The Linux Foundation Announces 2011 Linux.com Gurus

Annual recognition of most active Linux.com community members helps to surface unique Linux talent to potential employers

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the Top Five 2011 Linux.com Linux Gurus, including the Ultimate Linux Guru who is the Linux.com member who accumulated the most contribution and participation points over the last year.

According to IT career website Dice.com, job postings asking for Linux knowledge are up 47 percent year-over-year. Because Linux is powering everything from smart phones to tablets and supercomputers to smart grids, job seekers with Linux experience have an advantage in today’s job market. By collaborating with a global network of Linux users, active Linux.com members are put into the community spotlight and can receive unique and highly respected recognitions that can advance their careers.

The Linux.com Gurus are awarded their status based on points accumulated by contributing to a variety of activities on the site. The program totals points earned from February 16 through February 15 of each year. During this time period this year (February 2010 – February 2011), more than 500 community blogs and 4500 message board posts were published. More than 2600 comments were posted to articles, blogs and boards, and nearly 700 answers were provided to questions posed by the community.

This year’s most active Linux.com contributors and the 2011 Linux.com Gurus are:

Ultimate Linux Guru Matthew Fillpot (mfillpot) is a development and training specialist at an international travel company. He has been a Linux user since 2000, was ranked among the Top Five Linux.com Guru’s in 2010, and has been a Linux.com moderator since early 2009. As the Ultimate Linux Guru, Matthew will receive a fully loaded “Dream Linux Machine.”

Linux Guru Aaron Aceves (adnhack) is a software engineer at Softek and says he was “born to be a geek” and that he “likes Linux, tech, coding and Mustangs.”

Linux Guru Andrea Benini (ben) has been a systems administrator for nearly 20 years and today holds that title, along with product manager, at Pluriservice. This is the second year Andrea has ranked among the Top Five Linux.com contributors.

Linux Guru Shane Hatcher (ShaneH57) is a student who is planning a career as a Linux Systems Administrator after graduation. Shane is also a volunteer at his local fire department and rescue squad.

Linux Guru Istimsak Abdulbasir (saqman2060) is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiastic that loves to learn new skills and enjoys simplifying complex technical materials. Istimsak is also a Linux.com moderator.

The Top Five Gurus will receive invitations to attend this year’s Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit where they will participate in the annual Linux.com Planning Meeting. The meeting will focus on ongoing improvements for the important community resource. The Collaboration Summit is an invitation-only, exclusive event and takes place April 6-8, 2011 in San Francisco (http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/collaboration-summit).

Each of the Top Five Gurus will also receive digital Guru badges to further market their skills to potential employers and demonstrate their status among peers. The Top 50 Linux.com Linux Gurus are showcased here: http://www.linux.com/community/linux-gurus/top-gurus.

“The Linux.com community is an active and engaged global network of my peers who are constantly exchanging information and ideas,” said Matthew Fillpot, the 2011 Ultimate Linux.com Guru. “By contributing to the site, I am able to help others learn about Linux while picking up new tips for myself – all while putting my skills on display.”

“We want to thank this year’s Linux.com Guru’s for their important contributions to the community, and we are happy to provide a forum in which information can be exchanged among the world’s Linux users,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs, The Linux Foundation. “The 2011 Linux.com Guru’s are gaining an important recognition that can help them market their skills in an increasingly lucrative and competitive area of IT: Linux development and administration.”

For the community, by the community, Linux.com strives to be the central source for informed, reasonable, and intelligent Linux information across the server, desktop, mobile and embedded areas. Popular Linux.com resources include original daily tutorials and articles; a Linux directory; Linux videos; the Linux.com Merchandise Store; and community forums and blogs; among other features. More information about the Linux.com Linux Guru program, including “Guru” point values, is available at http://www.linux.com/welcome-community. For more information, please visit http://www.linux.com.

Linux users can also take advantage of The Linux Foundation’s training program to help advance their careers. For more information on training from The Linux Foundation, please visit the Linux training website.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, and Yocto Project trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.