r3d3ye

Adding a dash of Mint on my freshly squeezed KahelOS

2011-12-30T23:14:00.000+08:00

I’m such an “eventous” person and because today is Rizal Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Day and 2012 is just around the corner let me just add to my KahelOS[1] experimentation before i wrap up my 2011.

Guess what, I tried installing Linux Mint[2] desktop environment called Cinnamon[3] on my KahelOS 111111. They say that this desktop is designed to offer yet another transitional option between the old, familiar GNOME 2 and the new GNOME 3 on which its new version 1.1.2 just released before Christmas http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/?p=53

And yes to my suprise, it was quite quick and easy to just see a new desktop environment (that is Cinnamon) on my KahelOS Desktop.

Here are some of my screenshots after the fresh install (for i still need to do more exploring before i say more about this experience):

To share with you on how i just easily did this. Here’s a short guide below.

1.Installing cinnamon desktop

Make sure that yaourt and pkg-config is installed on your KahelOS, so you can do that by invoking this command.

$sudo pacman -Sy yaourt pkg-config

Once these software is already installed, then install the cinnamon desktop.

$sudo yaourt -S –noconfirm cinnamon

2. Abilitate/ Activate Cinnamon

by simply opening a terminal and launch “dconf-editor”

a pop up will appear, click org–>gnome–>desktop–>session
then change “session-name” value from “gnome to “cinnamon” then close dconf-editor window.

3.Restart your KahelOS, log-in on your desktop and voila! there’s your new desktop environement.

For me, my experimentation tells me that KahelOS with Cinnamon is a combination of awesomeness and speed! I’ll keep you posted.

Be a hero every like Rizal (Philippines’ National Hero) and Wishing you all an Awesome and Prosperous New Year!

[1] www.kahelos.org
[2] A distribution based on and compatible with Ubuntu http://linuxmint.com/
[3] http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/

Merry Christmas to everyone! =)

2011-12-26T07:58:00.000+08:00

What is KahelOS?

2011-12-16T19:27:00.000+08:00

KahelOS is based on Arch Linux.

KahelOS is the first and remains to be the only Filipino Linux Distro with the rolling release model on Arch Linux + GNOME. In the community, it is the first to release (non-beta) such Linux OS on Arch Linux + GNOME.

KahelOS is not just an Operating System so to speak. IT is not just a Technology Product on a Linux and Open Source Platform added to the thousands of FREE Distros already available in the community. IT does not explicitly want to be different or to be set apart from the rest. However, among others, we simply would like KahelOS (just like our team) to be the embodiment of our IT Values and Philosophy.

It is also a gift and a manifestation of the collaborating Filipino spirit that believes in the competence of the Global IT Community.

As an open source software, KahelOS shall therefore maintain to remain free of charge with an active community to support it.

The term kahel is the Tagalog/ Filipino word for the color or fruit "orange".

Depicting fun, energy, fresh and flamboyant; KahelOS, its team and community, would like to imbibe the aura and ambiance of warmth and being sociable.

Kahel also signifies hunger or thirst for knowledge and new things as the color orange is a stimulus affecting both mind and body,for doing more activities, having the appetite and socialization.

Join the KahelOS Forum at http://www.kahelos.org/forum.

Spread KahelOS

2011-12-09T12:30:00.000+08:00

If you like KahelOS and you know someone or a school or organization who can benefit from this 100% FREE OS, help us spread the word. Simply, copy the codes of the design you desire and embed this code to your blog or page. Thank you and enjoy. www.kahelos.org/spreadkahelos.php

KahelOS 111111 Release Notes

2011-12-08T20:34:00.000+08:00

Announcing the release of KahelOS 111111 LiveCD with GUI Installer Desktop Edition.
The fast, simple and rolling-release Linux desktop OS is also 100% FREE.

It boasts of the User-Friendly Interface Installation as this installer version consciously made the effort to make it as easy and as friendly as possible for users to experience the power and beauty of a FREE Linux Operating System.

What Else is New?

The Mabuhay Welcome Center, introduces you to what is in store when one installs and use KahelOS.

Hassle-Free Automatic Installation

KahelOS is synonymous to hunger for knowledge that’s why we have packed educational packages for learners and teaching tools

Start-up businesses can be more productive, to manage and organize information with the SME Packages.

Developers can immediately take advantage of the pre-installed Apache webserver, MySql database, PhpMyAdmin and Bluefish as your editor.

This cool, innovative contribution and initiative of KahelOS springs from a plenty of other preceeding innovations and the unsung heroes of the collaborative open source community. We can’t thank you enough and you have inspired us to do more and share more of ourselves and expect nothing in return.

We especially extend our gratitude and recognizes The Gnome Project, Arch Linux and Larch Project as the derivations of the KahelOS Project.

These are some packages that you’ll enjoy when using KahelOS:

Based on Arch Linux
Mabuhay Welcome Center
LiveCD with GUI Installer
Gnome 3.2.1
Kernel 3.1.2
Chromium 15.0.874.121
Firefox 8.0.1
LibreOffice 3.4.4
xorg-server 1.11.2
OpenJDK6
Apache+mySQL+PHP
Evolution Groupware
GIMP 2.6.11
GnuCash 2.4.8
TweetDeck 0.37.5
Miro 4.0.3
Thunderbird 8.0
Bluefish 2.2.0
and more….

And finally, we are also introducing the new KahelOS mascot, MULAT. The Filipino native tarsier is named Mulat to signify openness and awareness.

How to change your Firefox 8 default page.

2011-11-30T17:25:00.001+08:00

Open Source applications and tinkering with it when you know how to modify it can do a lot of wonders for you and your company/ organization.

Let me cite one example.

I wanted to provide a subtle but implicit recall of our corporate values and identity to each of our team in the office. Since we do much work in our PC's (desktop and laptops), i thought of an ingenious way to remind them everyday of our primal existence.

So what i did was to do some configuration tweak of the Mozilla Firefox and integrate to make default our webpage at the initialization of each of their browsers.

There are actually two ways that i would like to share with you on how you can do it for your organization, if you think this is something useful.

1. Changing the default page with the use of the about:config feature/setting

In my case, i was using these components:
KahelOS
Firefox 8.0.1
to set www.8layertech.com, to be the default page.

Steps:
1.Open your firefox browser
2.type about:config at the address bar.
Then it will prompt you with this screen.
Just click "i'll be carefull, I promise" button.

3.Then search on the filter bar "browser.startup.homepage"
4.Change the value to your desired "default" page (eg www.8layertech.com)
5. Restart firefox and you will see that the default page is now set to yur desired page.

Simple as that!
More of about:config check this site http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config

2. Changing the default page for more users than just one desktop.

In our case, since i wanted to change the default page for all users, the steps below may well serve this purpose.

1. Using your favorite editor (such as gedit or vi), copy this;
[XRE]
EnableProfileMigrator=false

and then save it as override.ini to create this file

2.Next, copy this content:
pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0);
pref("general.config.filename", "mozilla.cfg");

save this file as local-settings.js

3.Then, copy this file content:
//Firefox 8 Default Settings
pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://www.8layertech.com");

and then save it as mozilla.cfg

4. locate /usr/lib/firefox/ either at your file explorer or at your console and then copy the mozilla.cfg and override.ini that you just created.

5.then locate /usr/lib/firefox/defaults/pref/ either at your file explorer or at your console and copy local-settings.js that you also created.

6.finally, start up your Firefox browser and see what happens.

R.I.P Tito Restie/Amang Restie

2011-11-02T14:06:00.000+08:00

Dalawangput Limang Taon na din ang nakakalipas nang tanungin ko ang aking sarili ng mga sumusunod:
Sino ang Paborito kong Tito?
Okay lang ba na may Pabrito akong Tito?

Matagal tagal din at binata na ako ng muli kong maitanong sa aking sarili ito at nasagot. Si Tito Restie at OO pwedeng pwede

Mabuting Tito
Kaninang Umaga laking gulat ko nang makatangap ako ng SMS sa aking Ina; "Patay na Tito Restie mo atake sa puso...." Bigla akong napaupo at tila namatay sa sobrang panghihina. Todo-todong panlalamig sa aking katawan ang aking naramdaman, nagmistulang sanggol na tila walang salitang lumalabas sa aking labi,namamanhid ang aking mga kamay, nanginginig at mga luha at tila bagang ikinukubli ko ito at pinipigilan ang pagpatak. Bigla akong nawala sa wisyo..wala na si Tito Restie...

Bigla mo pala talaga maalala ang mga araw kasama sya... nagbalik tanaw sa akin ang mga eksena ng aking kabataan. Kay Tito Resti ako natuto at nasilayan ang payak na buhay at ang buhay MANGINGISDA. Magsagwan at mamangka ng walang katig, Ang mangisda at manghuli ng hipon sa ilog, ang manghuli o manukot ng alimango gamit ang kapirasong bakal na panukot at itak,ang magtuba sa sasahan, ang mang-uwit ng mga tilapya at bangus sa palaisdaan, ang magdala sa draga, ang mapuyat at magbanat ng buto para lang maitaguyod nya ang kanyang pamilya at masustentuhan ang aming bakasyon tuwing panahon ng tag-init o summer-break. Ganun sya kasipag...ganun nya ako tinuturuan ng mga bagay bagay at pagdiskarte sa buhay.Ang paano mabuhay na merong kakapirangot na mga kagamitan na sasapat na dapat upang mabuhay, kadalasan nabibilang lamang na pwedeng pagkuhanan ng ikalalaman ng tyan at pagtustos sa pag-aaral. Hindi ko din maikakaila ang mga panahon na kailangan naming manghuli ng mga palaka at dagang bukid para lang may ulamin kami pagsapit ng pagdulog sa aming hapag-kainan. Siya din ang nagturo sa aking magmaneho noon gamit ang kanyang L3 na bigay ng aming lolo. Ganun sya naging abala sa akin...sa amin sa pagtuturo noong ako'y bata pa.Nandyan din na lagi nya akong pinagtatangol sa aking mga tiyuhin at ama o mga nakakatanda sa panahong may mga huntahan sa aming mga pamilya. Walang bahid at patuloy syang sumusuporta para sa aming paglago.

Naniniwala ako na dala-dala ko ang mga ilan dito upang magturo din sa mga sumusunod na kabataan sa akin. Isang Mabuting Tihuyin ang Tito Restie na tila aking pangalawang ama at ramdam ko iyon noong panahong sya ay buhay pa. Sya'y Isang HUWARAN.

Kamakailan lang, isang taon pa lang ang nakakalipas nang namatay din ang nag-iisang anak nina Tito Restie at Tita Meng na si Ato. Tandang tanda ko pa ang mga pagpapagal at pagpapakahirap ni Tito Restie nun... walang tulugan at laging puyat wag lang bitawan ang mga pangako sa anak na magiging mabuti syang Ama at kasama nya ito kahit sa huling hantungan. Kahit Magparoot Parito ay hindi mo kakikitaan ng pagsuko. Kahit nababanaag mo na ang pagbagsak ng mga mata sa pagpupuyat at pag-iisip walang ininda at inaksayang panahon makita lamang ang kanyang anak at mabigyan ng tamang katahimikan at maayos na burol. Kahit noong bata pa si Ato nakikita ko ang hindi pagsuko ni Tito Restie na pagsabihan at pangaralan si Ato sa kanyang mga kamalian, pagtahak sa tama ng landas. Patuloy ang kanyang pagbabanat din ng buto maitaguyod lang ang anak nyakasama na ng pagtataguyod ng kanyang mga Apo. Isang Mabuting Ama ang aking si Tito Restie.

Labis akong nagluluksa sa pagkawala ni Tito Restie, nabawasan kami ng isang Mabuti at huwarang kasapi ng Pamilya. Hinding hindi ko makakalimutan ang mga aral na ibinigay at ipinama nya sa akin. Mananatiling Buhay ito... Pangako Tito ko!

Pre-Halloween Craze at Informatics -Fairview Campus

2011-10-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

While some students are having their pre-halloween parties, break and vacation, the students at Informatics- Fairview Campus took real effort and time before their break to attend a three-hour Talknology on Linux, F/OSS and KahelOS with 8layer's Deng Silorio and Meric Mara.

