Linux has made it with the big guys. IBM, Disney, Merrill Lynch and Hewlett-Packard (to name a few) have all jumped on the Linux bandwagon, and a couple are busy playing the trumpet. For these large companies, the cost savings of using Lintel instead of UNIX or Solaris are compelling.

But what about the little guys? What about schools, city governments and small businesses? These are not the domains of big companies; they are the domain of either the in-house Linux geek or the small, local Linux consultant.

So, how does one become a Linux consultant? How much do they charge? What overhead rate do they build into the hourly rate? How do they find their customers? Inquiring minds (and those with programming jobs outsourced to India) want to know.

Based on resources such as the Linux Consultant's Guide and the list of Debian Consultants, it seems like there are plenty of small consultants around. Why not ask them?

Hubcap Consulting, in conjunction with Linux Journal and Command Prompt, Inc., have created a short consultant's survey to try to connect the new with the old. It asks some of the questions a newbie consultant would be interested in.

If you are a consultant who makes any portion of your income by using free software, please consider filling out the survey. The more successful Linux consultants available, the more companies will choose Linux.

If we get enough participation, we'll publish an article in an upcoming issue of Linux Journal.