mp4/3 files

gregnotso

is there a download to the course materials?

fcioanca

Check the Course Resources page in the Course Introduction chapter. You will be able to download the image for this course.

gregnotso

thx for the tip, but do i really need to give them my cc# to open it?

fcioanca

Hi @gregnotso, no credit card should be required. Can you please be more specific as to where exactly you were prompted to provide such information?

gregnotso

i don't have the box account and they ask for CC# even if i were to open a trial account.

fcioanca

You should have VirtualBox installed on your machine prior to attempting the labs. This does not require a CC. Downloading the fabric image for this course does not require a CC, nor doing the labs.

gregnotso

can virtualbox open box image files? and once i open the image will they contain the actual mp4/3 files that i can watch and listen to rather than read off the power points? box.com is asking for cc#. i am asking about the format of content delivery and not the actual fabric work materials.

fcioanca

If you are already enrolled in the course, the only way to view and interact with the content is using our LMS. The content is delivered via several methods, text, videos, labs, etc. The only resources that are downloadable are the lab pdfs and the image for the lab, and nothing else. I am not sure what made you use box.com, but this is definitely something that is never mentioned in the course, nor recommended by us.

gregnotso

so, there are no mp4/3 files to download to run them offline? it's disappointing as coursera and other MOOCs allow those media for enrolled course participants and many are free. i don't care about box.com but the image has the extension of .box so maybe it would open the image for me, but there is no point if there are no mp4/3 files in it.

fcioanca

LFD271 is not a MOOC, and therefore the LMS used for this particular course (and others similar to this) has different features - the content is not available offline, nor can you download it. You have access to the course content for one year. The vagrant image you are supposed to download is what you will use to build your Fabric environment, following the lab instructions.

gregnotso

are any other Linux foundation classes MOOCs or is this LMS format usual for delivering educational content here?

coop

There is a large catalog of free of charge Linux Foundation MOOCS at edx.org. These are often aimed at a different audience, or are precursors to the non-MOOC e-learning courses. Anything with a name like "LFS1xx" or "LFD1xx" is at edx.org if you look at our course catalog at https://training.linuxfoundation.org. Anything with a name like "LFS2xx" or "LFD2xx" is on this platform and has a fee and a different format. ("LF{S,D}{3,4}xx" are human instructor-led courses)

gregnotso

i would expect a fee for something that adds and not subtracts value - i understand that MOOCs are often just "commercials" for on-premise classes when the real cost recovery happens, but if a class is human-led there should be humans involved - beyond the 5 pre-recorded minutes from a postcard location

fcioanca

@gregnotso We have three major types of courses: free MOOCs (usually hosted on edX), paid elearning courses (such as LFD271), and paid instructor-led classes (which are usually 4-days long classes, either on-site or virtual, with a live instructor teaching the material). MOOCs are introductory courses, helping learners build a solid foundation on the topic taught, and preparing them to move to more advanced classes (either paid elearning or instructor-led classes), and furthermore, getting certified.

Please consult our training catalog for more details. Each of these three types of training brings substantial learning value.

coop

The human led classes are 4-5 days of in-classroom or over the internet virtual classroom and cost thousands of dollars. the e-learning catalog is a low cost alternative. I don't undertstand your insulting tone. there is no subtraction of value. Your only complaint is you cannot download the content, but you have complete access for a year. Please be more respectful, we are spending time trying to answer you. Keep in mind developing the e-learning and maintaining is a very expensive proposition and the cost to students is low

gregnotso

if someone considers charging a fee for a 5 minutes worth of instruction an insult then i'm taking it. if my calculations are correct, this amounts to a $2,400 hourly rate - not a chump change, regardless whether it's called a MOOC or not.

i'm also ok with getting reimbursed for the class if my comments here are an insult to anyone, especially other course participants.

fcioanca

@gregnotso I am not sure what made you assume that our instructor-led classes only have 5 minutes of instruction, or any other courses for that matter. Please do not confuse MOOCs with paid elearning and paid instructor-led classes - as a matter of fact, all of them contain solid content. These three types of training are completely different things. Also, please keep in mind that content is delivered using different means - text lectures, some video, lab exercises, etc. If you do not have first hand experience with some of these offerings, please do not make assumptions, or complaints regarding them. If you have anything else to add on this subject, please email training@linuxfoundation.org, as the forum is not the place for such discussions.