Deng, Meric, the Teachers and Informatics students had so much fun that three-hours is not enough to discuss and share the beauty and philosophy of the technology.

The students were attentive, the speakers enjoyed the discussion and the teachers gained a perspective on how students can be more with the trends and technologies that abound each day.

ANC Future Perfect: Software Freedom Day

2011-10-21T23:57:00.002+08:00

Open Source is Now, it's not the Future. Perfect! Mabuhay ang Team sfd.ph!

Featured Short Movie: Internet Story [Video]

2011-10-14T02:18:00.001+08:00

Internet Story from Adam Butcher on Vimeo.

R.I.P dmr

2011-10-14T02:14:00.002+08:00

It’s hard to pick out words to pertain to great minds, great people, incomparable talent and genius. Simply, IT world will miss you a great deal Sir, Dennis Ritchie.

Another really sad news for the IT world is that Steve Job’s hero, the Co-Author and Co-Developer of the C Language and Unix has also passed away.

Our hats off and salute to Sir Denis Macalistair Ritchie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Ritchie, the father of C Language (which runs our computers).

Happy World Teachers' Day!

2011-10-06T13:45:00.001+08:00

Happy are those who use and benefit from F/OSS

2011-10-06T13:43:00.002+08:00

It is not about the technology. Technology is just a tool and yes, the technology is not the end but a means.... F/OSS success is magnified by hard work, passion and dedication. In our case it is about learning, sharing, nurturing and building, for others to build upon and be made available for use... to encourage critical thinking and innovation...to be self-reliant... to foster nationalism, identity and economic viability.

Definitely, using and learning F/OSS is not a step back rather opening oneself, an organization and the country to fossibilities that only we can contain or restrain and while proprietary software has a pricey tag, the gift of knowing the end of utilizing F/OSS, is priceless.

Fresh.Fruitful.Fun.

2011-10-01T15:22:00.000+08:00

Fresh
What Linux managed to imprint and instill in the minds and hearts of Linux users then and now is the concept of “new and fresh” even after 20 years. Yes, it’s the 20th year of Linux and there is nothing left to do but be grateful and celebrate how this noble yet magnanimous spark that led to that “big bang of sorts” of innovations and wonders.

Fresh ideas and innovation manifested by a handful thousands of distros contributed and developed by the community all around the world that even Linus Torvalds himself would have never imagined on his own.

At our 8OHQ, the Celebration of the Linux Day- 20th Year gave way also to the launching of the KahelOS LiveCD Edition fresh from the KahelOS Lab and the introduction of the new KahelOS mascot, the Tarsier.

Apart from Meric and Jasper’s sharing of this Filipino Distro, there were also presentations on linux updates, linux development and on mobile as well. The Linux timelines and package management concepts were likewise discussed.

Fruitful
It was a rainy but fruitful afternoon for some IT students of WCST and PUP as linux experts and pratitioners provided them with useful and meaningful insights to arm them not only in while they are still students but when they graduate and stand before the real world.

Fun
Fun games and fun singing time awaited the student attendees while Linux day and KahelOS button pins have been distributed while sharing snacks and laughter too. With these kinds of event, it is fun to meet new people and friends too… to add to your FB roster of acquaintances. :-)

Special Thanks and Credits

West Capitol School of Technology for hosting and supporting this year’s Linux Event with 8layer and KahelOS team.

Our appreciation and thanks to Mr. Daniel Escasa, Mr. Lawrz Libo-on, Mr.Macoy Mejia, Mr. James Milo, Mr.Bheng Avila,Mr. Aleck Rivera and to Ms. Katrine Decano, one of our recent OJT’s who shared what she acquired at 8layer.

KahelOS Community and Team 8liens for the Food and Freebies and sharing their time and skills for the success of the event.

Be An Advocate!

2011-09-26T14:49:00.001+08:00

Coffee Day!

2011-09-26T14:47:00.000+08:00

Fresh.Fruitful.Fun.

2011-09-23T17:03:00.002+08:00

Linux Day 2011

Fresh
What Linux managed to imprint and instill in the minds and hearts of Linux users then and now is the concept of “new and fresh” even after 20 years. Yes, it’s the 20th year of Linux and there is nothing left to do but be grateful and celebrate how this noble yet magnanimous spark that led to that “big bang of sorts” of innovations and wonders.

Fresh ideas and innovation manifested by a handful thousands of distros contributed and developed by the community all around the world that even Linus Torvalds himself would have never imagined on his own.

At our 8OHQ, the Celebration of the Linux Day- 20th Year gave way also to the launching of the KahelOS LiveCD Edition fresh from the KahelOS Lab and the introduction of the new KahelOS mascot, the Tarsier.

Apart from Meric and Jasper’s sharing of this Filipino Distro, there were also presentations on linux updates, linux development and on mobile as well. The Linux timelines and package management concepts were likewise discussed.

Fruitful
It was a rainy but fruitful afternoon for some IT students of WCST and PUP as linux experts and pratitioners provided them with useful and meaningful insights to arm them not only in while they are still students but when they graduate and stand before the real world.

Fun
Fun games and fun singing time awaited the student attendees while Linux day and KahelOS button pins have been distributed while sharing snacks and laughter too. With these kinds of event, it is fun to meet new people and friends too… to add to your FB roster of acquaintances. :-)

Special Thanks and Credits

West Capitol School of Technology for hosting and supporting this year’s Linux Event with 8layer and KahelOS team.

Our appreciation and thanks to Mr. Daniel Escasa, Mr. Lawrz Libo-on, Mr.Macoy Mejia, Mr. James Milo, Mr.Bheng Avila,Mr. Aleck Rivera and to Ms. Katrine Decano, one of our recent OJT’s who shared what she acquired at 8layer.

KahelOS Community and Team 8liens for the Food and Freebies and sharing their time and skills for the success of the event.

Linux Market Shared Broken Down By Product Segment

2011-09-05T01:37:00.001+08:00

Created by: MBA Online

Software Freedom Day, (www.sfd.ph) goes Future Perfect at ANC

2011-08-31T21:51:00.000+08:00

Tonight at ANC's Future Perfect, Our Ms. Deng Silorio and POSNet President Lawrence Libo-on joined TJ Manotoc to feature and discuss the upcoming Software Freedom Day which will be held on September 17, 2011 at St. Paul University Philippines, Tuguegarao, Cagayan.

Deng and Lawrz was accompanied by Meric and Lariz to document the fact in behalf of the sfd.ph team. This stint is truly a mark that the collaborative efforts of the Team SFD.PH exposes our advocacy to be heard, to be seen and to be shared in more venues and media.

Lawrz was able to expound the impact of Open Source and the implications as well of Open Source as concrete manifestations in the tech gadgets and computer applications that we use day by day. He also encouraged students and IT Practitioners to take a look at Open Source, reinvent and share with the community. Thus, having a wider perspective of technology.

Deng in turn was able to plug KahelOS which is an Open Source innovation,free for all to use. But more importantly she did emphasize the reason why we do celebrate Software Freedom Day; 1. As an advocacy to spread the benefit of free open source software as an alternative to commercial ones. 2. A venue for F/OSS Enthusiasts and Practitioners to give back to the community 3. To instill and imbibe innovation and nationalism.

Ready for the Linux Day 20th year Celebration?

2011-08-22T13:13:00.000+08:00

Ready for the Linux Day 20th year Celebration? Yes, we are! For the peek at the final program, Check this out! See you guys!

VIDEO: Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song

2011-07-21T21:07:00.001+08:00

The Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song is a collaborative effort of the authors who are members of SFD.PH . The team has celebrated and initiated events since 2008 in the Philippines and this year this song is dedicated to all F/OSS lovers and advocates of the world. Feel free to share and dance with the beat as we celebrate the benefits, beauty and goodness of this technology.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE SOFTWARE FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATION (sfd.ph)

2011-07-21T18:19:00.001+08:00

As we approach the date for the celebration of the Software Freedom Day, there are a few things we would like to share and announce.

1. Due to the fact that 8layer Team has already enjoined other pious and staunch advocates, the event entry will now be registered as SFD.PH Team at http://www.softwarefreedomday.org. This is a result and manifestation of our steady goal on awareness and proliferation of the F/OSS principles and philosophy in the Country. YES, the SFD Movement in the Philippines is getting bigger and formidable.

2. This year’s SFD.PH with the theme, “Smarter Communities Choose to be FREE” will be hosted and held at St. Paul University Philippines, Tuguegarao, Cagayan and is projected to draw 2000 students, IT practitioners, representative of government offices and companies in the Region.

3. SFD.PH Team has composed and recently released the Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song. Share the beat, http://labs.cre8tivetech.com/software-freedom-day-song/music-and-lyrics/

4. And finally, the winners of last year’s SFD Best Event are….. drum roll please…. PROTEGE QV, Cameroon, Africa, Software Freedom Day Melbourne and SPCF CITE Team Philippines.

Details of the announcement are found at this link.
http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/en/component/content/article/38-sfistories/145-sfd-2010-best-event-winners

Though our sfdph2010 event is not among the Top 3 Best Events, we are very proud that our last year’s celebration at University of Baguio, Baguio City, Philippines is still among the Highly Commended Entries together with other teams. Special congratulations to CPU for a job well done too.
For those of you who wish to view our sfdph2010 report, read on. http://sfd.ph/report/

Our HUGE and warm congratulations goes to our SFDPH2009 host school, SPCF for bagging SFD Best Event for 2010. http://pdfcast.org/pdf/software-freedom-day-post-event-report-spcf-cite-team-philippines. You nailed it guys!

To recall, the 8layer-initiated SFD2009 Celebration was introduced to SPCF for the school and the community in Angeles, Pampanga which won the TOP 3 Best Events in 2009. Last year, they managed to successfully hold a festive, cheerful and meaningful event on their own and we are so proud of this achievement. Our gypsy style, paid-off. “Like gypsies, our team moves from one venue to another, adopting a new community to be aware of the beauty and utility of Free Software, and after the solidarity F/OSS is then adapted. ” http://sfd.ph/about/

Hence, the reason and rationale for bringing the SFD Celebration (to foster F/OSS Culture and Collaboration) to other schools/communities that either has little or no knowledge of F/OSS is to enjoin the community (students, faculty, organizations and companies) to take advantage of the free software and its benefits and in return share what they have learned and experienced during the event (bring forth).

We hope that the University of Baguio and their community and so on will also continue what we have ignited so that the SFD and F/OSS spirit will be kept ablazed.

Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to the magnanimous men and women of the F/OSS Advocacy for getting out of their comfort zone and sharing what they know and do best for free. You know who you are. Generally, we would like to impart how grateful we are that international counterparts and f/oss communities appreciate and recognize our efforts. Also, we wish to boldly express our profound happiness on how F/OSS and its advocacy all over the Philippines has grown and benefitted communities through sheer passion and dedication, openness, determination and belief that this technology and the value that comes with it can make students and individuals smarter, schools and organizations more productive and efficient and incur more savings.

Imagine, if our government officials, government institutions and other influential institutions like media, telco and enteprises capitalize on F/OSS benefits? Our thoughts only: unimaginable developments and savings of billions of pesos from proprietary licenses!

See you all on September 17, 2011 at St. Paul University Philippines, Tugegarao, Cagayan with SFD.PH Team for sfdph2011.

Check us out and join us on Facebook: sfdph2011 and Follow us on twitter #sfdph2011. For more info, visit us at http://www.sfd.ph

Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song

2011-07-19T02:38:00.000+08:00

Composed by:Erwin Galang,Meric Mara and Deng Silorio
Arranged by: Erwin Galang

Let’s go out and celebrate
It’s the Software Freedom Day
(Chill out/ Cheer out)Yell out and participate
It’s the Software Freedom Day

Let everyone know there’s a software for(that’s) free
Free to use for you and me
Free to run and study
Modify, make copies
Save more money
It’s the Software Freedom Day

Let’s go out and celebrate
It’s the Software Freedom Day
(Chill out/ Cheer out) Yell out and participate
It’s the Software Freedom Day

Throughout the whole world
Sharing is a plenty
Hackers are smiling, knowledge a’flowing
Dance to the beat and feel the heat
Free and Open Software is Here to Stay.

