Due to growing market demand, Linux training and services house Obsidian Systems, is announcing the immediate availability of Linux desktop training.
The course will provide corporate IT departments with the ability to roll-out Linux systems to the desktop, without the pressures of a gap in user productivity, but rather with the understanding that the users will be as proficient on the desktop as they would be with any other operating system (OS).
Says Warren Bell, lead trainer at Obsidian Systems: "The reason we are looking to provide proficiency on the Linux desktop is because the market is maturing to a point where it needs more than just the hard-core technical Linux person. Clients are increasingly asking us for training for the average user not concerned with kernels."
The course will be delivered off the Red Hat Linux distribution, but all desktop training offered will be applicable to any flavour of the OS. The training will cover products such as Evolution for calendaring and e-mail, a Web browser like Mozilla; Open Office, which is designed to look and feel like other major office applications as well as provide the same functionality, and desktop configuration and management.
"We want our students to be able to walk back into their offices with the same proficiency in the new system as they had on the old one with no dip in productivity. This is, after all, the biggest fear of any corporate investigating Linux on the desktop," adds Bell.
Over and above the basic office productivity tools, Obsidian will also tailor training in accordance with the needs of each client - this will include running multimedia packages, productivity tools, and graphics packages on Linux. Students will also gain valuable training on how to configure and maintain their desktop environment.
"The course will be offered in one of two ways. Either we train the users ourselves, onsite or in our training facilities, or we train what one could term `missionaries` in the organisation, who could deliver the training to their own users. It is important for any large organisation looking to adopt a new OS to ensure that onsite staff have a base understanding of the system," adds Bell.
But is Linux ready for the desktop? According to Bell, there is a major pull from the market for companies to start exploring the use of the system as a desktop OS. The Canadian government currently runs the majority of its systems off of the Linux platform, including the desktop, in New Zealand there are a number of large financial institutions doing the same, and within our own borders, the government especially is looking at large scale Linux desktop roll-outs.
"If one looks at the Linux market currently, I would say that the software is about as close to being ready as it has ever been. But possibly more importantly, the vendors in the market are where they need to be for Linux to be a success, and enough capital is going into the research and development of the product," states Bell.
As part of its service offering, Obsidian can provide clients with ongoing telephonic support as well as student correspondence, to update them on events within the Linux community.
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