[Linux-aus] Re: Job Database

[Leon Brooks]

On Sunday 16 February 2003 08:08 pm, Brent Wallis wrote:
> I am speaking in terms of one corporate
> entity getting together with another for the sake of VLS projects centered
> on GNU/Linux. Linux has risen beyond the single person being able to
> satisfy another much larger entities needs. It's now at the gates of large
> corporates and there is a need to get those capable out there in front of
> the rest in order to satisfy the every increasing demand. Without it, Linux
> consultancy is in danger of pricing itself out of the market in the short
> term thorugh "lack of quality supply".

Very much agree. SLPWA have been collectively tendering (usually 
non-conformant tenders, since the turkeys writing up the specs don't appear 
to know that anything outside Microsoft exists) for Gummint contracts that 
would require at least a handful of Linux people to be implemented with any 
sensible degree of timeliness.

There are other contracts that would require scores of people (e.g. rolling 
out Internet workstations in shire-level libraries all across WA within a few 
weeks, we're talking about maybe 3000km of coastline plus sundry inland 
towns, hundreds of locations) which we simply cannot address.

For those occasions, having a job database which can be used for casual 
contracting as well would be handy (`give me everyone in this set of postcode 
ranges who is willing to share contracts for wireless LANs'). The information 
would be nearly the same. For example, a lone-wolf contractor could specify 
that they're prepared to take on either a long-term job-like situation or 
individual small contracts or one-off jobs ('my gateway caught fire, bring an 
extinguisher when you come').

Administering this, and setting it up properly, is almost certainly going to 
require more effort than we can reasonably expect from any volunteer. I 
suspect that an open-source-style job exchange, once up to speed, will be a 
crucial component for penguinising Australian IT. Putting those two ideas 
together means that we should probably be considering paying someone or 
sometwo real money to be (a) real part-time administrator(s) for it, in order 
to avoid yet another half-hearted wouldn't-it-be-nice-but-I-haven't-the-time 
flop.

Cheers; Leon

-- 
http://cyberknights.com.au/     Modern tools; traditional dedication
http://plug.linux.org.au/       Committee Member, Perth Linux User Group
http://slpwa.asn.au/            Committee Member, Linux Professionals WA
http://linux.org.au/            Committee Member, Linux Australia