Software Freedom Day
aha (2x)
Software Freedom Day.

Download/Play the song:
(mp3 format) Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song
(ogg format) Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song

Composing the Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song

2011-07-19T01:36:00.001+08:00

June 16, 2011

The Celebrate Software Freedom Day Song, a collaborative and creative result, was totally unexpected.

It was actually a whole rehearsal day for Dekada and Rizal Uno (for an event in August) at the Galang's residence in Antipolo City. Meric and Deng came late at around 10pm when some of the band members were already having their dinner and then after t'was time to jam with the band.

Right before the jamming started, Erwin played an already laid out tune and made us listen to his fast ska arrangement, it was his new project. Then Deng said, "Can we just have that for SFD?" He in turn said "why not?, if it fits".

Deng asked Erwin to play the whole tune (originally in Key of F) one more time but in a slower tempo. Then bit by bit a single melodic pattern was being hummed in deng's mind to fit the already arranged harmony. Deng asked for Meric's help to form and mold the concept of the song. It should not be too wordy, simple, yet it should embody/capture the theme and thought of F/OSS and essence of celebrating Software Freedom Day.

And over bottles of beer, the scribbling and mumbling lasted for about two hours. Deng asked Erwin to mum the brass section while fitting in the lyrics and melody to the tune. Alas, we think we have a song.

While rehearsing before the recording takes place, we transposed the tune to key of G to fit the singer's vocal range.

Take 1. Take 2. Take 3. And the vocal recording was done.

More beers and it was 3am but the group was still enthusiastically up and about to finish the song recording. So the final touch of percussion, bass and brass was to be laid out plus of course we had to think of how to end the song, a little more grand than the verses. Recording/ Mixing... and as we waited for Master Erwin to accomplish his final arrangement, it was already 6 in the morning.

We felt free. We felt elated. We felt good. And we hope this is something worth sharing and singing along for this year's Celebration of Software Freedom Day.

8liens invade Nagsasa Cove, San Antonio Zambales.

2011-05-25T23:15:00.001+08:00

This year we were able to squeeze in a little fun in the sun, company outing or 8liens get-away.

Island hopping, Hike and Trek on our way to the Falls, Acoustic Jamming OPM Songs only, Poker-pokeran, Bonfire at the beach while having our own flavor of pinoy henyo/charades…

Prior to our beachineering, we went to market and bought fresh squid, fish and veggies ready for sugbaan.

Games and more games… there’s Luksong baka, Bugok.

And the best part, no signal… no servers, no laptops, no mobile phones. And the bestest part, one year supply of profile pictures as per Sherida..

Feasting and Fun before the rainy season comes!

https://picasaweb.google.com/8layer.proj/2011CompanyOutingCaponesIslandZambales#

https://picasaweb.google.com/8layer.proj/2011CompanyOutingNagsasaCoveZambales#

Commemorating the Lenten Season

2011-04-22T05:30:00.000+08:00

The New Day for the New Face of Gnome!

2011-04-13T14:17:00.004+08:00

Quick Planning and Prep while Gnome 3 is on brew mode...

The goal was to simply Celebrate the Release of Gnome 3 in Manila, concurrently with the rest of the Gnome Community and Supporters.
Sometime in March 2011, Allan Caeg of Gnome Asia and Lawrz Li-boon of POSNET, both dear friends of 8layer came by at our office in Kapitolyo to briefly discuss the preparations, invites and the event launch itself. The launch date, April 06, 2011.

8layer Technologies, Inc. as part of the large number of Open Source users worldwide and being a company benefitting and innovating with the aid of Open Source for six years, thought it was a good idea to host the Release Party in Manila. This is also our simple way to pay respect to great and ingenious innovations, honor the contributors and at the same time celebrate the perks and privileges of Open Source and Gnome.

Barely a month before the event, invites rolled and spread.
A day before the event, cocktail menu was decided.
A few hours before the event, gnome balloons, stickers and t-shirts came.
All is set!

A Brand New Day for the New face of GNOME!

Coming back from his India trip (Gnome Asia Summit) Allan Caeg, A Board Member of Philippine Open Source Network, Gnome Contributor, Android Enthusiast, UX Researcher, and Gnome.Asia Committee Member, was of course the resource speaker for the Gnome 3 Release Party.

“From scratch, we created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today’s users and technologies.” Allan said.

The innovative interface allows users to focus on tasks while minimizing distractions such as notifications, extra workspaces, and background windows. It will keep users “informed without being disrupted.” Allan also exalted.

Since our KahelOS distro did use Gnome as its Desktop Manager, 8layer's CTO, Meric Mara took the floor then gave a brief backgrounder of KahelOS itself. He provided tips and tricks on the installation of Gnome 3 on KahelOS and together with Allan they showed the works! Gnome 3 in KahelOS and Gnomeshell! The presentation wowed the audience. Jasper Tomas, the new developer/package maintainer for KahelOS also shared his experience on yaourt and his idea of a web based update notifier of all the available applications on the web. “I combined some Java, MySQL and Php programming to do the work” said Jasper.

Some witty and not-so-witty questions were responded too, here and there. Allan in return did some asking as well, then the quickest person with the right answer wins a Gnome 3 T-Shirt. The most difficult question was, who is the prettiest girl in the room? (LOL)

There was never a dull moment. Guests, friends and colleagues in the Open Source Community shared stories, experiences, laughs, food, drinks and more drinks while live music jammin' was happening. GNOME TIME till e-GNOME-AN TIME! Sadly,the fun-filled partee ended a few minutes after midnight.

Our warm congratulations for the successful release of Gnome 3 and thank you to all who celebrated with us!

For more information about Gnome 3, visit their website:

http://www.gnome.org
http://www.gnome3.org/

Curious about our Gnome 3 Release Party, (Pinoy Style)? Click here

Linux Celebrating ITs 20th year

2011-04-09T12:19:00.002+08:00

In life, time flies... In IT life, time swiftly flies... We can't believe that Linux is already on its 20th year and going formidably strong and bigger.

We at 8layertech are one with the world and the whole Linux Community in commemorating that simple, crazy, without expectation, idea of a free software.

Thank you Linus Torvalds for that leap of faith, for taking that step and thank you to all who did heed his email and continue to make thing revolutionary idea evolve and be great.

Happy Birthday linux.

GNOME 3.0 Release Party in Manila!

2011-04-06T06:57:00.000+08:00

Hep Hep Hooray! Six Cheers for 8layertech!

2011-04-04T15:33:00.002+08:00

Thank you to all who stood, sat, watched, discussed, listened, shared their
thoughts, drank with a keg or two... and most of all, cried, laughed and
fought the battle with us.

KahelOS website made it to the finals

2011-03-27T15:55:00.001+08:00

With Fresh Evolving Ideas, The Web is a Better Place Everyday

2011-03-22T23:54:00.001+08:00

Concurrently today, as Mozilla announces the release of Firefox 4 http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/, the Philippine Webby Awards http://www.philippinewebawards.com/ posts its web finalists for this year's competition.

KahelOS wishes to congratulate Mozilla, its community and developers for making web a better place for users. Likewise, KahelOS takes pride and delight to be part of the shorlisted Website Finalists of the 12th Philippine Webby Awards.

Yes, the KahelOS website made it to the finals with a lot of help from those who unwaveringly support its cause and for the initiators, developers who never stopped believing.

KahelOS extends its appreciation to the members of the Philippine Webby Awards for acknowledging our website's concept and craftmanship and further we wish all the other finalists, congratulations and best of luck.

Together, let us make the world wide web a friendlier, collaborative and better place each day.

Click Ye! Click Ye All!-Vote for KahelOS in the Philippine Webby Awards

2011-03-12T14:29:00.001+08:00

In the previous article posted on March 05, 2011 "Enhanced KahelOS Website gets a spot at the 12th Philippine Webbys Semis", we attempted to share with you why the KahelOS is the Philippine Webby Awards' Community and Portal Site to be reckoned with.

This time, all collaborators, supporters and those who love fresh and evolving innovation can now express their support and admiration by being counted.

At this link http://peopleschoice.philippinewebawards.com , Click and Vote for "KahelOS" this finely crafted website under "COMMUNITY AND PORTAL" category.

Yes, just one click to signify that you like simple yet meaningful projects and websites.
One Click to profess your belief in pure passion and innovation.
One Click because you simply want this website to win!

8layer is in need of a Linux Systems Engineer

2011-03-07T04:50:00.002+08:00

What does it take to be one of us?

* You need to have 3-5 years experience in/on Linux/Os environment.
* Familiar with shell scripting
* And has done some Virtualization
* Practical Knowledge on LAN,Switches,Router,VLAN a must
* Exposure to storage or networking stack is preferred
* Should have performed projects on Proxy / Mail / Web Servers (e.g. Squid/SendMail/Postfix /QMail, Apache,PHP,MYSQL )
* Tinkered on LDAP / Radius / DNS Services

Knowledge and skill is important but these essential qualifications is as equally important for us:

* Analytic with above average problem solving skills;
* Attentive to design and technical details;
* An open attitude (as we say, lives, breathes, eats and drinks open source);
* Willingness to adapt to new environment and share knowledge and skills;
* A Team player;
* Above average communication skills;
* Excellent and positive work ethics;
* Computer Science or related software engineering course/work experience; and,
* Artisitic and/or Musical inclination is a plus.

So, if you’re perky enough to join us, browse through our website first, www.8layertech.com… to at least have one answer right during the interview :) Then, email us a short narrative of who you are and what you can become, together with your simple desires, whims and programming frustrations at careers-at-8layertech-dot-com. Oh, and yes, please attach your career profile too.

Congratulations to KahelOS Website!

2011-03-05T23:29:00.003+08:00

Congratulations to KahelOS Website!

by Deng Silorio
March 05, 2011 - Saturday

A few weeks after launching our enhanced KahelOS Website pops in the fresh announcement that this simply magnificent crafted portal is among the semi-finalists for the 12th Philippine Webby Awards under the Community and Portal Category.

Congratulations to the lads and lasses of KahelOS Linux.

Aside from the look, feel and the lesser use of the obvious orange, what makes the new KahelOS website tagged as enhanced?

The goal of the creative team to bring about the website is not to underestimate the context of being simple.

Simple should mean basic yet meaty and comprehensive.
Simple should still be fantastic but friendly to the viewer and doesn't hurt the browsers' eye.
Simple should naturally imply realistic unfolding from a surreal beauty.

Also, as part of the larger linux and open source community, KahelOS website wants to share a statement to all that linux and/or open source is never boring.

This website per se is an ingenious concoction of images and commands a fresh flair for choice of technology use and blend of scripts, making the KahelOS website, a community website to be reckoned with.

Going back to the 12th Philippine Webby Awards, unlike other community and portal web nominees, the KahelOS Website redefines and asserts our frame of mind of what a community website is.

The KahelOS is not a product or service for a particular community. Rather, KahelOS is a by-product of an open source community collaboration with diverse cultures and beliefs not only in the Philippines but around the world. Each single contributive effort regardless of quantity and relevance is a part of the community, is KahelOS.

Gnome-Shell 2.91.91 on KahelOS

2011-03-01T01:32:00.001+08:00

I remember the last time I did install gnome-shell 2.91.90 on top of my KahelOS[1], on my Acer Aspire One laptop then.

I was impressed at the window manager though that version of gnome-shell has a lot of needed improvements at that time so to suffice my productivity then, i purposely shifted to my gnome+compiz desktop.
Months later, Allan Caeg shared to me the nearing release of gnome 3.0 hence upon reading the Gnome-shell release notes [2], this gave me an idea to try again the latest version of gnome-shell.

So last saturday, I attempted to install the new gnome-shell version to find out for myself the works - Mutter (the window manager for GNOME 3) in action.

Prior to my actual installation on my Lenovo x201 on KahelOS, i made myself familiar through lots of reading at the following sites:

http://www.gnome3.org/
http://www.gnome.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNOME_Shell
http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell
http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell#building
http://lwn.net/Articles/344734/

And for those who wishes to leave the reading to me and trust my steps, here are the things that i did when i installed the gnome-shell desktop.