You should use the forum only for discussions related to the content of courses you are enrolled in.

gregnotso

@fcioanca

i'm not making comments about any other classes but this one, for which i'm paying. i have found not more than 5 minutes of live, pre-recorded video instruction and this is not an assumption, but if i'm missing any additional video or voice content please correct me here, before i make it more official with an email to training@linuxfoundation.org.

thank you, gregnotso

fcioanca

@gregnotso I believe there is a big misunderstanding here in how content is delivered. While some courses offered by other institutions are completely video-based, LF courses are not. We do not rely on video-based lectures. The reason for this is the nature of the software we are teaching, which are fast-paced, dynamic and changing constantly. To better keep up with changes of the technologies we are teaching in a sustainable way, our courses provide the content/instruction mostly via text. Video is scarcely used. If you take a better look at the course content, going page by page through the material taught you will actually see that it's very detailed. Just because it's not delivered as a video doesn't diminish its value - the text-based narration is as thorough as an explanation delivered as a video recording would be. Same as text lectures, lab exercises are provided as detailed step-by-step instructions in pdf documents. We understand that you have a preference for video-based courses, however, that does not mean that all elearning courses are video-based; and that does not make them less valuable.

JonathanLevi

Hi @gregnotso,

Sorry, I have just seen this.

Yes, that's correct - this class was designed more to be a "hands-on" class, which makes you try and work with Hyperledger Fabric on your own - so we provided the required "theoretical" background, in writing, so that you can learn it at your own pace.

We recorded some opening videos (yes, a short one to open each chapter), just to make it a bit more "energetic" and "fun" - but the bulk of the material (and the workload on our end) was in writing, coding, debugging, reviewing, etc...

As you progress through the class, I believe and hope you will appreciate how much work we put together in making Hyperledger Fabric - who can now build up their first network, play with transactions and experience working or developing the first steps of a real blockchain application, at their fingertips (on Linux, MS Windows of Mac).

The package also includes all the code for you to learn from - that you can play with an extend for learning.
Some of us felt that such a class will be more beneficial to get more people taste Hyperledger Fabric than just talking in front of the camera. Here we make the learners really "do things" step-by-step.

But sure, if you prefer a more visual, video-based class, then there are a few other alternatives out there.
I still believe that "learning by doing" in many cases, gives one that extra experience that also helps people feel that things are more "real" and are not just "good on camera".

Thinking it over, since learning about blockchain and getting familiar with building decentralized applications is a journey - I would encourage you to take the path that suits you the most.

My only recommendation here is: "Keep exploring!"
Personally, I keep learning new things all the time. Sometimes I fly to the other part of the world just to see some fresh new things in blockchains, in other times, some code is available at my fingertips and I can try it myself.

What's better? I don't know. It depends and in a way, I guess it is also up to you. From our end, we'll try to answer any question you may have.

Thank you,
Jonathan

gregnotso

Hi Jonathan,

thank you for your reply.

i do realize that you have been participating in the early efforts of making fabric work and remain active in the community and i do hope that you will remain active here as well. i would not worry about not being good on camera as we are not here "for the looks". if you plan on compensating by addressing questions from other class participants then it's all the win for all of us. i have been trying and learning by doing, but have found out from other MOOC platforms that, just like in real life, i learn most from others even if they only post questions and not always the correct answers.

even simple transcribing of the technical content in a form of a podcast helps in processing the information than can later be read and reworked as an exercise - i have found the combination of written theory, audio and/or visual content, along with access to a system and a retained knowledge testing mechanism to be the best for lifelong learning, regardless whether it's called a MOOC, an online course, or a live event stream. i have decided to postpone my active participation in this class until after July 2019 also for other reasons, but will be checking here from time to time in addition to what's happening on jira, github. and chat.hyperledger.org.

let's do another check then and maybe we will all working on 2.0 by then.

best regards, greg

JonathanLevi

Sure thing Greg - thank you for the kind words.

By the way, we are not working daily to release Fabric 1.3 (Release Candidate), and yes, Fabric 2.0 is going to be a new "family" of Fabric with some very nice features that will take us a while to develop.

I appreciate you deciding to wait for the next version. I am the last person who will say that working with blockchain and distributed ledger technologies has no "learning curve". So yes, I am with you. You should explore and invest (time or other resources) when you are ready.

If you are not "pressed" to develop something now, then sure - come back when you need it. The space is constantly moving and I predict that things will be even more powerful there.

Keep in touch and feel free to ask questions,
Jonathan

p.s. And I always thought that they elected me to become a release manager purely due to my look ;-) Joking, of course. Bye for now.