Free Introduction to Linux Course, Through edX, Is Online

Today, the Linux Foundation "Introduction to Linux" course, which previously cost $2,400, is becoming available for free on the web. You can get the details and register here. The Linux Foundation has provided a very complete summary of what is found in the course, and it looks like an excellent offering that anyone can dive into online, without pressure. As we've noted many times, edX, which is hosting the class, has also emerged as one of the top destinations for online learning.

The online course is taught by Jerry Cooperstein, a scientist and Linux Foundation employee who has extensive experience teaching college-level courses. Participants in the class who front up $250 can also get a "Verified Certificate of Achievement" from edX, which might have some value in the job market, where Linux skills are in demand.

Here are the details on the class:

"Designed for people who have limited or no previous exposure to Linux, this hands-on four-day 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. Upon completion of this training you should have a good working knowledge of Linux, from both a graphical and command line perspective, allowing you to easily navigate through any of the three major Linux distributions. For more details view the Course Outline."

EdX is a non-profit online learning organization with nearly 30 global institutions under the xConsortium participating, and it has been a leader in the free online education arena for several years. The organization has also released the code for its learning platform under an open source license. The goal is to get developers to contribute to a next-generation online learning platform that can be best-of-breed. Given the success that EdX has had with institutions ranging from MIT to U.C. Berkeley to Stanford, that could be a fruitful pursuit.

Perhaps edX and its new, free online course can introduce a lot more people to Linux. Check out the details here, and note that there are about 40 to 60 hours of time required for most students to go through all course materials.