1.First, I upgraded my KahelOs using pacman -Syu (the magic command).This
command may take a while depending on the number of packages that needs upgrading.

$sudo pacman -Syu

2.Next, is to install all the dependencies that i need for smooth installation of gnome-shell.

$sudo pacman -S gettext cvs git pkgconfig autogen automake gtk-doc flex bison intltool clutter autorun gnome-common gnome

3.Then, download setup script:

$curl -O http://git.gnome.org/browse/gnome-shell/plain/tools/build/gnome-shell-build-setup.sh

3.Run the setup script provided by the Gnome team.

$chmod +x gnome-shell-build-setup.sh
$./gnome-shell-build-setup.sh

4.Add build scripts to path::

$export PATH=$PATH:/home/mmara/bin

or edit /etc/profile and add entry to the default path

# Set our default path by editing /etc/profile
PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/home/mmara/bin/:/home/mmara/gnome-shell/install/bin/"

5) Then build gnome-shell. To kick off the build script type:

$jhbuild build

Note: JHBuild is a tool designed to ease building collections of source
packages, called "modules" [3]

6.Run gnome-shell and cross your fingers =P

$/home/mmara/gnome-shell/install/bin/gnome-shell --replace

I have encountered some concerns but here are some tips to get you through:

1.When you get this error when starting gnome-shell from the terminal,
"Gtk-Message: Failed to load module "gnomesegvhandler":
libgnomesegvhandler.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or
directory"

From the directory stated below, just delete ibcanberra-gtk-module.so and you should be fine. In my case, i deleted it from my directory:

$sudo rm -fR /home/mmara/gnome-shell/install/lib64/gtk-3.0/modules/libcanberra-gtk-module.so

2.I also noticed that GnomeShell does NOT support Python3, then i tried using
python2.7

$sudo mv /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/python.backup
$sudo ln -s /usr/bin/python2.7 /usr/bin/python

And from the looks of it. KahelOS+Gnome Shell works! So Fast...So Good!

Also, visit us at KahelOS website. I did upload some pictures of KahelOS+Gnome-shell at our Gallery.

Legend:
[1] http://www.kahelos.org
[2] http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-announce-list/2011-February/msg00061.html
[3]http://library.gnome.org/devel/jhbuild/ and http://live.gnome.org/Jhbuild

PUP 2011 ICT Conference

2011-01-19T22:04:00.002+08:00

Blessing of 8layer's New Office

2011-01-07T20:25:00.001+08:00

My heartfelt thank you's to all who have shared their presence, time, cheers, laughter, drinks, food, greetings but most of all their sincere friendship with me and Team 8liens.

We can't thank you enough and may we all succeed in our endeavors for the betterment of our society.

Announcement of Change of Office Address

2010-12-31T22:18:00.001+08:00

Maligayang Pasko Sa inyong Lahat!

2010-12-20T17:31:00.001+08:00

Report| Software Freedom Day 2010,Baguio City Philippines

2010-10-31T13:57:00.001+08:00

"I experienced and learned a lot from SFD 2010 in Baguio. It was a great opportunity to meet people who are fighting for the same cause. We're lucky to be with 8layer, one of the world's best SFD organizers. I'm looking forward to more endeavors with the new friends I met. We'll surely do much more for FOSS." - Allan Caeg, UBUNTU Philippines

Planning

Planning and Preparation over Food and Drinks!

The 8liens (what we call the members of 8Layer Technologies Inc.) registered as early as July 20^thto commit ourselves to the annual event that celebrates the freedom from proprietary software through free open-source software, usually held every 3^rd Saturday of the month of September.
This time, 8Layer decided to formally organize the group SFD.PH (http://www.sfd.ph/) to focus on the celebration and organization of software freedom day as among the groups in the Philippines. SFD.PH2010 team comprised of 8layer, POSNet, iSchools of CiCT, and the University of Baguio to live up the collaborative spirit of Open Source.
Preparing for the event means looking for a venue, getting sponsors, inviting guests, and marketing the event. Early August, the team discussed about the preparations and how we can make the event much better than last year.

Deng: Nel, create a Google group for this so that we'll be able to collaborate about SFD anywhere.

Nel: Making group... inviting members... done!

Deng: Hmm... Let's get the sfd.ph domain as soon as we can!

(Iyen runs to the phone and makes call to get the domain)

Deng: Let's Get Generous Sponsors!

Nel: We'll get a list and force them to provide giveaways (grins devilishly)

We were also able to make a Facebook page and a Twitter account for SFD within minutes, the website layout and marketing collaterals were pronounced, the tentative programme was listed and the venue was decided, this year, it's going to be at Baguio City (about 300+ kilometers away from our office in Manila).

Meanwhile...

A few days just before the event, a final meeting at Pasig City with a conference call to Baguio was set to further polish the preparations and at a nearby restaurant.

Macoy: I thought this is an SFD meeting? What's the beer for?

Henyo: We'll need something to quench our thirst, we'll have a long talk big daddy :D (winks at Macoy)

A few days after we made calls for sponsorship, boxes of CDs of Ubuntu arrived and so did jackets, shirts, pens, and even Speedo watches!

With too little time, we were able to have everything ready for the coming event. Prizes, giveaways, posters, button pins, SFD shirts, and our presentations. Software Freedom Day 2010 at Baguio City, here we come!

D' Day

FOSS Education and iSchools

The SFD.PH Team and Speakers arrived at Baguio City a day before the event.

Our call time was supposed to be 6:00am. It wasn't cold feet that prevented us from getting up early, but cold water despite the availability of the heater. At day time, Baguio City streets are crowded and traffic was really terrible so it took us more than an hour to get to the venue. Excitement was all over the place, smiles and cheers from both familiar and unfamiliar faces .... The speakers had their own room for them to prepare their stuff, be acquainted with one another, sharing jokes and other experiences. Most of these guys are really busy, have tight schedules but made a great deal of effort, with their own resources to come up to Baguio commitment to share the beauty of F/OSS.

Every year, we make it a point that we celebrate this sharing-filled activity with the strategy of adopting a new community, which aims to spread the F/OSS objectives for a stronger institutional and academic support for the use and benefits of freeware to spark and instill the value of F/OSS and for the new community to adapt it. Our event theme on "Change NOW For FREE" is in line with our New Administration in the Philippines and their Call for Change and Hope.

After the Invocation and the Philippine National Anthem, the crowd were surprised to hear a loud audio music playing the chorus part of "We are the Champions" by Queen. It was the cue to congratulate 8layertech on their win for Best SFD2009 Event Competition.

Ms. Deng Silorio of 8layer welcomed the attendees and participants in behalf of the organizers and summed up the participation and support of all the event partners for the celebration. She also briefly expressed the rationale behind Software Freedom Day and urge everyone to use and benefit from F/OSS while also spreading the word like a "virus", a good one at that.

A lot can be said on the D' Day of the Celebration and one day to Celebrate Software Freedom is truly not enough. Thus,we had to crunch the bunch of knowledge and speakers for the whole day.

University of Baguio School of Information Technology Dean Ellen Halover welcomed SFDPH Team and the Participants to Baguio. Since UB was the host school she also discussed the relevance of FOSS in Education and the University of Baguio F/OSS Initiatives. They do have an Open Source Laboratory and have Open Source Electives/Courses in their IT Curriculum. Mr. Dean Eduardson Tacuba of Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, a representative of iSchools presented the CICT-Human Capital Development Group (HCDG) iSchools, an ongoing project equipping the country's high schools with technology literacy and abreast with the latest equipment.

Mr. Macoy Mejia of MDS (McDonald's Delivery Service) Call Solutions, Inc shared to everyone the success story and implementation of F/OSS Technologies throughout the IT System and operation of their company serving the 24/7 Hotline Delivery of McDonalds. His talk was a concrete manifestation that F/OSS played a big role in their company's IT Efficiency and Productivity, Cost Savings, Learning and most of all the Teamwork and Camaraderie that F/OSS brought and motivated their IT Team.

Filipinos are known all over the world to be musically gifted and so in between the speakers, the University of Baguio Voices Chorale graced the occasion with their magnificent and powerful voices. An original composition/arrangement of a song entitled "Bowan Bowan" (Moon, Moon) and their own rendition of a Filipino Pop Song "Pinoy Ako" (I am Pinoy) impressed the crowd. The very talented Chorale also opened the program for the Invocation and Philippine National Anthem.

This video plays at the background before the event and during breaks.

The second half of the day continued with the plenary on Mr. Rystraum Fabe Gamonez expounding on the F/OSS Philosophy for a better understanding especially for those who hears F/OSS for the first time. Simultaneously, five rooms were filled for the business track, tech talks as well as the install fest, programming, gimpscape and blog writing competitions on that rainy but lively afternoon. The speakers and their topics were as follows:

Nel Patricio, Freemind; Erwin Galang,OpenERP; Mr. Glammoco C. Camora; OpenOffice, Meric Mara, Embedded Asterisk; Agi Rivera, GIT-Fast Version Control, LAMP; Allan Caeg, Gnome 3.0; Rey Portugal, PHP Framework; Allan De Guzman, Content Management System using WordPress, Lariz Santos, GIMP 101, Leandre Dacanay & Lawrz Libo-on, Moodle-Open-Source Community-Based tools for Learning, Iyen Magallanes, GNUCash, Renan Mara, Open Source NAS/SAN.

Ms. Tracy Villanueva, the big winner that day, bagged two competitions, the Blog of the Day and Gimscape Competition while Mr. Sony Valdez won the PHP Programming Contest. Overall, apart from the learning and fun at SFD2010, prizes were given randomly during the event by hosts and speakers.

Finally, SFD2010 participants placed their mark on the freedom wall and all of them got CD installers from KahelOS and UBUNTU, freebies from event partners and major sponsors; ACER, IBM Phils., Intel Phils., MSI-ECS, PLDT, and Imperium Technologies, Inc.

Highlights

SFD Highlights

SFDPH2010 was very fortunate to have Dr. Emmanuel Lallana, President of IdeaCorp, a former CICT Commissioner and Champion of various IT Developmental programs, as the keynote speaker for this year's Celebration. Even though he had a difficulty to talk at that time due to a terrible sore throat he did not fail us and all those who wish to learn from him. He did emphasize on the wise alternative of freeware to maximize choice and communication.
"Our goal should be to achieve democracy through ICT— to actively participate in public life to determine our future..," Lallana said, pointing to the Web 2.0 platform of today's free social media such as Facebook and Twitter, which he said has changed the way people communicate and share information. That eGov 2.0 through Web 2.0 like F/OSS is all about the community.

Though Congressman Teddy Casino did not physically make it to the event, he was able to send a video recording of his message that was played as he shared updates on the F/OSS Bill.

Frederic Muller, President of the SFI and Pockey Lam,SFI Secretary, while they were also celebrating SFD, sent a video of congratulations and greetings to the organizers and attendees of the SFDPH2010.

A blog competition was also introduced at SFDPH2010, the winning entry came from tracyvillanueva.blogspot.com.

Just before the whole day event culminated, the hosts called in students to represent their schools for a challenge. Each school pushed their best student for the still unknown contest and everyone was ready to put their best feet forward. The winner of the challenge was from UB. If you're curious of what the challenge was all about, watch the video.

After the day event, the SFD Celebration went on for the SFDPH2010 host, organizers, sponsors and speakers at the Jamming Night with more food, drinks and music and enjoy the festive cool night at Baguio City.

Side Trip

Some photos taken while driving around Baguio, Philippines'
Summer Capital, after Software Freedom Day.

This time our report did not just cover on the highlights and on the event proper celebration. It is for the simple reason that we do not only wish to spread and advocate Free Software but rather wish to help out some groups on how to start their own Software Freedom Day Celebration. Bottomline, the key to a good and successful celebration is just having fun while committing oneself to sharing the benefits of your F/OSS experiences.

Reaching out also meant for 8layer to share by sending out CD's of KahelOS and UBUNTU, and some cash to Mindanao Open Source Society who celebrated their Software Freedom Day days after our event.

