and it gives a nice rounded view of things to know about Linux to fill in some of the holes that I have in my knowledge and since I'll be reading the guide that I already bought a while back I might as well take the certification.

Since then I've put 10-years behind my belt and am now a senior Windows Server Engineer with three MCSE's and various vendor hardware certifications like the HP ASE and others. I will be working on my fourth MCSE this year and some more high end certifications like Cisco, VMWare, Symantec, etc.

CompTIA Became Almost Irrelevant

What a strategy for CompTIA, if this passed they would have become irrelevant in the certification field because they decided to change their minds and renege on their past promise of lifetime certification. If they did decide to expire all the lifetime certifications then I certainly wouldn't bother retaking any of them and I would let them expire since I've moved way beyond what those certifications offer. I bet that most of the folks in my position would just give up on CompTIA then and forget about them. The only folks that would have to worry are those in help desk, desktop support and computer repair who need their cert for their job since they haven't moved up from those jobs yet or their employers who would need to spend even more money to keep their techs certified so they can advertise as an A+ certified shop. Most of these folks who have plans on upward movement within their career already have or will be moving on to the Microsoft Certified Processional (MCP) certifications by now for Windows and Office and I think that they wouldn't bother retaking the CompTIA upgrade exams anyway.

Microsoft Tried to Expire MCSE Certifications Also

At least plumbers, electricians, gas fitters, etc, have trade organisations that try to guarantee some standards amongst their members. It's why in the UK you never get a non-CORGI gas fitter in. Maybe IT Technicians need a similar trade organisation, just so the advert in yellow pages has the logo, and people know they won't get ripped off.

Computer technicians already have this in the form of CompTIA's A+ certification, which you have to get before being allowed to use their "certified" logo in such things as advertisements. Consumers should always make sure the technicians working on their computers are certified.

In reality, most people who use these services aren't aware of this certification. Worse yet, I'd be willing to bet that the worst repair shops aren't certified, just as not all auto repair shops are certified. In the end, consumers shouldn't be expected to know how to fix their own stuff, but should do at least enough research to be able to find a respectable shop to bring their stuff to.

You might also want to look into applicable industry certifications. I can't speak to the C++ world, but in the Java world there is the SCJP certification that would look good and show that you know what you're doing despite not having a degree. Likewise, in the Microsoft world there is the MCSE certification. To break into the general field of computers, you could look into A+ certification (or any of the CompTIA certifications). Likewise, if you can do any kind of training that is recognized by the industry, that would definitely help out.

You mean something like CompTIA?

I've mentioned this guy before; he had graduated from a local technical school and was even a card-carrying A+ tech. As this school had the reputation of "pay to pass", I decided to test him, and pointing at an open box, asked him to point at the motherboard.

He pointed at the case. I repeated the question, wording it differently.

He pointed back at the case.

Standards organizations only work when they're not cash-oriented, and there's always some unscrupulous ninny willing to trade cash for sheepskins...

Project+ and CAPM are geared towards your need, with the PMP focused more towards very well-seasoned project managers.

I just recently became a lead and know from the projects I've worked on, that I would be a better manager. So I'm finally doing something about it and pursuing the project management path. I just picked up the All-in-One CAPM/PMP exam guide and the recommended study path for the CAPM is a month. As with most jobs you'll learn the bulk from doing it, but the cert won't hurt and may give you the jump start and mind set to help you get started.

some folks love certs and some hate them, but I've never had issue with getting them and I've always learned a few things along the way no matter how well I thought I knew a particular topic.

sigh,

The previous post should have looked like this:

I don't think this certification is going to necessarily make anyone suddenly become useful. A random look at some of the sample questions is sort of scary.... Two sample questions from their website http://certification.comptia.org/resources/practic e_test.aspx

Question 3
(corresponding objective: 1.a.10)

A technician is asked to troubleshoot a residential network that reported no problems yesterday. Today, the user's computer is not able to communicate with any of the other networked devices. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

A. Power supply to the network devices
B. Operating system for viruses
C. System resources used by the network interface cards
D. Protocols installed on the system

Question 4
(corresponding objective: 1.b.10)

A client has a 100 watt stereo receiver. The client has purchased speakers rated at 200 watts. The receiver keeps shutting off, and the distortion is high. Which of the following is the best explanation?

A. The speakers need more power than 100 watts.
B. The strands of wire are touching.
C. The speaker cable is the wrong gauge.
D. The protective fuses in the receiver are too weak.

