‹ Reports
The Dispatch

Surge in Spam Issues Challenges Free-Certifications Project's Integrity

The Free-Certifications project, a community-driven repository offering free online courses and certifications, faces a surge in spam issues, threatening its content quality and user experience.

Recent Activity

Recent issues highlight a significant influx of spam, with 26 new issues lacking substantive content. This trend indicates a need for improved moderation to maintain the repository's integrity. Concurrently, several issues report previously free certifications transitioning to paid, such as #190 (GitLab) and #192 (Aviatrix), underscoring the necessity for regular updates.

Development Team Activity

Of Note

  1. Spam Issue Surge: The recent spike in spam issues necessitates enhanced moderation strategies.
  2. Certification Monetization: Transition of free certifications to paid models requires vigilant monitoring.
  3. Diverse Certification Additions: New additions from IBM, AWS, and Atlassian enhance repository value.
  4. Community Engagement: Strong collaborative efforts evident in frequent updates and merges.
  5. Content Accuracy Focus: Persistent efforts to correct outdated information reflect commitment to reliability.

Quantified Reports

Quantify Issues



Recent GitHub Issues Activity

Timespan Opened Closed Comments Labeled Milestones
7 Days 4 0 0 4 1
30 Days 4 26 0 4 1
90 Days 12 26 2 6 1
1 Year 64 56 32 40 1
All Time 92 66 - - -

Like all software activity quantification, these numbers are imperfect but sometimes useful. Comments, Labels, and Milestones refer to those issues opened in the timespan in question.

Quantify commits



Quantified Commit Activity Over 30 Days

Developer Avatar Branches PRs Commits Files Changes
Chris Woon (chriswoon) 0 1/0/0 0 0 0
Harry (HarryVasanth) 0 1/0/0 0 0 0

PRs: created by that dev and opened/merged/closed-unmerged during the period

Detailed Reports

Report On: Fetch issues



Recent Activity Analysis

The recent GitHub issue activity for the Free-Certifications project shows a surge of new issues, with 26 open issues created within a short timeframe. Notably, many of these issues appear to be spam or lack substantive content, raising concerns about the quality and relevance of contributions. A recurring theme among the issues is the reporting of certifications that are no longer free, indicating a need for regular updates to maintain the repository's accuracy.

Several issues highlight discrepancies in certification availability, such as #190 (GitLab certification) and #192 (Aviatrix certification), which have transitioned from free to paid. This pattern suggests that users are actively monitoring and contributing to the repository but may also reflect a broader trend in the educational landscape where previously free resources are becoming monetized.

Issue Details

Most Recently Created Issues

  1. Issue #244: Get certified with us

    • Priority: Low
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 0 days ago
  2. Issue #243: Dd

    • Priority: Low
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 0 days ago
  3. Issue #242: Certifications

    • Priority: Low
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 3 days ago
  4. Issue #240: Categorize every course by freeCodeCamp on its own row

    • Priority: Medium
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 5 days ago
  5. Issue #83: ArangoDB Certified Professional

    • Priority: Medium
    • Status: Open
    • Created: 582 days ago
    • Updated: 3 days ago

Most Recently Updated Issues

  1. Issue #83: ArangoDB Certified Professional

    • Last Updated: 3 days ago
  2. Issue #67: Dynatrace Certification

    • Last Updated: 696 days ago
  3. Issue #190: GitLab certification is not free

    • Last Updated: 203 days ago
  4. Issue #216: Free Udemy courses no longer include a certificate of completion

    • Last Updated: 113 days ago
  5. Issue #157: Palo Alto Networks Free certification exam coupon code upon completion of certification prep training during the event is fake information

    • Last Updated: 282 days ago

The mix of newly created and updated issues indicates active engagement from users, but the presence of spam and low-quality submissions could dilute the repository's effectiveness if not managed properly. The need for ongoing curation and moderation is evident to ensure that users can find reliable and current information about free certifications.

Report On: Fetch pull requests



Overview

The cloudcommunity/Free-Certifications repository is an extensive collection of free online courses and certifications across various fields, maintained by a community-driven effort. The analysis of the pull requests (PRs) reveals a continuous effort to update and expand the repository's offerings, with a focus on adding new certifications, updating existing ones, and ensuring the accuracy of the information provided.

Summary of Pull Requests

Open Pull Requests

  • PR #241: Adds the ArangoDB Certified Professional exam to the list. This PR is significant as it expands the database certification offerings in the repository.
  • PR #239: Updates AWS Certification Offer. This PR reflects ongoing efforts to keep the content up-to-date with current offers from major providers like AWS.
  • PR #235: Updates README.md with new certifications. This PR continues the trend of adding diverse certifications to cater to a broader audience.
  • PR #233: Adds StudySection online certification exams. This PR introduces a new platform for online certifications, further diversifying the options available to users.
  • PR #232: Adds IBM Training course and ATLASSIAN UNIVERSITY courses. This PR highlights the inclusion of well-known industry training providers, enhancing the credibility and value of the repository.
  • PR #223: Updates README.md with Journalism courses. This PR indicates an expansion into non-technical fields, broadening the repository's appeal.
  • PR #222: Adds CrateDB Academy to database section. Similar to PR #241, this PR adds more database-related certifications.
  • PR #221: Adds MITX course. This PR continues the trend of including reputable educational institutions in the repository.
  • PR #217: Fixes clarity regarding free certificates on Udemy and Coursera. This PR addresses user concerns about certification validity, showing responsiveness to community feedback.
  • PR #215: Adds free Git course and certification exam by GitKraken. This PR adds another technical certification, catering to developers and IT professionals.
  • PR #209, PR #208, PR #201, etc.: These PRs add various certifications from different providers, showcasing a consistent effort to expand and update the repository's offerings.