"I experienced and learned a lot from SFD 2010 in Baguio. It was a great opportunity to meet people who are fighting for the same cause. We're lucky to be with 8layer, one of the world's best SFD organizers. I'm looking forward to more endeavors with the new friends I met. We'll surely do much more for FOSS." - Allan Caeg, UBUNTU Philippines

More photos below or visit our SFDPH2010 Picasa Album

Thank you for making Software Freedom Day 2010 possible!

2010-09-25T22:20:00.002+08:00

Congratulations to SFDPH2010 Team for a much fun-filled learning last Saturday, September 18, 2010 at the University of Baguio. Thank you so much to all who made it possible. To the students, practitioners, teachers and professionals who came to celebrate with us.

Thank you very much to Emmanuel C. Lallana, Phd (Our Dear Doc Boying), former CICT Commissioner and President of IdeaCorp who despite his loss of voice inspired and enlightened each one, may it be organizers and attendees that eGov 2.0, Web 2.0 and F/OSS is all about community and towards Nation Building and Solidarity.

To University of Baguio, our host venue for this year's SFDPH2010, for generously letting us use their facilities for FREE. To Mr. Jopoy Solano (you're the man), Ms. Ellen Halover,UB-Dean of ICT, Ms. Lorie Layugan and to all the IT Faculty and Staff for their enthusiasm and assistance in the preparations and programme proper.

To the University of Baguio Voices Chorale, your "Ala-Glee" rendition of "Pinoy Ako" was awesome and of course the other songs. It's one of those moments you want to say, "I'm proud to be Pinoy". Thank you to the technicians, to Rainer Jasper, Deng's Co-host. And to all at UB. Mabuhay Kayo at Maraming Maraming Maraming salamat!

Thank you to our Dear Sponsors and Event Partners. IBM Phils, PLDT CBG, MSI-ECS, Intel Philippines , Imperium Technology Inc., Acer Phils for your continuous support towards progressive learning and motivating innovation and in your belief that the Filipino IT Ingenuity and Talent CAN!

Thank you to Dean Eduardson Tacuba of Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, a representative of iSchools who discussed the CICT-Human Capital Development Group (HCDG) iSchools, a project equipping the Country’s high schools with technology literacy and abreast with the latest equipment.

Thank you to Mr.Macoy Mejia of MDS (McDonalds Delivery Service) Call Solutions, Inc. who shared to everyone the success story and implementation of F/OSS Technologies throughout the IT System and operation of their company serving the 24/7 Hotline Delivery of McDonalds. The cost savings, the learning and most of all teamwork and camaraderie that F/OSS brought to their IT Team.

Thank you Cong. Teddy Casino that though you were not physically present at SFDPH2010 at Baguio, you managed to send us a video message on your views and updates on the F/OSS Bill and a live call to address the students and attendees.

Thank you very much Frederic Muller of the Software Freedom International for that video message on the spot during half of the day to Congratulate our Team and also laud the students and attendees for their time and eagerness to learn more and be more. Thank you Allan Caeg of Gnome Asia for linking us to Frederic and for wonderful presentation and what to expect from GNOME 3.0

Simultaneously, the business and tech tracks happened as well as the install fest, programming, gimpscape and blog writing competitions on that rainy but lively afternoon. Thank you for the selfless speakers with their topics as follows:
Mr. Rystraum Fabe Gamonez expounded on the F/OSS Philosophy, Nel Patricio, Freemind; Erwin Galang,OpenERP; Mr. Glammoco C. Camora; OpenOffice, Meric Mara, Embedded Asterisk; Agi Rivera, GIT-Fast Version Control, LAMP; Allan Caeg, Gnome 3.0; Rey Portugal, PHP Framework; Allan De Guzman, Content Management System using WordPress, Lariz Santos, GIMP 101, Leandre Dacanay & Lawrz Libo-on, Moodle-Open-Source Community-Based tools for Learning, Iyen Magallanes, GNUCash, Renan Mara, Open Source NAS/SAN, Roz Vargas, Tin Batitay and Fe Arteza for manning the Ubuntu / KahelOS Install Fest

Congratulations to Ms. Tracy Villanueva, the big winner that day, bagging two competitions, the Blog of the Day and Gimscape Competition while Mr. Sony Valdez won the PHP Programming Contest. Overall, apart from the learning and fun at SFD2010, prizes were given randomly during the event by hosts and speakers. Prizes were all provided by our Event Sponsors and Partners.

Imagine a day when everyone is generous and shared their talents, their resources, their time, their passion to encourage and motivate learning, innovation and community building.

Thank you everyone for making change possible.

Software Freedom Day 2010

2010-09-17T09:23:00.001+08:00

We are humbled to be one of the SFD 2009 Competition Big Winners.

2010-09-16T16:47:00.001+08:00

Sa Sabado nang darating, ika-18 ng Setiembre ang pagdaraos ng Software Freedom Day Celebration 2010.

Ngayon araw, paroot parito, kaliwat kanan pa rin ang mga kailangang gawin at matapos upang maluwalhatit tunay na masaya ang pagdiriwang na magaganap.

Kung kaya't kaninang umaga, laking mangha, gulat at tuwa namin nang matanggap namin sa email ang isang liham na naglalakip na ang idinaos na Software Freedom Day Celebration noong nakaraang taon ay isang sa premyadong pagdiriwang, bukod tangi sa mga maraming nagsipagdiwang din ng selebrasyon kasabay ng buong mundo.Dalawa pang grupong Pinoy din ang ginawaran ng komendasyon. http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/en/competition/winners-2009

Hindi lamang amin ang karangalang ito. Ang aming Team 8lien ay nagpasinaya lamang at naging kasangkapan upang hikayatin din ang iba upang isakatuparan ang isang natatanging advocacy. Nasa larangan nang teknolohiya ay patuloy na matuto, ang pagkatuto at ang pagpapaunlad ng sarili at ng bayan ng may dignidad, dangal at uminog ito sa pagbibigay ng sarili sa konseptong nakakapagpalaya ang pagbubukas palad.

Ang paghirang sa ating pagganap noong nakaraang taon sa aming palagay ay pagpapatunay lamang na kaya nating mga Pinoy hindi dahil may premyong pinagtatalunan o nakalaan kundi dahil naroon ang tunay na diwa ng pagbibigay,(na magbigay ng ayon at higit, hindi dahil may kapalit), ng pagiging BUKAS, (bukas puso at bukas palad) , at ng pakikipagkapwat, tulungan at ugnayan tungo sa mas matayog na Layon. Ang layuning paigtingin ang esensya at kabutihang dulot ng teknolohiya at kamalayang makapagpapalaya at unlad sa atin bilang isang indibidwal at isang Bayan...

Nag-uumapaw ang aming pasasalamat sa ngalan ng nagsidalo at nakiisa noong isang taon sa mga sumusunod: Systems Plus College Foundation, PLDT, Intel, IBM Phils., IOSN at POSIX. Sana ngayong taon uli? Ang ganang amin ay, sana mas higit ang marating, maabot at tunay na makapabigay laya at unlad sa ating kaisipan, puso at paggawa tungo sa pagpapaunlad at pagbabago. Mabuhay ang SFD, Mabuhay ang SFD.PH2010 Team. Mabuhay ang Diwa ng F/OSS!

. "Walang nawala sa pagbibigay, bagkos ito'y nagpasalin salin pa." 

Heto ang website ng nakaraang taon: http://www.8layertech.com/sfd

At eto ang pagtulong tulungan nating payabungin ngayong Sabado sa University of Baguio, http://www.sfd.ph/

As KahelOS steps on its First year Anniversary,Our First Goal is to be Open for Change

2010-09-11T02:09:00.001+08:00

Get the latest craze and news via RSS on your Console

2010-09-10T12:20:00.005+08:00

Browsing and visting my favorite websites on the internet is one of the fond things I commonly do. This has been a habit every morning to be abreast with the latest whether it’s pertaining to locals, world news or tech updates.

Those where the days

I admit it, I still do miss the news paper delivered by the lazy paper carrier every morning at our front door. With the fast growing of the technology epecifically the internet almost all the things and news that i wanted is all over it.

Gone are the days when i had to remember all the sites I had visit, bookmark a favorite website for tips and tricks , then read the articles that might interest me.

Today, the RSS helps me a lot in consolidating these news and articles in one place/folder, I have other use of my memory and then I can read such articles any time of the day.

What is RSS (Really Simple Syndication)?

In layman’s term you dont need to visit or find each website for that update or article, it is fed to you.

More of RSS in this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

RSS on Console

The tool that i have installed on my KahelOS for my RSS when I am in my console mode is the feed reader called “newsbeuter”

More of newsbeuter

Getting Started

Installing newsbeuter is very simple and straight forward on my KahelOS, just launch your terminal and Install newsbeuter using pacman command.

Figure 1: Installing newsbeuter

Now, you can manage your feed subscription by adding the feed url on the ~/.newsbeuter/urls file.

This can be done using your favorite text editor (vi,vim,pico etc.)

Or simple use echo command

eg. if i want to subscribe to 8layer blogs with the ff: URLS

http://labs.cre8tivetech.com/rss

http://www.8layertech.com/rss_blogs.php

Again with the echo command,

Figure 2: Adding/subscribing feeds

You can add more RSS efed URL if you want.

Now you are ready to run the program; just invoke “ newsbeuter” command then it will automatically prompt you to

Figure 3: Running newsbeuter application

Figure 4: Viewing your feeds

One of the good things about this application is that it is very easy to use. The commands below the screen are your guide to read news feed.

Q-quit
ENTER-Open
N-Next
(Shift+N)-Back
r-reload
R-Reload All
A-Mark Read
C-Catchup

Newsbeuter and More

You can also view your Google reader feed using this small tool. The trick is to add these lines on your “~/.newsbeuter/config”

urls-source “googlereader”
googlereader-login “your-googlereader-account”
googlereader-password “your-password”

eg. $vim ~/.newsbeuter/config

then insert these lines above.

Just save the config files and start “ newsbeuter”

Figure 5: Starting your newsbeuter with Google Reader

Figure 6: Viewing your feeds

I also suggest that one has to consult the newsbeuter manual and its online documentation for other tips and trick about this tool
$ man newsbeuter

http://www.newsbeuter.org/doc/newsbeuter.html

Change NOW for Free

2010-09-09T20:14:00.001+08:00

Show off what you’ve got

2010-09-09T19:48:00.000+08:00

At the Software Freedom Day 2010 Celebration, You are FREE to show off what you’ve got. There are three simple fun ways:

1. Join the Gimpscape Graphic Design Contest if you have the knack for artistic expression and creativity.
2. Come out of your shell, WOW! your schoolmates and make your school proud to bag the PHP Programming Champ.
3. Tell it all by writing a blog about your personal Software Freedom Day 2010 Experience and bring home a special prize from IBM Phils. when your entry is chosen to be the Best Blog of the Day. Submit your entry during the event at myblog@sfd.ph – deadline of submission of entries is at 330PM.

All those who sign-up for these contests is already a winner. So, what are you waiting for? Register NOW! http://sfd.ph/registration/

A Tool that I used to Resize image/s via command line for Juancho's Album

2010-09-03T15:24:00.003+08:00

Juancho's Album

As Juancho (8layer penguin mascot) is 8layer's Penguin on the Go!. We thought of capturing Juancho's moments in and out and just anything roundabout.

So here's a peek of his pictures and loot.

Juancho's Album

Juancho Plus One

Most of the pictures taken were shot using our sony cybershot DCS-T2 camera (no adverstising fee paid)

Each picture eats up 1.9MB to 2.9MB. The goal is to resize the image to my preferred size. Doing this task could easily be done using a program called "mogrify" .

What is Mogrify?

Mogrify is a command utility that will help you to resize an image, blur, crop, despeckle, dither, draw on, flip, join, re-sample, and much more.

It is also one of the command-line utilities for manipulating images included in the ImageMagick http://www.imagemagick.org/script/command-line-tools.php

How Mogrify Basically Works?