I don't think this certification is going to necessarily make anyone suddenly become useful. A random look at some of the sample questions is sort of scary.... Two sample questions from their website http://certification.comptia.org/resources/practic e_test.aspx Question 3 (corresponding objective: 1.a.10) A technician is asked to troubleshoot a residential network that reported no problems yesterday. Today, the user's computer is not able to communicate with any of the other networked devices. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST? A. Power supply to the network devices B. Operating system for viruses C. System resources used by the network interface cards D. Protocols installed on the system Question 4 (corresponding objective: 1.b.10) A client has a 100 watt stereo receiver. The client has purchased speakers rated at 200 watts. The receiver keeps shutting off, and the distortion is high. Which of the following is the best explanation? A. The speakers need more power than 100 watts. B. The strands of wire are touching. C. The speaker cable is the wrong gauge. D. The protective fuses in the receiver are too weak.

One thing I would recommend is lookin into certifications, mainly CompTIA A+. http://certification.comptia.org/a/. It would be great for advertising for yourself. There are 2 tests, core hardware and software(os). It's the first certification in a line of them for this field. I wish you luck.

Many companies that hire computer technicians merely require an A+ Certification in order for an applicant to be considered competent and eligible for the job. The problems with that is A+ Certification by itself isn't enough because

1) It doesn't take much to pass. The A+ test consists of two sections (Core hardware and OS technologies), and you really only need a score of 500 to pass for each section to become A+ Certified (which really amounts to getting roughly 50-60 percent of the whole exam correct, a pitiful score). Whether or not you score the bare minimum or got above an 800 on each section, companies only see your certificate, so really you don't know whether the A+ monkey you've hired actually knows much. Hell, I even got A+ certified when I was 15 (I'm 17 now) and managed to get a job as a salesman at Micro Center, and I didn't even get any hands-on practice (bought a 60-dollar Sybex book and crammed). The concepts are way too basic, and the objectives are messed up. A+ requires you to have knowledge of rarely-implemented concepts such as old motherbboard sockets and the features of really old CPU's (I'm talking 386 here). What the test should concentrate more on is detail on newer material instead of trying to create a catch-all for everything that has happened in IT in the past 20 years.

2) The test is only updated about every 3 years. Since newer computer hardware comes out about every 2 months, people usually have to resort to extra homework-research in order to catch up. Stores like Frys and Best Buy don't really give much training to new material. Only this year did COMPTIA update the certification objectives to cover new topics such as dual-core processors, which were released 2 years ago.

3) The test has no hands-on material whatsoever. I didn't even know how to use brass standoffs in order to mount a motherboard into a case when I passed this test. When I really got into computers and started doing hands-on stuff by myself (i.e repairing PC's for friends and building PC's), I realized how much I missed out even with the certification. Many certifications today (especially the ones by COMPTIA such as Network+, Linux+, and Security+) don't have much, if any, hands-on objectives during testing. I don't care if you have memorized how many transistors each processor that has been developed in the past two decades have, but if you don't know how to correctly mount a motherboard/ground yourself/RAID multiple hard drives by hand, then you don't know jack shit.

Even with other certifications that broaden their knowledge like Network+ and maybe CCNA, the most important thing is hands-on experience, something that takes a lot more background than cramming a couple of books.

Many companies that hire computer technicians merely require an A+ Certification in order for an applicant to be considered competent and eligible for the job. The problems with that is A+ Certification by itself isn't enough because

1) It doesn't take much to pass. The A+ test consists of two sections (Core hardware and OS technologies), and you really only need a score of 500 to pass for each section to become A+ Certified (which really amounts to getting roughly 50-60 percent of the whole exam correct, a pitiful score). Whether or not you score the bare minimum or got above an 800 on each section, companies only see your certificate, so really you don't know whether the A+ monkey you've hired actually knows much. Hell, I even got A+ certified when I was 15 (I'm 17 now) and managed to get a job as a salesman at Micro Center, and I didn't even get any hands-on practice (bought a 60-dollar Sybex book and crammed). The concepts are way too basic, and the objectives are messed up. A+ requires you to have knowledge of rarely-implemented concepts such as old motherbboard sockets and the features of really old CPU's (I'm talking 386 here). What the test should concentrate more on is detail on newer material instead of trying to create a catch-all for everything that has happened in IT in the past 20 years.

2) The test is only updated about every 3 years. Since newer computer hardware comes out about every 2 months, people usually have to resort to extra homework-research in order to catch up. Stores like Frys and Best Buy don't really give much training to new material. Only this year did COMPTIA update the certification objectives to cover new topics such as dual-core processors, which were released 2 years ago.

3) The test has no hands-on material whatsoever. I didn't even know how to use brass standoffs in order to mount a motherboard into a case when I passed this test. When I really got into computers and started doing hands-on stuff by myself (i.e repairing PC's for friends and building PC's), I realized how much I missed out even with the certification. Many certifications today (especially the ones by COMPTIA such as Network+, Linux+, and Security+) don't have much, if any, hands-on objectives during testing. I don't care if you have memorized how many transistors each processor that has been developed in the past two decades have, but if you don't know how to correctly mount a motherboard/ground yourself/RAID multiple hard drives by hand, then you don't know jack shit.

