IBM is launching a new set of programs to tailor college students in the powerful IT company’s open source ways. Using a three pronged attack, IBM hopes to influence the future of software design. First, IBM is offering ‘Shared Software Infrastructure Hubs’ to universities for little or no cost. These hubs are based on IBM’s Rational Software Development platform, and IBM will provide the hardware necessary to run them (attack #2). Finally, Big Blue will open a database of job candidates that are skilled in open source software. To qualify for entry into this database, a person must attend a university covered by the above mentioned programs, and then pass IBM’s certification exams covering open source topics.
If this all works the way IBM plans, a new army of IBM trained open source advocates will be unleashed on the world, fresh out of college. So far, only Texas A&M has signed up for the program.
