Still in Dilemma

SunStar Pangasinan published this interesting article.

By June, this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) hopes to deploy more computers (actually the third batch of its kind) — that is, 1,200 schools throughout the Philippines.

The DTI guys, a report in the Inquirer said, are now evaluating the “post qualifying” bids for the PCs for Public Schools Project probably to see not just what’s “more advantageous to government” in terms of price but also practical considerations. Mainly, the DTI is trying to make up its mind on whether to use open source, Microsoft or Mac for operating systems of the PCs.

Behn Fer. Hortaleza, the writer argued:

I believe in a government that makes more sense than makes money. Mine’s just one voice though – two, if I may add Techno’s – to make it matter to the bids and awards committees of the DTI.

The issues are quite valid. Why waste so much money for software? The government can save a lot of money by using opensource. The savings can then be used to buy more computers for more schools. There are still a number of schools in the country who have no computers. Many of these schools are located in remote villages. I hope the government should consider this. Bayanihan Linux is a good option. It is not only stable and easy to install but it is supported by a strong community of users. Bayanihan was also design for the use of schoolchildren.

Bayanihan Linux: an IT project

June is about to end. The Bayanihan Linux developers announced earlier that BL version 4 will hit the road before the month’s end. There was even a bonus announcement that a server version is also coming. As I said earlier this is a very interesting event for the community. A good sign too that BL is alive and kicking.

Bayanihan Linux is an IT project. We just all hope that BL must be first and foremost user centered. The developers might be too concerned with technical details but they should keep in mind what the users want. After all they are the KING who will decide the fate of Bayanihan Linux. BL should not be like this

OSS: Oh sweet soul

It may not be specifically for Bayanihan Linux but big events happened in the Opensource community last May. Let’s take a look:

1. Of course I love Bayanihan Linux. I love SuSE, too. This is not an issue of “turn between two lovers” but I should say just a matter of convenience. I like BL for my desktop. Two of the servers I maintained are running SuSE. OpenSuSE released their second incarnation of GNU/Linux—OpenSuSE 10.1. OpenSuSE 10.1 boasts the integeration with XGL for the 3D accelerated desktop, XEN 3.0 for virtualization, Network Manager for WiFi access, YaST for package management and many more.

2. The release of the most awaited GNU/Linux distribution the Ubuntu 6.06. Ubuntu made a remarkable stride in conquering the desktop world. The concept of providing a distribution on a single CD that has everything that is needed for a desktop, rather than everything available, with the option of adding more programs later is proving both usable and popular. That as well as the legacy of a stable Debian release, and developers for that matter, combined with the concentration of usability guarantee its standing not only in the technical community but also with the generic user-land public.

3. Common Unix Printing System or CUPS version 1.2.0 was released. This piece of software provides many drivers for a wide range of printers and an excellent network infrastructure to handle remote printing. CUPS new released will help GNU/Linux positioned in the desktop market.

4. X.org released X11 7.1. X windows system might be not perfect but better than MS windows. The new release has better acceleration mechanisms including the AIGLX technology.

There’s more in June especially for BL. Before the month’s end BL developers hope to release version 4. There’s one more. Let’s expect for a server version of Bayanihan. When this comes, maybe i’ll start packing my SuSE just like my suitcase, ready for school.

BL in Inq7.net

Yesterday’s issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) announced the coming release of the new Bayanihan Linux.

The Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) will soon be launching the next desktop and server versions of the Bayanihan Linux operating system.

The ASTI Open Source Group recently launched the second beta release of Bayanihan Linux 4, based on the Debian GNU/Linux open source software, which is one of the most popular versions of Linux.

Previous versions of Bayanihan Linux, which were launched in 2001 were based on Red Hat Linux and Fedora, two other free Linux flavors.

Publicity like this is a positive development for Bayanihan Linux in particular and the Opensource community in general. With the wide readership of PDI it will surely help promote Bayanihan Linux as a stable, easy to install and reliable operating system. Let’s hope that there will be more like PDI who understand the real value and importance of opensource software.

T’was May

This blog was maybe sleepy last May but the Bayanihan Community was not. The Opensource Community in general is alive and kicking. These were some of what happened (forgive me if this came late).