Even with other certifications that broaden their knowledge like Network+ and maybe CCNA, the most important thing is hands-on experience, something that takes a lot more background than cramming a couple of books.

http://www.comptia.org/certification/a/

Not all certifications are woth the same

Well honestly, certs dumb. I'm not a fan about the way IT professionals are supposed demonstrate competence by their ability to memeorize things. Then again you gotta play the game and in the inerst of full disclosure, i'm about to get the CCNA done...

So, when he writes to lawmakers asking them to consider his point of view, it's called "lobbying".

If CompTIA even has an opinion on software patents, then how come I can't find it on their website?

Your search for patents returned 0 results.

< Previous 20 Next 20 >
< Previous 20 Next 20 >

In contrast, searching for "linux" yields multiple hits, due to their CompTIA Linux+ Certification programme.

How come when I do it, it's called "muddying debate"?

Because you are painting your point of view all over your website, thereby allowing anybody to analyze it and potentially have you eat your own words at some time in the future, when you have changed your mind?

So, when he writes to lawmakers asking them to consider his point of view, it's called "lobbying".

If CompTIA even has an opinion on software patents, then how come I can't find it on their website?

Your search for patents returned 0 results.

< Previous 20 Next 20 >
< Previous 20 Next 20 >

In contrast, searching for "linux" yields multiple hits, due to their CompTIA Linux+ Certification programme.

How come when I do it, it's called "muddying debate"?

Because you are painting your point of view all over your website, thereby allowing anybody to analyze it and potentially have you eat your own words at some time in the future, when you have changed your mind?

has some certs other than that you are looking at proprietary certs for a particular product.

I strongly support efforts to protect intellectual property and will continue to work with Congress to ensure all intellectual property is properly protected. Technology is a critical conduit of information and sometimes can be misused for illegal copyright infringement. Blaming the technology does not address the issue. We must vigorously enforce intellectual property protections and prosecute the violations, not the technology. My Administration has launched the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) initiative to do just that. I have also worked to obtain China's support for stricter enforcement and more severe penalties for piracy and counterfeiting of American ideas and innovations.

CompTIA asked both candidates about their stances on digital media and legitimate consumer use, and both candidates gave wishy-washy answers that indicated their favorableness to supporting the rights of consumers. But it's fairly obvious that they were both catering to their audience, having been tipped off by the nature of the question.

http://www.comptia.org/pressroom/election_2004.asp x#5

What should federal policy be toward protecting intellectual property on the Internet - recognizing the harmless role played by mere conduits - and facilitating the free flow of ideas based on those creations?

This just means that yet another opportunity to find out whether either candidate supports limitations on DRM/broadcast flag/DMCA is wasted. Why not ask a more pointed, but less coached, question? "Do you feel the DMCA has provided adequate, insufficient, or excessive protections to copyright holders?" "Do you support or oppose the mandatory compliance of electronic devices with the digital broadcast flag?" "Do you support or oppose the DMCRA?"

Amoung the thing that they do they offer various types of certifications to programmers. Strangely they offer Linux certification. I suggest that people boycott this program while the parent body continues to undermine open source world wide

1 - Does the fact that their webpage is translated only in spanish and portuguese mean that MS or any related company is concerned mainly about linux/OSS gaining market shares in latin america?
2 - are they going to behave like SCO did and terminate their Linux certification ?
(BTW, what's this certification worth? is it better than RHCE or LPI?)

It would appear to me that the ISC is grossly misrepresenting their membership base by stating that 'together the ISC and CompTIA have 110 corporate and individual members in Australia'. I would suggest that a vast majority of those are individuals 'looking for the tools to develop [their] career[s]'. I would go so far as to say that without surveying their membership base, to say that members of the parent organisation are aligned with the values of its subsidiary is misleading, and if I were a CompTIA member I would be most unimpressed by this misrepresentation. If you happen to be a CompTIA member, perhaps you should make it clear that you do not necessarily agree with the ISC, and that these figures should therefore be taken with a grain of salt. In fact given this creative accounting, I would be wary of paying attention to anything this organisation has to say.

It's why open source is a grass roots movement. We aim to capture hearts and minds on a fundamental and righteous level. We target the wallet second.

Open source saves the government money. Open source would create more governemnt jobs, by not only keeping existing support personnel, but also by creating openings for developers that would tailor systems to the ever-evolving government technology base and needs. It makes complete sense to switch to open source. Why we don't switch is easy to see: Microsoft gives military politicians plenty of incentive not too.

Britian, France, Japan, Peru, China and Germany are all moving to Linux and open source. Hell, some are even writing up legislation that gives incentives to businesses that do so as well. Why aren't we (the United States)?

The site www.comptia.org
is running Microsoft-IIS/5.0 on Windows 2000.