Closed Pull Requests

  • Many closed PRs involve updates to existing entries, addition of new certifications, or removal of expired offers. For example:
    • PR #211 and PR #210 updated ISC2 CC voucher details but were not merged, possibly due to duplicate efforts or timing issues with other updates.
    • Other closed PRs like PR #185, PR #180, etc., indicate ongoing maintenance work to ensure accuracy and relevance of the content.

Analysis of Pull Requests

The pull requests in the cloudcommunity/Free-Certifications repository reflect a robust community effort to maintain and expand a valuable resource for learners seeking free educational opportunities. The following themes emerge from the analysis:

  1. Continuous Expansion: There is a clear trend towards continuously adding new certifications from various providers across different fields. This is evident from multiple PRs adding certifications from well-known organizations like IBM, AWS, and Atlassian.

  2. Diversity in Offerings: The inclusion of certifications beyond traditional tech fields (e.g., journalism courses in PR #223) indicates an effort to cater to a broader audience, making the repository relevant to individuals from various professional backgrounds.

  3. Community Engagement: The active participation in updating and maintaining the repository suggests strong community engagement. Contributors are not only adding new content but also addressing concerns (as seen in PR #217) and ensuring that outdated or incorrect information is corrected promptly.

  4. Focus on Accuracy and Relevance: The presence of closed PRs that were not merged (like PRs #211 and #210) highlights an internal review process where contributions are evaluated for accuracy and relevance before being integrated into the main repository.

  5. Responsive Maintenance: The quick turnaround in addressing issues raised by contributors (as seen in PRs like #217) demonstrates a responsive maintenance approach, ensuring that users have access to reliable and up-to-date information.

In conclusion, the cloudcommunity/Free-Certifications project is characterized by its dynamic nature, with ongoing efforts to enhance its offerings through community collaboration. The analysis of pull requests reveals a commitment to providing accurate, diverse, and valuable educational resources for free, aligning with its mission to eliminate financial barriers to learning.

Report On: Fetch commits



Repo Commits Analysis

Development Team and Recent Activity

Team Members

  1. Karen Tamrazyan (karentamrazyan)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Merged multiple pull requests related to adding and updating various free certification courses.
    • Notable contributions include fixing duplicate entries and updating the README.md file.
    • Collaborated with multiple contributors, including César Freire, Rami Maalouf, and others.
    • Ongoing work appears to be focused on maintaining the repository's content and ensuring accuracy.
  2. César Freire (cesarfreire)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Contributed by adding Datadog Kubernetes training and fixing descriptive issues in the cognitiveclass.ai technology column.
    • Collaborated with Karen Tamrazyan for merging pull requests.
  3. Rami Maalouf (psycho-baller)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Updated README.md and contributed to fixing descriptive issues in the cognitiveclass.ai technology column.
    • Worked closely with Karen Tamrazyan on several merges.
  4. Jonas Kwiedor (gowizzard)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Added documentation for Postman API fundamentals certification.
    • Collaborated with Karen Tamrazyan on merging pull requests.
  5. Mike Munoz (mikemunoz)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Added two free Cisco U courses.
    • Collaborated with Karen Tamrazyan on merging pull requests.
  6. Diogo Murta (diogomurta)

    • Recent Activity:
    • Contributed to adding new certifications and fixing typos in the README.md file.
    • Engaged in collaborative merges with Karen Tamrazyan.
  7. Others: Various contributors such as Adrian Rubico, Farukh Zaheer Siddiqui, and others have also made contributions primarily focused on adding certifications and updating documentation.

Patterns, Themes, and Conclusions

  • Active Collaboration: The majority of recent activity is characterized by collaborative efforts among team members, particularly involving Karen Tamrazyan who plays a central role in merging contributions from others.
  • Focus on Content Maintenance: The team's activities predominantly revolve around adding new courses, fixing duplicates, and updating existing entries in the repository to ensure accuracy and relevance.
  • Community Engagement: The repository continues to attract contributions from various developers, indicating a strong community-driven approach to maintaining the project.
  • Stagnation in Recent Contributions: Notably, Harry Vasanth and Chris Woon have not made any commits or changes recently, suggesting potential disengagement or focus on other projects.

Overall, the development team is actively engaged in enhancing the Free-Certifications repository through collaborative efforts while maintaining a strong focus on content accuracy and relevance.