Linked by David Adams on Thu 3rd Mar 2011 04:40 UTC, submitted by Amy Bennett
Later this year, Oracle will begin requiring people interested in gaining Java and Solaris certifications to attend "hands-on" training courses, at an additional cost of thousands of dollars. The new rule goes into effect Aug. 1 and regards Java Architect, Java Developer, Solaris System Administrator and Solaris Security Administrator certification paths, according to a notice on Oracle's website.
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RE: If you need certification ...
by Flatland_Spider on Fri 4th Mar 2011 14:40
in reply to "If you need certification ..."
Member since:2006-09-01
"Anyone one can get a bachelor's."
"Anyone can get a certification."
Like anything, what you get out of it is equal to what you put into it. If you actually want to learn something, you'll learn something.
I like certifications. They give me goals, show me where my gaps are, and they are a great way to get into a technology by giving me a baseline of knowledge.
Yes, there are assholes who just cram to pass, but there are people who use them as learning tools to measure themselves.
Programmers should probably go through something like astronaut training or boot camp.
"Bubble sort algorithm in C, now!"
"Yes, sir!"
"You're loops aren't tight enough, push!" 
Edited 2011-03-04 14:41 UTC
RE: If you need certification ...
by Soulbender on Sat 5th Mar 2011 23:25
in reply to "If you need certification ..."
Member since:2005-08-18
Features
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.More Features »
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2005-07-12
... just go with BrainBench.
All of their exams are online, some are free, and the paid ones are relatively inexpensive.
And recruiters and HR people actually reference them.
Now certainly these exams aren't as hard as the "official" exams, and you use whatever materials you want while taking the exam. So these exams don't garner as much respect.
But exams in general really don't prove much, other than the ability to cram, and general test taking skills. And the idea is to show your ability as a programmer, or DBA, sys admin, or whatever. But passing an exam shows nothing of the sort. It shows your ability to cram and memorize, practice, and your ability to take exams.
The questionable value of exams is especially true with software development. Software development is both a science and an art, and skills required are creativity, logic, and problem solving, none of which are really tested while taking an exam. Programming is much more than just rote memorization.
[soapbox]But unfortunately our education system is moving more in this brain dead direction, with the "no child left behind" testing obsessed nonsense.[/soapbox]