For Bayanihan Linux:

1. Bayanihan Linux version 4 was available for beta testing. It’s now in beta 2. It can be downloaded here.

Make sure to check your downloaded iso: MD5SUM:f6ff8db914e7f6a6cff1d7f01808fcd0

2. BL is now debian-based. Previous releases were in Redhat-based package. It supports SATA and SCSI based hard disks and Nvidia drivers (current and legacy video cards) for video.

What you’re waiting for? Grab your copy. Tell us what you like most in this release. If not, the developers are very interested too to know why. After all, Bayanihan Linux is for us.

Maybe sleepy but not dead

Yes, this blog was in coma for weeks. I haven’t posted any updates nor any new events happening in the Bayanihan Linux community. Some of you might be aware that there are a lot of good things happening in the community. I’ll do my best to cover what has been left. This blog is not dead. Not yet dead. There were just some sleepy weeks. It might be in coma but absolutely not dead.

Honestly, I did not have enough time. My main job was quite demanding during the past weeks. As you all know, writing requires time. My schedule messed up. There were a number of things in my work needed urgent attention. One of the reasons was I’ll be leaving from work for a graduate school. Luckily, I got a scholarship to pursue a degree in information technology. I have to make sure that things are in order before I leave.

Going back to school welcomes new challenges. I just hope more opportunities are ahead. But one thing I’m sure, I now have a lot of time blogging and tweaking Bayanihan Linux.

Logo of Linux distributions

Maybe you can enumerate the different flavors or distributions of Linux. Of course, one is Bayanihan. But can you identify the logo of a specific distribution? For major distributions like RedHat/Fedora, Ubuntu or SuSe it’s easy to recall but for those not widely used, there may be some difficulties. This site has the collection of the different Linux distribution logo.

Linux Guide for Newbies

There are still a number in the community who are not quite familiar with Linux. In fact, a number of questions came in the Bayanihan Forum that validate this observation. For newbies, here’s a good site that offers a well written how-to guide on Linux. Of course, don’t forget to visit Sir John’s site to learn more about Linux- in Filipino.

ADDENDUM: This site also provides a great resource.

Phil. Universities adopt Open Source

Last week the Manila Standard Today, one of the country’s widely circulated dailies, reported that some 80 universities and colleges in the Philippines will incorporate open source subjects into their computer science (CS) and information technology (IT)-related courses under a program that seeks to help schools develop more employable graduates. This is in response to the growing demand of open source services and to enhance the skills of the students in open source software.

One strategy adopted is by allowing local tertiary-level schools offering CS or IT-related courses to download and use free open source course materials like syllabi, course presentations, laboratory workbooks, exercises and tests developed by the Asia-Pacific Colleges, Angeles University Foundation, Cebu Institute of Technology, Don Bosco Technical College, Mindanao State University Institute of Technology and the Department of Science and Technology Region 7 Open Source Computer and Security Laboratory. Presently, four courses covering the fundamentals of IT, operating systems, database management and web programming are available from the Philippine Open Source Initiative (Positive) web site (http://www.positive.ph) for download.

This positive development surely will strenghten the country’s competitiveness in terms of manpower capability in the fields of computer science and information technology. I just hope that these universities will consider Bayanihan Linux as one of their classroom reference materials. This is not difficult because there are already a number of Filipinos familiar with Bayanihan. They can be tapped for support. Aside from this Bayanihan is a good and stable open source software that is “gawang pinoy para sa mga pinoy”.

Click here to read more of this article.

Open Source Center of Excellence

An interesting article published in this site announced that the International Open Source Network (IOSN) has established three new Centers of Excellence in Asia and Pacific Region to address the growing information and technological needs. IOSN is an initiative of APDIP and supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. The newly established centers are the IOSN ASEAN+3, IOSN PIC (Pacific Island Countries), and IOSN South Asia. Together, these Centres will continue the research and development, networking, institutional strengthening, and training undertaken by IOSN over the last three years to advance the adoption of free/open source software, open standards, and open content across the region.

What is also inteesting is the participation of the Philippines to this initiative. During the launching of IOSN ASEAN+3, the Chancellor of the University of Philippines, Manila, Professor Ramon L. Arcadio, noted that “UP Manila is a leading advocate of free and open source software in the Philippines and that together with its many partners, it aims to sow the spirit and philosophy of open source design and development, and allow it to permeate the ASEAN+3 region.”

This must be something good knowing that we in the Bayanihan community is not alone in this lonely journey towards a brighter horizon. Let’s keep on moving.