Mogrify with Image Settings "-geometry 1000x1000" usually resize image of 1000 pixels wide or 1000 pixels high from 1.9MB to2.9MB to 190kb to 320kb. What makes it very useful is that you can resize a number of pictures all at the same time with just a single line command.

Now, I am ready to upload pictures to picasa album.

Apart from resizing, a useful trick is its ability to to reduce specific image to 50% from its original size, This is achieved by simply using its “-resize” option. See example below:

This command will give an output like the image below.

Now, we know that with mogrify, we can resize and reduce images, even multiple images at the same time.

What about file/ image format conversion?

For example, if you want to convert your .JPG file to .png file, use the “-format” option as this will do the trick.

Likewise, use the wildcard to do multiple files conversion

$mogrify -format png *.JPG

With this command, you are able to convert all our JPG images to the png format:

If this guide aint basic enough, don't forget to check the mogrify manual for more information on its usage.

$man mogrify

Enjoy mogrifying!

Chibi

2010-09-03T15:20:00.001+08:00

ang aming taos pusong pakikiramay sa mga biktima nitong nagdaang hostage tragedy

2010-08-27T17:02:00.003+08:00

KahelOS Installation

2010-08-06T17:45:00.001+08:00

Let's save the Earth and conserve Water

2010-07-22T12:16:00.001+08:00

What is an Autonomic Solution?

2010-07-20T17:01:00.001+08:00

Lotus Foundation Start Installation Tutorial

2010-07-19T15:14:00.009+08:00

Malaysian Government has reached 97% OSS Adoption -- WOW!

2010-07-09T22:51:00.001+08:00

I believe that the Malaysian Government is doing the right thing on their move towards the adoption of open source software When will the key people in the Philippine Goverment involved and connected with ICT realize the benefits of open source software?

An SME like 8layer Technologies Talks about SME IT Solutions at the ICT Month Celebration at CICT.

2010-07-05T15:08:00.005+08:00

In 2008, June was declared as The National ICT Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1521.

This year's theme; Get Online Philippines! should be a recognition and a manifestation of a concrete commitment from both the private and public sectors to power infrastructure and empower users on the benefits of timely information, communication and being connected.

The Philippine Commission on ICT issued Memorandum Circular No. 2, Series of 2010 enjoining all government agencies of sorts to organize activities to resound the said theme.

Hence, CICT held a week's Celebration at their C.P. Garcia Grounds to imprint the significance of ICT to all sectors in a country still groping in the wilderness of IT.

8layer was tasked to share our insights on ICT Solutions befitting for SMEs. The speaking slot was kind of a sleepy afternoon for the participants as it was just after their lunch break. But to our suprise the cozy auditorium and the beguiling afternoon did not get into the way of the room's being awake, lively and participative.

The participants were mostly members of the academe (SUC's) which is an important sector for ICT Education and some from the SME Organizations in the country, providing training and other assistance to SMEs.

Our Ms. Deng Silorio, Head of Marketing and Business Operations, shared 8layer's experiences as an SME in taking advantage of the ICT Applications and Solutions to aid the company in daily operations and to attain competitive advantage.

She also expounded on the current nature of SMEs towards ICT: their perspective, belief and attitude on ICT usage and what prevents SMEs to adopt IT Solutions and if they do use IT what are their hurdles.

Simplify. Lower Cost. Productivity. These are what the SMEs look for in a particular tool and that doesn't leave out ICT Solutions for their businesses. Apart from the many F/OSS applications that 8layer Technologies, discussed during the talk, Deng did impart solutions like 8ix Zenith IP Telephony and the KahelOS Linux Desktop application which is an intelligent alternative to expensive Desktop OS and Productivity without the viruses and system crashes. She added the Smarter Lotus Foundations Start an Application built and developed with the SMEs in mind.She also discussed the initiatives and benefits of the PLDT Snap! Offering for SMEs. These ICT Tools and Applications epitomizes the absolute value and philosophy of simplicity, affordability and productivity plus reliability and security.

Though currently 8layer Technologies provides IT Consultancy, Services and Solutions to a vast range of organization and companies, it was really at the onset geared to assist SMEs to focus and harness on the latter's products, services and efficient delivery of such.

Awareness is key to proper ICT adoption specially by SMEs but the SMEs limitation to participate and contribute impedes ICT Solution providers like 8layer to gather pertinent and relevant information in ICT Standardization for SMEs.

In very recent future, 8layer would wish to see in actual fruition ICT big players and the government especially agencies like CICT and the Philippine Commission on ICT to fund studies on ICT Standardization for SMEs since SMEs account for 98%-99& of total number of enteprises in the country today. With this fact and figure, SMEs are not only the major source of income but likewise are perceived to constitute a primal and essential role in the socio-economic development of a Nation.

LFS Technical Administration and Product Orientation Training

2010-07-03T14:02:00.001+08:00

A Technical Administration and Product Orientation Training was held yestesday July 01, 2010 about Lotus Foundations Start at the IBM Innovation Center, AyalaTechnohub, Diliman,Q.C. and was attended by some IBM Software Resellers and Distributors. The training was an initiative by IBM Phils., MSI-ECS and 8layer Technologies. Inc.

You better watch out! open source is here to stay...

2010-05-28T13:21:00.000+08:00

Smart Start Child Development Centers - Worry free IT with Lotus Foundations

2010-05-25T18:07:00.001+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkeQapaZnmE

CD Brigade 2010

2010-05-13T15:50:00.001+08:00

A CD that you give becomes a meaningful CD (Clout of Discovery)

2010-05-12T15:34:00.001+08:00

Qualification Profile of Presidentiables

2010-05-10T02:34:00.000+08:00

A CD that you give becomes a meaningful CD (Clout of Discovery)

2010-05-07T00:51:00.000+08:00

As part of our initiative, we are launching for this month what we simply call KahelOS CD Brigade.

Simply donate a blank CD or CD's and these will in turn be KahelOS Installers that will freely be distributed to Students and Schools to employ their Open Source Labs.

Remember, that a CD that you give is a Cornerstone of Creativity and Innovation.

Every CD that you selflessly share could impel and compel a community of enlightened learners of Information Technology.

A CD that you contribute builds a culture of individuals open to choices, aware and can discern what is better for them.

A CD that you send in combats the deteriorating IT Education in a country like ours.

While others would like to deter and constrain the state and quality of IT Education or some staying selfish with what they know by keeping it to themselves, KahelOS believes that confering valuable IT Education alleviates poverty. For a CD that is collaboratively shared actively and pro-actively confronts ignorance.

This is a recap and reiteration of KahelOS Philosophical manifestation.

Kahel is against the injudicious measure of software monopoly. Kahel recognizes that a software that is available for ALL is not a profit loss but a credibility gained.

Kahel is against the misguided rationalization of software piracy. The choice between "free and open source" vs "illegal copies" is not about cost. It is about performance, values and utility. You are what you choose to download or use.

Kahel is against the misplaced labels in the values of information technology. Kahel believes that there is a Linux OS right for you. In the same way that life and living is all about choices and the choices that you make reflects you.Your choice is dependent on your palate and your need. If Kahel fits your taste, style and requirement, then Kahel is the Linux OS for you.

Kahel is against the complacent and apathetic effort to make an informed decision. KahelOS recognizes and gives high regard to competence, innovation and sharing what one has learned and found out along the way for the greater good. Kahel may not be the "perfect" fit for you, but you can make it just as perfect as you want it to be...

KahelOS likes simplicity, lightness and readiness of use for end-users. But it doesn't like spoon feeding.

KahelOS likes to spark critical thinking and yield towards the needed chan ge.

Email us at Cdbrigade-AT-kahelos-DOT-org and visit us at our website http://www.kahelos.org. Here and on, a multitude of gratitude and ripples of joy to all who may appreciate to join the Brigade.

Review of PCOS Source Code

2010-05-03T04:17:00.001+08:00

Check JDV3 website,there are some documentations pertaining to "Review of PCOS Source Code"

http://joeydevenecia.com/
I wonder how JDV3 got these documents.

Just got the link and still reading and reviewing it too. After reading the certification test report summary (March 8-9,2010) http://www.mediafire.com/?uwqdwdzw2zm... by SysTest Labs i felt disturbed and still looking for answers.

Our COMELEC is not transparent to everyone of us.They still have major things to do especially on the transmission part,modem firmware ,antivirus-security and documentations.What is the COMELEC going to do about this?

May 10 is just a week away.

KahelOS, A Labor of Love and Passion

2010-05-01T16:16:00.001+08:00

KahelOS Installer May 01, 2010

The May One version of KahelOS installer (KahelOS 050110) is dedicated to all the laborers around the world. Downloads are available at http://www.kahelos.org/downloads.php

The first day of May marks the inception of KahelOS and historically it also marks the celebration of the triumps and achievements of labor movements worldwide This day is famously known as the International Workers day.
The origin of our international commemoration dates back in the year 1884, where the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions victoriously got the approval of the eight-hour workday.
In the Philippines, we term it as Labor Day or “Araw ng Paggawa” and was very first celebrated in 1903. Thousands of laborers marched to Malacanang to voice out their grievances for better working conditions and was organized by the Union Obrero Democratica de Filipinas.
Today, everywhere around the world, Labor day will surely be remembered and actively participated in through rallies, demonstrations and even parties to exalt the laborers of the world.
http://www.librarylink.org.ph/featarticle.asp?articleid=69

Even before our official release today, the new KahelOS installer has already been reviewed at beginlinux.com http://beginlinux.com/desktop_training/reviews/kahelos-review.
Thank you for taking time and providing significant inputs to make KahelOS work better for those who would like to experience its utility.

The highlight of this installer is the easier and friendlier way to do installation in a just a few steps unlike the first two installer release. Again, All in One CD Installer.

Improvements that you may discover with the new installer:

Compiz Fusion is enabled by default
Font cleanup and improvements
Improved hinting and rendering of fonts
Massive cleanup of unnecessary packages, saving disk space.
Massive optimization of PNG/MNG/TIFF/GIF packages.
New boot splash, background and theme.
Out-of-the-box easy file-sharing (just by right clicking the folder you wish to share)
Mabuhay Welcome Center w/ introduction of Kahel OS.
iBus is now the default alternative input bus
Include all possible Wifi Firmware by default

Include OpenJDK6 Java Development Kit by default

New Default Applications Installed:

Pitivi 0.13.4
Simple-Scan 0.9.9
Google Gadgets 0.11.2
Chromium 5.0.
Chromium supports WOFF (http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/10/woff) and playing HTML5 videos without Flash (http://www.youtube.com/html5).
Gnome 2.30
Gnome Color Manager 2.30
Kernel 2.6.33
OpenOffice 2.3.0
Banshee 1.6.0
Tracker 0.8
Tomboy notes
Gbrainy
Lights Off

KahelOS, as a Labor of Love and Passion, we continue to be indebted to the selfless, generous, highly-talented genuises and collaborators of Linux and Open Source Applications.

Invaluable gratitude also goes to those who support applications like KahelOS for believing on its Philosophy, noble cause and to imbibe in its initiators, developers, contributors, advocates and users of the responsibility and rationale, in going and doing Linux and Open Source Programs and Projects.

Together, we at KahelOS, celebrates and commemorates May One with all the Laboers of the World.

IBM Lotus Foundation One Box Fits All

2010-04-26T17:20:00.001+08:00

Our Best Sellers

BIG BIZ
All-In-One IT In a Box

CLIX
The No brainer, Back up and Recovery System in a Few Clicks.

TELEVANTAGE
Being connected means bringing down your telecommunication costs.

IBM Lotus Foundation
One Box Fits All

Lotus Foundations is an all-in-one solution designed to meet the unique IT and productivity challenges to power small businesses.

A complete solution for small businesses--in a single package.

Unique server autonomics handle backup, settings, file management, security, and more
Automatically backs-up data as often as every 15 minutes
Performs a full system restore in minutes with unique disaster recover technology
Email, calendars and contacts with IBM Lotus Notes and Domino
Offers choice with Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook or web-based email interfaces
Enables clients to publish web pages and manage their own email domain
Self-configuring firewall safeguards networks from unauthorized intrusions
Anti-virus protection monitors and cleanses network files of suspicious content
Anti-spam technology filters unwanted email
Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology enables remote connectivity
Enables central file and print access, management and sharing
Create documents, spreadsheets and presentations with bundled productivity software

Get in touch with us. Let's talk about your company's uniqueness, how like us, you make a habit out of asking the right questions and finding the best answers, and how we can help you define open source solutions that will amplify your freedom to drive your business as you envision it.

