Microsoft Launches Distance Learning Initiative

Microsoft Launches Distance Learning Initiative

Microsoft launched on Nov. 14 its Microsoft Official Distance Learning initiative (MODL), a blended learning program that uses Microsoft Office Live Meeting to conduct MCT-led classes, which students then reinforce with self-paced homework assignments and scenario exercises. According to MODL Innovations Product Manager Wendy Johnson, MODL is a more productive and convenient alternative to previous learning program models, which typically cram lessons into a mere five days, and require students to leave their offices for the classroom. By contrast, Johnson said, each MODL class is spread over a five-week period, with ample time between classes to review and practice the concepts covered. And since the classes are online, employees will have to worry less about sacrificing productivity.

Check out the rest at MCPmag.com.

Official warning on Mac code bug

Official warning on Mac code bug

The federal US computer security watchdog has issued a warning about a bug in Apple's OS X operating system.
The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US Cert) issued the alert after security researchers produced code that could exploit the DMG bug.

The flaw involves the way OS X handles disk images and could be used to crash or take over a vulnerable machine.

So far the DMG bug has only been shown to work under laboratory conditions and has not been seen in the wild.

The DMG bug came to light during a month-long project run by the Info-Pull research group that aimed to find one "kernel" bug a day. The kernel is the heart of an operating system.


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Pay for IT Certs Down, Noncert Skills Up

Pay for IT Certs Down, Noncert Skills Up

According to the latest quarterly edition of the “Hot Technical Skills and Certifications Pay Index” report from IT workforce research firm Foote Partners, pay for IT certifications went down an average of 2 percent during the third quarter, which ended Oct. 1. This marked the largest quarterly decline recorded by the firm since 2004. For the year overall, 129 surveyed certifications have dropped an average 1.2 percent in value. Meanwhile, the report states, pay for noncertified IT skills increased 1.4 percent on average for the quarter and 4.8 percent in the past six months, which contributed to a 7 percent value increase over the last 12 months.

Find out what else the future my be in store for IT certifications at CertMag.com

Gates on Vista, Linux and more

Gates on Vista, Linux and more

Bill Gates is pretty confident that when he spots an emerging technology, it will emerge. Exactly when that happens, though, is sometimes a question mark.

Tablet computing and interactive TV are just two examples where Gates has pushed Microsoft to get involved, though the markets have taken a long time to develop.

"My instincts, if they're wrong, it's usually not about what's right," the Microsoft chairman told CNET News.com during a swing through Silicon Valley on Wednesday. "It's about timing."

In the first part of an interview with News.com, Gates speaks about Zune and Office. In the second part, he reveals his favorite feature in Windows Vista, why he'll keep pushing for a new file system, and the role of open-source software.

Read the whole interview here

LPI rolls out new Linux training partner program

LPI rolls out new Linux training partner program

The LPI (Linux Professional Institute, the vendor-neutral Linux certification organization, has announced an improved training partner program for Linux training organizations around the world: The LPI-ATP (LPI Approved Training Partner) program.

While certifications may not be as valuable as they have been in the past for IT workers, they can still be a valuable first step into the growing world of Linux jobs.

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Linux Distribution Debian 4.0 "Etch" suffers delays

Linux Distribution Debian 4.0 "Etch" suffers delays

The developers of the Linux distribution Debian have now made the first Release Candidate of the new installer, which represents the most important new feature of the new Debian Version 4.0 ("Etch"), available. The RC1 makes use of the Linux Kernel 2.6.17 for all architectures that support Debian; for a list of further changes and new features please consult the developers' announcement.

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Linux desktop domination "just a matter of time"

Linux desktop domination "just a matter of time"

According to Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical Ltd. and the Ubuntu Linux distribution in an interview.

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Study with Others: Knowledge Sharing or Groupthink?

Study with Others: Knowledge Sharing or Groupthink?

It goes without saying that there are benefits from studying with colleagues to prepare for certification exams. When you bring in another person (or persons) with whom you can learn, you’re boosting the information available to both of you by aggregating the knowledge of multiple individuals. When you get together, you can share what you’ve learned through training and experience and use each other’s comprehension of technologies and techniques to succeed in your credentialing efforts. Yet, there is one pitfall of working with others: groupthink. For those not familiar with the term, it’s a deliberately Orwellian description of a group of individuals suppressing their own views and making their expressed opinions conform in order to “go along with the crowd” and “not rock the boat.” Decisions afflicted by groupthink often fail to take into account the full range of possible alternatives, employ...

Microsoft says it's willing, but Red Hat rejects alliance

Microsoft says it's willing, but Red Hat rejects alliance

Microsoft Corp., which has agreed with Novell Inc. to make Linux and Windows compatible, opened the door Thursday to a similar alliance with Red Hat Inc.

"We are willing to do the same deal with Red Hat Linux and other Linux distributors," Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said at an SQL database software conference in Seattle.

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Oracle have now got their own "Red Hat" linux, MS and SuSE now can run on the same machine - whats happening to the linux world? Red Hat wont budge they are bigger than Novell in the Linux world!

Nokia Partners with Red Hat

Nokia Partners with Red Hat

Nokia and Red Hat have announced a collaboration to develop carrier-grade telecommunications solutions that meet the high performance and availability requirements of operators.

As part of the deal, Nokia will deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux as its primary operating system for carrier-grade platforms; while Red Hat will provide Nokia with onsite consulting, support, certification, and training services.

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