[Cert] Checking In

[John Hicks]

 > Kwan Lowe wrote:
 >> Do you want to setup an initial meeting?
 >>
 >> Also, if everyone could chime in on their location and availability it
 >> could help
 >> with the initial scheduling.
 >>
Adam Glass wrote:
> It may also help to know who is on the list as an active participant, 
> planning to attend meetings and study for a cert, vs. who is here out of 
> curiosity and perhaps to learn a thing or two.
> 
> I'm in the latter category  :)
> 

Well, I guess I'd better check in. I'm in Kentucky for the forseeable 
future and so won't be able to make any meetings.

I've had "certifications" on my to-do list for a number of years but 
have never quite moved it to the top. Other commitments (earning a 
living, family matters, personal matters) have crowded it out. I signed 
up for the list with the hope that being a part of the group might give 
me the incentive to make the time to make some progress in this area.

There might be something to be said for requiring a certain commitment 
from each member in order to be able to stay on the list. I know it can 
be discouraging to be part of a group where everyone seems to be 
shirking responsibility.

I'll wait and see what the rest of the list says. If we are all 
overcommitted, the solution might be to adopt a slower pace. But if you 
can identify four or five who are ready to go for it at a faster pace, 
then don't let the rest of us slow you down.

As far as what I can contribute, I can think of two things:

--I'm not a pure geek, but I have a varied background in mainframes, 
some Netware, and DOS (mainly pre-Windows), and have been working with 
RedHat Linux since 1999. The mix might be a little help (or it might be 
distracting).

--I run my own webserver, host a number of sites with my own CMS, and am 
interested in the general area of online commmunities and collaboration. 
I can set up a site for the group in no time using my CMS, giving each 
of you a login. Plus, if you know of some good collaboration software, I 
would be amenable to installing it and making it available to the group. 
(Of course, in this group I realize this is like offering to bring some 
extra sand to the beach party. :)

FWIW, my server is RHES 4. Since it's a production server and my 
livlihood depends on it, I won't be able to give out root logins or 
anything, but it's available as a resource if we need to compare 
different distributions or versions.

OK, so far we've heard from:

--Larry Kagan
--Kwan Lowe
--Adam Glass
--and me, John Hicks

That leaves 12 more of us who haven't checked in. Where do the rest of 
you stand?

Regards,

John