8layertech inc. For inquiries, please call us at : (+632) 706-0501 email:info@8layertech.com

An Open Invitation

2010-04-22T15:38:00.001+08:00

Our Best Sellers

BIG BIZ
All-In-One IT In a Box

CLIX
The No brainer, Back up and Recovery System in a Few Clicks.

TELEVANTAGE
Being connected means bringing down your telecommunication costs.

An Open Invitation

Your business is growing. No doubt, thanks to your hard work, focus and the culture of excellence you have built your company upon.

You have always invested in the right people and have always sought to forge sound partnerships. And now, by upgrading your I.T. Infrastructure, you intend to be abreast or stay ahead via new demands and opportunities that come hand in hand with growth.

So, you leaf through the quotations and proposals on your desk. You've seen these before. Page after page of brand names, technical services, and specifications in between claims of being the best solution for your company. You know outright that most of these vendors are only out to make a quick buck from your requirements, so most of their offerings must be limited by profitability and popularity, both poor substitutes for suitability and performance.

You stop and think, How did these vendors come up with what is best for MY company? Did these vendors come up to me to understand my needs and wants or did THEY just come up to show us some really cool and professional presentations?

And then realize, YOU need IT Practitioners who understand the Technology and YOUR needs!

You refuse to accept a generic "best" solution. Because your company runs and breathes differently. Because your corporate values and resources are different from any other company's. And most importanty, because you will not allow your company to be tied down by solutions that are inherently limited, compromising your ability to adapt to a constantly changing business landscape.

Through the years, 8layer Technologies, Inc. has been blessed to find like-minded partners, companies that have come to recognize the value of
collaboration versus quotations and true results over maketing hype.

8layertech inc. For inquiries, please call us at : (+632) 706-0501 email:info@8layertech.com

A New Approach to Software

2010-04-22T04:25:00.002+08:00

Summary:
You’re in business to serve your customers and make a profit. You have all the ingredients for success: expertise, hard work, and dedicated employees. But in today’s marketplace, you also need solid technology to support your business. Your employees need a way to share files, collaborate, schedule meetings, send and receive e-mail, and access the Internet. Customers will want to look you up online and send you e-mail. And, you’ll want to present a professional image and make good first impressions with your business’ own domain name (mycompany.com) rather than a free email account.

Additionally, you’ll want to have a contingency plan for your critical business data – ensuring you have a backup and disaster recovery plan for occasions when small, or big, issues arise. And you don’t want to have to worry about the security of your information, or managing complex technology.

Having the ability to enable all of these important business components can be a significant differentiator and advantage for a business. IBM Lotus Foundations Start, an offering delivered and supported by your local VAR or systems integrator, provides the technology to do just that.

http://tinyurl.com/2g4hpck

KahelOS 050110 Review

2010-04-21T23:29:00.000+08:00

Intro

Today I had the pleasure of reviewing a distro i wanted to check out during its last stable release but I ran out of time. When I saw sourceforge had a new version of KahelOS available for download, I jumped on it. I was excited to try the Arch-based KahelOS on my Dell desktop for several reasons. Just like Arch, KahelOS is on a rolling release schedule and uses Pacman package manager. Also, this version of KahelOS uses Gnome 2.30.0. These all sit well with the goals of what I want my desktop computer to be.

ReadMore

Installing broadcom-wl on KahelOS

2010-04-21T19:19:00.001+08:00

After Installing the new image 05012010 i noticed that binutils,make and gcc must be installed first in order for me to install broadcom-wl.

pacman -S binutils make gcc
yaourt -S --noconfirm broadcom-wl

Added this on my /etc/rc.conf on the MODULES section.
lib80211 wl !b43 !ssb

Then,reboot

Startup Culture: 23 Insights From The NetFlix Culture Deck

2010-04-20T07:30:00.001+08:00

http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/12383/Startup-Culture-23-Insights-From-The-NetFlex-Culture-Deck.aspx

Setting the treatment of spam for all users for LFS

2010-04-16T16:54:00.000+08:00

Create the script

1. Telnet into the LFS server and log in as an administrative user.

2. Move to a directory where you can safely store files. For example:

cd /home/root/Files

3. Using your favorite Linux text editor, create a file called setallspamactions.pl.

4. Within the file, enter the following code:

#!/bin/sh
DEFPROB="$1"
ACTION="$2"
usage()
{
prog=$(basename $0)
echo "usage: $prog "
exit 0
}
if [ -z "$DEFPROB" -o -z "$ACTION" ]; then
usage
fi
if [ "$DEFPROB" != "definite" -a "$DEFPROB" != "probable" ]; then
usage
fi
if [ "$ACTION" != "Mark" \
-a "$ACTION" != "None" \
-a "$ACTION" != "Move" \
-a "$ACTION" != "Delete" ]; then
usage
fi
for u in /home/*; do
user=$(basename $u)
echo -n "$user = "
wv set [$DEFPROB spam action]$user=$ACTION
done
wv kick

5. Save the file.

Run the script

1. Before running the script, the permissions associated with the file must be changed so that it may be executable. To do this type:

chmod +x setallspamactions.pl

2. Run the script with the setting you wish to set globally. The syntax for running the script is as follows:

./setallspamactions.pl TYPE ACTION

The options for the TYPE of spam detected are definite and probable and the options for the spam treatment ACTION are Mark, None, Move and Delete. Therefore, adjust the script according to your preference. For example, if you would like to have all definite spam deleted from the server, type:

./setallspamactions.pl definite Delete

If you want to move all probable spam, type:

./setallspamactions.pl probable Move

3. The script shows all user accounts in LFS being modified to use the settings you have just set.

The Origins of Linux - Linus Torvalds

2010-04-05T14:12:00.001+08:00

Gimme Five! (Happy 5th Year Anniversary Team 8liens)

2010-04-03T00:50:00.001+08:00

Happy Five Years to my fellow 8liens and Yes, We are still alive and we continue to kick-ass.

Let me share a notable portion of my 4th Year Anniversary article and it read:

"At FOUR we know there is More;

More to the essence of growing up and that though growing old is inevitable we got to make use of our time and talents wisely.

More of touching lives and making people discern that IT won't work for them, if they won't even care about IT or their work.

More of giving of who we are through our innovative ways, whether it be solutions or just plainly talking to you about what Open Source Advocacy can do for you or your organization.

More to life than just gadgets and computers, that IT is made up of people (flesh, blood, thinking and feeling), who wants IT to work for you."

The above statements were not just realizations at that time but remains a constant one to remind us and each and every person who have experienced to work with us, be with us and grown with us, what makes our team different from the rest of IT companies.

8layer@Five: A Time to look back at the good times and not so good times.
I so vividly remember how complicated, difficult and strenuous it was to come up to any individual introducing our team and much more talk about Linux and Open Source, then altogether presenting to engage an endeavor with our team. That was then and sources after resources tells us how our technology preference have evolved and continue to be magnanimous. We may have been ahead of our league and this is one link I wish to share as well, http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7749/1.html.

Now and then the burden really lies on bridging and for the CIO, CTO, IT practitioners and Business owners to imbibe the discipline, value and habit of being able to qualify IT Solutions, Applications and more importantly vendors and partners when employing IT. Further, it is having the effort to understand that if any organization need IT to work with them, they need to work with IT. IT won't work alone for anyone.

My personal stiff and cumbersome challenge, which is most important for 8layer, is to cascade to my fellow 8lien, what 8layer is all about and how do we live to assimilate to become one. That this is a team play, that we are unlike any talent show that one should stand out. That it is not about being a genius all by himself/ herself and that one's talent and intelligence will never be called innovation unless translated and manifested to good, practical and meaningful substance and use. It shouldn't be human nature I refuse to believe, that when one is endowed with talents that are not ordinary, some may feel that he/she is indispensable and then tend to neglect others and be disrespectful. When we start to feel this way, then we lose our sense of being an 8lien, our sense of developing and sharing not for oneself. An 8lien should always remember that we learned Open Source and our knowledge have been enriched because initially there were kind and generous people who were fond of sharing what they know, and if not for them who were ahead of us, then we would know very little or nothing. For on top of all of these, the greater part of being an 8lien is respect and responsibility.

And so at the end of the day, 8layer's Vision and Mission cannot just be simply achieved by extra ordinary people and talents but rather geared by 8layer's Core Strength and Success Factor; etched by ordinary people with extra ordinary commitment and passion.

8layer@Five: A Time to look ahead at our Future.
Through the years, our team, has been blessed to find like-minded partners and companies that have come to recognize the value of collaboration versus quotations and true results over maketing hype. Every year, new friends and partners add up to the roster of our invaluable helping hands, generous hearts and brilliant minds.

For some time we have been sought for by companies and organizations who would want an IT Team who can definitely understand and resolve their IT needs.

This time around, we realize that we should take on the challenge for us to be understood and simply comprehensible; come up with absolutely easy and reliable IT Applications which is timely and for those who discerns the urgent need of migrating to our kind of Service and Technology.

"The Art of Passion largely defines the Art of our Existence", @Five and Alive, 8layer 2010
We give you Five: Gratitude, Passion, Respect, Responsibility and Fun.

So, Gimme Five.

The art of passion is largely the art of our existence

2010-03-30T10:53:00.002+08:00

Team 8liens Support Earth Hour 2010!

2010-03-26T09:43:00.002+08:00

My KahelOS giving me a wrong time and date after installation

2010-03-18T22:50:00.002+08:00

Problem:
After installing KahelOS, my PC Time is not sync with my BIOS clock or my OS is giving me a wrong time.

Solution:
1.make sure that HARDWARECLOCK="localtime" is set in your /etc/rc.conf
TIMEZONE="Asia/Manila"

note:for timezone value check /usr/share/zoneinfo/ and choose appropriate timezone for you.
$cd /usr/share/zoneinfo/ (and check all file under this folder)

2.using "date" command you can change your computer date/time
eg. If you want to set your computer date and time to March 18,2010 10:37PM just execute this command.
root ~ #date -s "18 Mar 2010 22:37:00"

3.Then Follow this command below in relation to "adjtime" and "hwclock" and then reboot your system.
root ~ #echo "0.0 0 0.0" > /var/lib/hwclock/adjtime
root ~ #hwclock -r
root ~ #hwclock -w --localtime
root ~ #hwclock -r
root ~ #reboot

Let me know if this works for you too.

LFS Domino Web Access Lite mode

2010-02-09T14:12:00.000+08:00

One of our friends emailed us regarding his problem on his DWA access. He told us that the drop down on the switch mode is not working and the access is very slow. My analysis tells me that the main problem could be his internet connectivity or the way he is accessing his DWA. With this I also thought that the simple solution could be setting DWA to use lite mode by default. Our friend can also benefit from these features of setting it to lite mode.

It should be able to best work with minimal bandwidth and It uses the same mail8.ntf template.
Most of all, It’s an Ajax Application that makes navigation cool and friendly.

To set this feature just follow these instructions.

1.Telnet to your LFS server
2. Edit notes.ini
cd /tmp/disk/home/notes/Files/notesdata/
vi notes.ini
3.Add this line.
iNotes_WA_DefaultUI=dwa_lite
4. Reboot LFS Server

Access the DWA https://yourdomain.com:4443
Domino Web Access Lite will be the default mode for all Lotus Domino Web Access users.

RP tech advocates gain ground in fight to free the Internet

2010-02-04T23:07:00.001+08:00

PHP Developers Summit 2010

2010-01-30T03:33:00.001+08:00

Team 8layer supports PHP Developers Summit 2010.Our very own Kuya Rey and Agi will share their know-how on some PHP related topics. Kudos!

http://conference.phpugph.com

Introducing KahelOS Light Edition 01-01-2010

2010-01-02T08:31:00.001+08:00

After the Christmas release of the new KahelOS Desktop installers 12-25-2009, there's no stopping this citrusy fresh Linux Distribution.