Strange, this is one of the companies behind it, and they do linux...

Mark

Hmmmm, I am a worker of ordinary knowledge and from what I see this invention is pretty obvious.

I'll show you how a computer science student with no electrical training could have thought up this mod.

The Apple II, C=64, Amiga, and Atari ST computers had their keyboards built into their cases. Some desktop x86 PC cases, and all notebook computers, are the same way. Call this piece of prior art "Keyboard In PC Case".

Some users have suggested modding a PC keyboard using microswitch buttons from an actual arcade machine, or otherwise connecting a JAMMA joystick to a PC using the PS/2 keyboard interface. Call this "Keyboard With Arcade Buttons".

Keyboard In PC Case + Keyboard To Arcade Buttons = what Ed is selling. Given the design goal "arcade enclosure for a device that runs software designed for Microsoft Windows", and given the prior art, I don't see how anybody with a CompTIA A+ certification could not have come up with such a mod.

Ed, could you provide more information on relevant patents so that we can know what you invented?

I would like to retrieve some of them, but I (a) haven't seen a 5.25" floppy drive in years

I'm in an A+ certification class. I saw a PC 5.25" diskette drive two days ago.

can't find any software that will read those formats.

GNU 'strings' will extract all ASCII text from a file format. If that doesn't work, you can always pull up the file in GNU Emacs's hexl-mode (or other hex editor) and try to guess how the text is stored. For instance, if you see a lot of strings of bytes from 0xa0 to 0xff, you probably have ASCII or'd with 0x80. With a bit more practice, you can recognize even parity.

I have LPI and Sair certifications. The other widely-recognized certifications are Linux+ (which I'll be getting soon) and Red Hat RHCE (which is expensive). In order of importance (i.e. worthy of respect), I'd rank them RHCE, LPI, Linux+, and Sair. The RHCE includes nearly a full day of hands-on installation and troubleshooting, making it quite difficult, much like Cisco's CCIE.

My memory says it was founded in the early 90's, but it could have been as early as the late 80's. Sure, CompTIA's site is thin on information, but even their A+ FAQ's [comptia.org] first question is:

Will I be able to become A+ certified on the 1998 objectives after March 30, 2001?

Why Support Public Policy? In 1999, CompTIA developed state and federal legislation that would create tax credits for training in the IT sector. One state bill has passed, and federal legislation is receiving growing support. Only with your support will it become law.

Hmmm. CompTIA awarded me my A+ Certification in 1999. In my previous job, one of my coworkers got his certification in 1998.

So, CompTIA's been around for awhile. My memory says it was founded in the early 90's, but it could have been as early as the late 80's. Sure, CompTIA's site is thin on information, but even their A+ FAQ's first question is:

Will I be able to become A+ certified on the 1998 objectives after March 30, 2001?

Anyone else find it rather odd that supporting opinions from the Associate for Competative Technology and the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism? Maybe not. But then they also were both formed in 1998. Call that a coincidence. Also, the Computing Technology Industry Association was formed in 2000 (as far as I can tell).

I didn't bother searching for the other two opinions for the settlement. Here's hoping that the judge can read between the lines here. Lord knows I can't figure out just who is the main contributer to these organizations.

Here's a basic overview from 1998.

A quote from the article:

The Justice Department and the states contend that Microsoft is violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was passed by Congress in 1890. The act has two sections. The first section prohibits certain types of agreements that restrict the flow of trade. The second section prohibits the misuse of monopoly power, namely anti-competitive actions that seek to maintain that monopoly power and actions that attempt to use that monopoly power to dominate another market.

I found a more recent summary of the Court of Appeals decision, some of which "reverses" my thinking -- in actuality, the antitrust code does not directly confer a right to compete to the competitors of a monopoly market. But it does guarantee that the consumers have a right not to be harmed by anti-competitive practices by the monopoly holder. This tends to mean the same thing, but not always. Microsoft has apparently argued effectively that since they have not raised prices the way the old monopolists did, that they have not harmed consumers.

There are plenty of "geek" charities where you can donate these computers. See a couple here. Also check out private schools in your area.

Many organizations in third-world countries will use these as production systems. A couple years ago, I managed to scavenge about 12 throw-aways from various companies and sent them to my father-in-law's business in Jamaice, where they were perfectly suitable for their DOS-based accounting system.

My understanding is the in the USA you do things differently thant he rest of the world: the rest of the world has apprenticship programs that lead to certification in a trade, but in the USA people join a union and the union claims all it's workers are "up to code".

Well there are several IT certification programs that don't require membership in any organization (A+, MCSE, CCNA, etc.). Most contracting firms will pay for their employees to get certified, so they may be supplanting those functions that you attribute to trade unions. Ensuring worker wellbeing is not their primary role, but they do have a stake in keeping employees happy since they only make money from their clients while their contractors are on the job.