Slashdot Mirror
The Linux Foundation and edX Team Up for Intoduction to Linux Class
An anonymous reader writes "The Linux Foundation has teamed up with MOOC provider edX to teach an introduction to Linux class. Quoting the course description: 'This course explores the various tools and techniques commonly used by Linux programmers, system administrators and end users to achieve their day-to-day work in a Linux environment. It is designed for experienced computer users who have limited or no previous exposure to Linux, whether they are working in an individual or Enterprise environment.' The course begins on August 1st. In addition to the free version of the course, a verified track is available for students who want a credential with more weight (for a nominal price)." Update: As many have pointed out Linus just did an intro for the class. Headline corrected accordingly.
The "Talking To Nvidia" lesson oughtta be great!
I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
nuf said.
Today: Linus teaches how insult and yell at a developer through a single lined email.
Tomorrow: Why git is git.
Jokes aside this is great for Linus and the community.
lee noox
Isn't that this course?: http://linux.slashdot.org/stor...
The edX page for the course still shows Jerry Cooperstein as course staff.
Ok it'll be awesome just for the nerd stardom and will raise Linux visibility again. But isn't it basically the Linux user land explained by the kernel lead ? Is kernel that important at this introductory level ?
Why does an introductory Linux course need to be taught by Linus? Seems any Devry grad worth his salt can do the job.
Linus gave an intro speech for the course. That doesn't mean he's going to be teaching it.
The course staffer is Jerry Cooperstein.
well, maybe he wants to do such a course. OR maybe the LinuxFoundation needs money and thought a course taught by some celebrity will provide more of it. whatever, I think it's cool. ..but I'd rather have Bill Gates explaining how to set up an home network on Windows 95. Just for my private, perverse enjoyment.
Being a good teacher requires a particular set of skills I'm not sure Linus has, such as talking nice to idiots. (I kid! Treating (by definition ignorant) students like idiots is a fatal mistake). But seriously, being an expert in a field doesn't make you a good teacher, see: almost any college professor..
While this course will definitely get some name-brand recognition, I doubt it'll be better than a myriad other courses that exist already.
Misleading titles? Inflammatory blurbs? Keep in mind that Slashdot is a tabloid.
Yeah I was going to say; how much extra do you have to pay for him to berate you over a triviality?
If, while I was busy trying to figure out the latest package dependency hell I was in, I also wanted some asshole yelling "YOUR A FUCKING MORON! WHEN YOU GROW 2 BRAIN CELLS MAYBE YOU COULD FIGURE THIS OUT" over and over again, I think I could find someone cheaper than Linus Torvalds.
Those who can't do, teach.....oh, wait
Table-ized A.I.
That would be a GREAT thing though.
Dickish, creative and smart teachers are the best combination.
He won't stand around and sugar-coat crap for you, which is great.
Teachers that sit around and waste time are the biggest reason the education system is a massive failure in the US, UK and some parts of Europe.
Teachers that actually engage you and tell you that you fucked up quite openly are a godsend and sadly all too rare these days.
Teachers that actually go, "this whole curriculum is terrible, here is how I will be doing it instead" and do a whole 180 and manage to get great passes all around. (that new science teacher taught is more in 1.5 years than the other did in the previous 4 years!)
He broke down the very basics and rebuilt it, and even the generally thick-ish people in the class began to understand it.
My English teacher was fantastic for that, he was like a typical Educating Rita style teacher, outside of the drinking and smoking part.
I remember he suggested to write a review on The Commitments, the best. Plus, I got to write, "There's nothin' good abou' gettin' sand on your knob."
He was straight to the point, taught his classes well, and everyone liked him afterwards for it.
I'd get taught by Linus.
Let's see how he loves teaching me the wonders of Gentoo.
It would be inappropriate to hire a candidate just because he is cheaper. However, if you add the requirement that the candidate also be fluent in Finnish . . .
So you can get berated by an asshole when you ask a question or are unsure of how to do something. Yep. About the experience I get from the linux community at large. Based on some stories about how Torvalds treats his kernel develops I've read on this site, it sounds like lessons from Linus would be akin to being fucked up the ass by two pine cones.
Can you actually *use* linux? I had the impression that many of the command-line application-type thingies were predominantly part of the GNU OS and that linux was just the thing that talked to the hardware behind the scenes... or what fundamental thing am I missing here?
Linus is incredibly clever and dedicated, but the first assignment you hand in with a mistake is likely to cause a torrent of abuse from him.
Thats the great thing about torrents, the burden is shared.
This is a festival of (hundreds of) different links all alswering dozens of different questions! Get yourself a good Linux online tutorial, and work through it, while avoiding the certificates, log-in and sign-up problems, auditing and all the rest. You'll be glad you avoided the uneducated moeons who designed this "course".
If it was a bit more advanced I'd sign up in a heartbeat
I'm confused, too. I registered for that original course, taught by Jerry Cooperstein. When I log in and click the link to the new course, it says that I'm registered in it. But it says it's being taught by Jerry Cooperstein -- not Linus Torvalds.
