In March, the ever-innovating Linux Foundation announced a new program aimed at bringing the brains behind Linux together with developers-to-be in order to supply the increasing need for Linux talent. Now the program is going online, with the first two courses set to call roll by mid-month.

The original sessions of the Linux Foundation Training Program, held at the annual Collaboration Summit, took the form of in-person, hands-on training, a method that provides students an unmatched learning opportunity, but limits the number of students the program can reach. The addition of online courses takes the program to the students, complementing the continued on-site courses offered at Linux Foundation events, local training sessions in select U.S. cities, and by request, specialized training for corporate developers.

The first two courses, drawn from the selection of available on-site offerings, will be Essential Linux Device Driver Development Skills and Linux Kernel Debugging and Performance. Though information on specific instructors was not immediately available, the program's faculty includes Foundation CTO Ted Ts'o, LWN founder Jonathan Corbet, UC-Berkley's Dr. Kevin Dankwardt, LF Technical Advisory Board member Christoph Hellwig, and software engineer Jon Loeliger.

Course outlines for both Essential Linux Device Driver Development Skills and Linux Kernel Debugging and Performance are available on the foundation's website. Interested students can register for the courses though the website, or request additional information.

In addition to expanding the LF Training Program, the foundation is also expanding its individual member program, offering a number of incentives, including discounts of up to 30% on Linux Foundation events, the obligatory weekly newsletter, and one of three foundation t-shirts. Perhaps the most compelling feature, complementing last month's re-launch of Linux.com as a geek social networking paradise, is the option for individual members to claim an @linux.com email address — or, at least, forwarding address. The usual variety of partner discounts are available with the $99 membership, including everything from 20% off OSCON and 50% off SCALE to $10 off every $40 spent at ThinkGeek and, obviously the best perk of all, 15% off subscriptions to our very own Linux Journal.

Interested individual members-to-be can cough up the cash and claim their shiny new email address on the foundation's individual membership page.