??? about the future of Linux programming ...

I am a QA/CS Manager for a small software shop in NC, I have some experience with VB, ASP, SQL Server, etc. though I haven't programmed in two years. The possibility exists that I will join the unemployed very soon and I will be competing with VERY advanced developers in a rotten job market. So, I'm exploring the possibility of focusing on Linux when I start building my 'toolbox' to go back to work, and I have a few questions ...

To learn Linux administration and development, is Red Hat a good generic OS to start with, and will it run on older PII machines?

Which database do most professionals use with Linux? I've heard MySQL and Oracle but what do you guys see more of in the real world?

What web development language is most used by pros in the Linux world? Perl, Python, PHP, or still CGI?

Is anyone still using Apache and JSP? I worked in Java Server Pages for a couple minths but I haven't heard anything about it lately.

Any help at all is greatly appreciated!

Minh Thong

To begin with i applaud your decision to learn more about Linux and open source software, but you are already familar with the tools most employers are looking for. asp and VB anyway...i would brush up on those too, and maybe focus you applications toward management positions...

>>To learn Linux administration and development, is Red Hat a good generic OS to start with, and will it run on older PII machines?<<

yes, in my opinion Red Hat would be the the distro to learn, but learning any of the major three would be fine. In my experience, most of the major software developed for Linux is tested on Red Hat before anything else (Oracle and DOD's RTI are two examples). Also yes Red Hat runs on older machines, I have Red Hat 7.2 running on my old PII 300. If you're going to use a window manager, you need to have plenty of memory. Anyting over 128 should be fine. Otherwise without the GUI, Linux will cook with 64MB of ram.

>>Which database do most professionals use with Linux? I've heard MySQL and Oracle but what do you guys see more of in the real world?<<

This is tough one, as i don't really know of any success stories of large databases running on a Linux platform. MySQL is extremely popular as a backend for small to moderately sized web applications. It's easy to install and setup and adminstration is easier. Oracle is the standard, but I don't know how many people have deployed Oracle running on Linux.. If you have time (people spend their entire careers learning Oracle), i would become Oracle certified. They're always in demand. Postgresql is the open source answer to the more robust professional databases. Again, i don't really know if knowledge of Postgresql will get you a job.

>>What web development language is most used by pros in the Linux world? Perl, Python, PHP, or still CGI?<<

From what i've read and witnessed the combination of php/MySQL and Apache rules the open source web development arena.. Python is also popular for application development (Many of RedHat's administrative tools are coded in Python), but it's influence in the world of web development is limited to Zope, which is a Python application server. It's not as popular as php. CGI and Perl (you can code Zope scripts in Perl as well as python) are still used, but are considered "mature" technologies. Again most people use the open source tools because they are looking for a quality, inexpensive alternative. That usually means they're short on funds, and hiring new people with little professional experience in a tight market is out of the question. Don't get discouraged.

>>Is anyone still using Apache and JSP? I worked in Java Server Pages for a couple minths but I haven't heard anything about it lately.<<

I far as I know, yes. Apache is extremely popular, and there is an Open Source java application server, Tomcat, which enables jsp and servlets to to run with the static content served by Apache. There is tons of documentation on Sun's java site. http://java.sun.com.. I

RedHat is good... lots of people use RedHat, and lots of things are based on RedHat; but make sure you learn BSD too, as there are quite a few places out there that use true unix.

MySQL would be the big database program.

Apache is THE web server. Period. Don't let MS fool you into thinking otherwise, and the best part about Apache is that it runs right out of the box (so to speak).

Web scripting: Everything under the sun that you can learn, you should learn. One week someone wants a php developer, next week it's ASP, the day after it's perl (using mod_perl).

My personal opinion on JSP; it's more efficient to write the servlet myself.

Then again, I am one of the unemployed, and haven't been having a hell of a lot of success trying to change that, but I also don't have the "real world" experience that it sounds like you have, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

cheers!

starX
www.axisoftime.com

redhat is a good dist to start most people uses c or c++ mysql is the most populer sql database avaible in linux world and it is stable and we still use apache for web pages and php is a power full tool do not forget