Probably because any dev worth their salt has been clamoring for features and implementation of basic necessities for being able to develop drivers on the thing. Apparently having a device driver survive 2 weeks for a video card is a no no for torvalds.
That's what the subject says.
No mod points today, but parent is spot-on.
Linus is quite polite until you prove yourself an idiot -- then not so much. He didn't build a community of thousands of contributers by spewing insults at anyone and everyone.
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
From the course description: "Linux powers 94% of the worldâ(TM)s supercomputers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and a billion Android devices. In short, Linux is everywhere. It appears in many different architectures, from mainframes to server to desktop to mobile and on a staggeringly wide variety of hardware.
"This course explores the various tools and techniques commonly used by Linux programmers, system administrators and end users to achieve their day-to-day work in a Linux environment. It is designed for experienced computer users who have limited or no previous exposure to Linux, whether they are working in an individual or Enterprise environment."
So with Linux powering Android, supercomputers and Fedora/Ubuntu/name-your-favorite-desktop, just what is this course supposed to teach? System administration? How to add users in Android? How to "root" Ubuntu? The stuff that's common across the various incarnations of Linux is probably going to be so low-level as to be of interest only kernel developers. That or it's going to be so high level you can get more information just reading Wikipedia.
Does he call you a "fucking dumbass" if you ask the wrong question?
I'd rather learn from a street bum than that pompous prick.
Shouldn't his name be Gnu-Linus?
Just saying.
Just for my private, perverse enjoyment.
Thanks, got it
- NSA/GCHQ
OK it's not Linus, but I have been looking for a MOOC which covers Linux at a Stevens level.
Does anyone know if there is a text book involved? Is so what?
To me this seems like Linus approves of, even endorses this course, but that it is being taught by Dr. Cooperstein. I'll readily concede that the technical value of the course probably isn't hurt by this, but anyone looking to take this course for the chance to interact in any way with Mr. Torvalds is probably going to be disappointed.
I need a wheelchair van for my son. Help me get the word out. https://www.gofundme.com/wheelchair-van-for-jj
"You are n00b because everything you are asking is in the man pages."
..."
--- Typical response anywhere when asking a "Linux question"
OR
"You shouldn't be using [insert your distro] you should be using [insert their distro] because [the distro you are using sucks and here is why]
Priest: "Universe from nothing, no laws of physics, sped up time"+ huge discrepancies. Creationism? No. Big Bang Theory
LT: You **** *****, this is the biggest pile of **** **** I've ever **** seen in my entire **** life! What ***** **** did you **** ****....
Me: Wait a minute sir, I'm here to learn Linux.
LT: Oh sorry, that's down the hall to your right. This is kernel code review.
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/14/03/08/2258208/2400-introduction-to-linux-course-will-be-free-and-online-this-summer
its been 10 weeks so we need this storyrecycled? Will they recycle it again since it doesn't start until Aug 1???
Teachers that sit around and waste time are the biggest reason the education system is a massive failure in the US, UK and some parts of Europe.
You've attended enough schools in enough of the US, UK, and Europe to be able to make that claim? No, of course you haven't, coward. Sit down and shut up.
The rest of your post reads like a wannabe's Hollywood script.
I am Audience.
The stuff that's common across the various incarnations of Linux is probably going to be so low-level as to be of interest only kernel developers. That or it's going to be so high level you can get more information just reading Wikipedia.
This is absolute nonsense. Differences between distros center mainly around:
1. Different package managers
2. Locations of certain files
3. Configuration (e.g. YaST, sysconfig, etc.)
> Update: As many have pointed out Linus just did an intro for the class. Headline corrected accordingly.
> The Linux Foundation and edX Team Up for Intoduction to Linux Class
You might want to try that one more time ...
Ok what is intoduction? I can't find it in any dictionary but it's in the title of the post.
I'm pretty sure that's not how you spell introduction
Do you think they would go over getting your WiFi to work? I've been wanting to switch to Linux ever since I got a new laptop with Windows 8, but I can't get the WiFi card to work. I figured if I was going to be irritated about a UI anyway, that I might as well give Unity a second chance.
P.S. Fuck Beta.
I inquired about the cost of the Verified Certificate course and got the following response:
Thank you for your interest in edX and Introduction to Linux. The minimum fee for the verified certificate is $250. You can absolutely still participate without paying for the verified certificate - just choose to either audit the course or to receive an honor code certificate. Both of these options are free.
To choose an honor code certificate in a verified course, click "Register". You'll be brought to a Select Track page. Here, scroll down and choose the blue text: "Why do I have to pay? What if I don't meet all the requirements?" You will see the option for an honor code certificate.
Please let me know if you have any other questions and enjoy the course!
It's just an online hangout for hipsters, ne'r-do-wells, Makers, gaywads, dorkwads, and losers who don't understand a particular piece of technology. Meanwhile the organizers get clickstreams and relevance.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.