| PaulRichardson |
08-08-2013 01:22 PM |
Additional Assumptions/Constraints
Hi 273,
Thank you for helping correct course here.
- Before I posted this, I was not aware of just how very different FreeBSD and Linux are, or that the LPI Certification was Linux-specific.
- The old saying BSD on the Server, and Linux on the desktop, was (I thought) primarily just a reflection of the stability of BSD derivatives.
I am hoping you might also provide critique of some of my other assumptions, below:
- I suspect many people (especially more techie folks), would like to have quick easy access to a BSD/Linux box for months of learning.
- Bare metal/dual booting is too time-consuming (and risky if you've only 1 good box) for micro-learning moments modern busy adults have.
- They don't want to have to remote desktop to, or even worse, turn around in their chair, or KVM to a noisy electricity hogging extra box.
- They wouldn't mind very much the time expense and bandwidth hog of a 3 or 4 gig full-featured VM download, but what to do once they have it?
- In my experience, when adult IT workers download a BSD/Linux VM out of curiosity, they play with it once or twice, then abandon or forget it.
- In years past, I have downloaded a BSD/Linux VM, or installed it on a machine, I used it for what I needed, and then abandoned/forgot it.
- MANY IT pro's w/over a decade using Win/Mac, who work FT, are too locked into workflows/toolsets to migrate 100% (home AND work) to BSD/Linux.
- After a few bad experiences seeking/trying/struggling with new tools that don't work as well, as easily, as quickly, they'll start to look back.
- Most people still in the early summer of their career, are more immune to change than those of us in the Fall, whence we begin become brittle.
- Even though running Linux as host, and when no alt. app works, not even Wine, then using Win VM, would together work fine, people won't do it.
- My own interest (as instructor), is more focused on using technology in the various stages of IT curriculum design, navigation, and delivery.
- What I have learned about adult students, is that they EXPECT a standard of learning ease, efficiency, and segmentation unheard of 10 yrs ago.
- What adult IT students want, is a single downloadable VM that FREE, that they boot in Quemu/VB, and follow the prompts of embedded tutorials.
- They need to know that what they are downloading, is a fully functional, full-size OS, that they might then (after the tutorials) migrate to.
- This VM should be at their "SINGLE-CLICK" bechon, for quick, easy access, over a period of weeks, able to pick right up where they left off.
- This easy-to-run VM micro-learning experience should make no changes on their machine, be quickly available on their primary box, just-in-time.
Conclusion:
- As to whether the curriculum should focus on a BSD or Linux, I'm not sure which would be best, but I now know that the VM used depends on this.
- In addition, I have since started to consider two very different kinds of curriculum, one that might use a very small VM, and one much larger.
- One VM might be FreeBSD (possibly no desktop), with a no-install/portable emu (Quemu), as a very small package focused on BSDA Certification.
- Another VM, might be RedHat (with a desktop), but this time assuming virtualbox, and this one focused on RHCE/Linux+, or LPI Certification.
- And I could create one other VM, also much larger (with a desktop), assuming virtualbox, but focused on general usage/potential immigrants.
Guiding design principles regarding [ideal] "Low-Barrier Learning Content Qualities" (*): - near-instant access/portability
- near-zero setup/pre-learning
- state-saves/continuation
- segmentability/branching
- adjustable difficulty/speed
- transferability/sim fidelity
- zero risk/switching cost
* These principles are impossible to implement, and merely represent ideal design, to capture more successful learning moments, for more students.
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REFERENCES:
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CERTIFICATIONS:
LINUX VS. BSD:
QUEMU ON WIN:
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