Today on New Year' Day, Let us introduce to you KahelOS Light Edition 01-01-2010 designed for Netbooks with limited storage capacity.
Just like the KahelOS Desktop Edition, the Light Edition has 32- bit and 64-bit version installers.

What basically describes KahelOS Light Edition 01-01-2010?

* Lightweight - The light desktop operates on Linux 2.6.32 and utilizes XFCE 4.6 which is much suitable for PC's with low memory and resources.

* Power-Packed - The installer is compressed to 420MB and the standard install is just a total of 1.8 Gigabytes

* SSD (solid-state drive) Friendly - KahelOS LE, includes BTRFS and NILFS filesystems. BTRFS automatically detects SSD while NILFS will make your SSD happy. http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7345/1.html

* Bundled with Lightweight Applications - The applications in KahelOS Light Edition includes Claws Email Client, Midori Web Browser, Gthumb Image Viewer and Organizer, and Exaile Music Player.

* Additionally, KahelOS Light Edition is Wifi and Bluetooth ready.

Don't waste time. Be wise. Download KahelOS Light Edition.

Now, you're ready to enjoy life as fresh as KahelOS.

Announcing the 64-bit KahelOS Desktop Installer version 12-25-2009

2009-12-29T18:14:00.001+08:00

We kept our promise to release it within the week. We are pleased to give you the 64-bit version of the KahelOS Desktop Installer and now available for download. http://sourceforge.net/projects/kahelos/files/kahel-desktop-122509-x86_64.iso/download

KahelOS tries to maintain a complete Gnome distro using only just 1 CD installer. This 64-bit KahelOS Installer has included OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Evolution, Banshee, Tracker, Empathy, Gnote, F-spot and much more.

By default, the complete 'base-devel' packages are on the i686 version. However on x86_64, some 'base-devel' packages have not been included on the x86_64 ISO installer, due to the fact that the 64-bit packages are larger than the 32-bit packages. But If one wishes to use a x86_64 version of KahelOS, simply type pacman -S base-devel to install the base-devel packages.

What are the advantages of a x86_64 KahelOS Desktop over its i686 version?

- Speed Boost - A 64-bit application will run much faster than a 32-bit application when compiled natively for 64-bit CPU. The packages included in the 64-bit Kahel OS version are compiled specifically for 64-bit Architecture.

- Memory Allocation - A 64-bit OS can allocate a minimum of 4GB to 16 exabytes of memory for applications, which implies that applications have more access to hardware RAM than before.

- Processing Power - Images and videos rendered and processed on a 64-bit OS is much detailed and crispier. Rendering is also faster on a 64-bit OS.

Try it for yourself and find out to see the difference.

Kahel OS (Desktop Edition) DAEMONS and SERVICES.

2009-12-28T21:08:00.000+08:00

check this post by joelbryan: http://forum.kahelos.org/topic/kahel-os-desktop-edition-daemons-and-services

Here's a brief explanation about the Kahel OS changes regarding the DAEMON process on the 122509 release, these changes does not came from Arch Linux but is exclusive for Kahel OS.

If you have noticed, the Kahel OS boot process is really fast, and GDM came up almost instantaneously. This is because the Kahel OS daemons have been changed to speed up the boot process and allow GDM to start up much quickly. The daemons have been divided into two groups, the DAEMONS and SERVICES. The DAEMONS starts up the important applications to load GDM, while the SERVICES will start after the GDM shows up and a user logged-in.

All DAEMONS and SERVICES will be executed as root, also DBUS will be automatically loaded by GDM so all SERVICES that calls dbus will find it. DBUS will run as system-wide message bus at the initial DAEMONS list and as a per-user-login-session daemon when a user logged in.. However if you prefer DBUS to run as a session message bus (this will affect avahi-daemon), remove the initial dbus on the DAEMONS list.

Kahel OS has a script /usr/bin/kahel-generate-rc for the generation of /etc/rc.conf, it is recommended that you modify the file /etc/kahel-system-profiles.conf if you plan to create an rc.conf profile.

The file /etc/kahel-system-profiles.conf contains the following lines:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# /etc/kahel-system-profiles.conf - Generator configurations for Kahel OS Linux
#

## This values will be parsed by 'kahel-generate-mkinitcpio' use to generate
## a mkinitcpio.conf file with KMS support.

KERNEL_MODULES="crc32c libcrc32c btrfs ext4 udf nilfs2 ahci"

## This values will be parsed by 'kahel-generate-rc' use to generate an rc.conf
## with Kahel OS's daemon execution and management.

USER_MODULES="acpi-cpufreq cpufreq_stats cpufreq_powersave cpufreq_userspace cpufreq_ondemand cpufreq_conservative freq_table cfg80211 lib80211 lib80211_crypt_wep lib80211_crypt_ccmp lib80211_crypt_tkip fuse usblp usb_storage"
DAEMONS="preload @syslog-ng @hal @gdm"
SERVICES="rpcbind fam @networkmanager @crond @alsa @cpufreq @avahi-daemon @bluetooth @cups @mono"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The script 'kahel-generate-rc' uses the USER_MODULES, DAEMONS and SERVICES fields, all compatible with the parameters that you use with /etc/rc.conf, so (!) to disable and (@) to start at background.

The USER_MODULES is the pre-seeded modules that you wish to be loaded by rc.conf MODULES by default. Also 'kahel-generate-rc' autodetects your modules then installed it along with your MODULES in rc.conf, 'kahel-generate-rc' smartly checks for any duplicate entries against the autodetected modules then it will remove one of them and retain only 1 entry.

The DAEMONS is the default daemons that will be loaded upon startup and load GDM.
The SERVICES is the daemons that will be loaded after GDM and when a user logged in.

The script 'kahel-generate-rc' will write rc.conf on your current working directory as default, unless you supplied it with '--install' parameter.

To install your changes, simply type 'sudo kahel-generate-rc --install', after that review the changes made by the script via editing /etc/rc.conf.

Then after that, you can reboot your system with your new configurations.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

- Joel Bryan Juliano

KahelOS Linux (Desktop Edition) Installer version: 12-25-2009

2009-12-26T00:02:00.000+08:00

Sharing and giving, that's the Spirit of Christmas.

And so on this very day of “Gift-Giving”, three months after our first installer release 09-09-2009, we give you the new KahelOS Linux (Desktop Edition) Installer Version: 12-25-2009 . Download KahelOS Linux Installer at http://www.kahelos.org/downloads.php

KahelOS Linux now has Kernel 2.6.32, Xorg 7.5 and Gnome 2.28.2 by default.

One may ask, what is new, is it worth-giving and worthy of sharing your experiences and thoughts about this new KahelOS Linux (Desktop Edition) Installer?

We are glad to impart the new KahelOS Linux Installer developed to make it much more simple, easier and refreshing to use.

How is this possible?
-The setup installation has been simplified. The user is no longer required to type /kahel/setup at the installer boot, instead the installer will automatically just appear upon bootup.

-KMS (Kernel Mode Setting) is automatically detected as it has been installed by default, which means faster boot process, faster X server load, seamless graphical 3D effects, faster graphics, and an improved animated boot sequence.

-Faster bootup - the startup process has been tweaked enormously to speed up the boot process even on modest hardware configurations, also KMS helps the loading of GDM which makes the login screen appear faster. Still 'fastboot', is a feature long before enabled on Kahel OS.

What makes it better and sweeter is that 'fastboot' now operates without any delay. Modules have been initially pre-seeded upon installation so the system would not waste time on auto-detecting kernel modules.

Why is KahelOS Linux faster than before?
We have introduced an innovative change to the way daemons are loaded on startup. The traditional approach is to load all the daemons one by one or concurrently at startup before the GDM GUI appears. This approach is much slower because the system is sharing more resources on other daemons instead of just loading the GUI.
Now, KahelOS just loads the GDM GUI making the GUI instantly appear, then loads the rest of the daemons when a user has logged-in.

In addtion, KahelOS Linux is now a 100% GNU distribution. We tacitly did not ship any non-free, licensed-encumbered and proprietary software (gstreamer-bad/ugly/ffmpeg plugins, adobe flash plugin), to maintain a pure open source distro and to promote open standards (theora/ogg). However, the user can easily be capable to install those packages if they need them.

Some application choices have been incorporated with mainstream users in mind. This also resulted in the deletion of unecessary libraries and applications with recursive/duplicate functionalities .
-Firefox is the default web-browser
-Empathy is for IM and VoIP
-OpenOffice.org is the default Office Suite
-F-Spot for managing photos, and Beagle for managing MP3's and Videos
-Dejavu (off-spring of Bitsream) is among the default fonts in lieu of Bitsream Vera as Dejavu covers all the features Bitsream has.

-The familiar filesystems available todate on most distribution have been added, (i.e. XFS, JFS, VFAT) primarily because many are still hooked on using such filesystems. The next generation filesystems (NILFS2, BTRFS, EXT4), on the other hand, are still available as it is already handy even in the KahelOS installer version 09.09.2009.

Some enhancements are named here for those looking for advance features and stability:
-KahelOS is the first distro to release with GCM and has been tested to be stable. Gnome-Color-Manager is by default installed, along with free and public domain ICC profiles like the compatible version of Adobe RGB (1998) http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/adobergb.html". GCM gives users the ability to change their ICC profile.

-Due to the unstability of GNOME PackageKit as of this date, we have replaced it with a more stable 'gtkpacman', which is similar to Synaptics Package Manager.

-While on other Linux Distributions 'Hibernate' incur complications (as they rely on hardware ACPI extensions which is not available on all computers), Hibernate and Suspend works perfectly with KahelOS Linux. The simple solution was to change the installation method which incidentally also resolves the kernel not to be choked when loading the filesystem module.

-Metacity Compositor has been placed in lieu of Compiz, due to the white screen bug we have encountered previously. Metacity Compositor does not require a recent video hardware, and will run on almost every user and still having a nice graphical effect without necessitating a new video card.

-In place of the braille fonts (ttf-ubraille) is the GNU FreeFonts which contains a braille writing system, the reason for removal of ttf-ubraille is because it is unusable for normal users without a braille printer and even if it's available nothing will be printed on the screen if someone use the fonts.

-KahelOS Linux goes International – KahelOS Linux now supports displaying all major languages available; all asian fonts have been added, as well as language translations by default. Moreover, SCIM (Smart Common Input Method) platform have been included to support inputs from all other languages.

-Better Desktop Search - beagle have been replaced by tracker, a much faster and lighter desktop indexing application.

-Easy VPN via NetworkManager - 3 VPN sub-systems have been added to NetworkManager.

-yaourt – a BSD's port-like source code package installation is by default on KahelOS Linux. This provides the users freedom to install their choice packages and applications that they can truly build for themselves.

-With the utility of Gnome 2.28, users will experience a faster and easier desktop they have not seen before and with the rolling release updates model, users can install the newest applications whenever they want it.

Patience is a virtue, so please do wait for more to come.
-Installation Guide (in English) will follow within the next week
-64 bit testing is ongoing and is underway
-KahelOS repository and mirror in early January 2010.

A spark of KahelOS and F/OSS at QCPU

2009-12-23T13:56:00.000+08:00

Before school comes to a temporary halt to make way for the Holidays, Quezon City Polytechnic University (QCPU) Students of Computer Science and Information Technology invited team 8layer to introduce KahelOS on December 11, 2009 at their Novaliches Campus.

There were about 200 students (Freshmen and Senior Year) who gathered at their Multi-purpose hall anxious and curious of what their co-students and faculty member, Mr. Luis Soriano have in store for them.

It was about fiteen past one in the afternoon when we decided to start the session so that we may finish early and students won't be caught at traffic, yet we finished at around 5pm. This only meant for us that the 8lien and Team KahelOS invasion which was merely an offshoot for students to open and expand their horizon on IT is promising. Lest, give the students a bird's eyeview of what they have been missing, the beauty and prowess of Open Source Technologies.

At the onset, we were quite wary on how we can carry through to convey and somehow be understood by more than 200 students but surprisingly we can only see eager faces and garnered a participative audience.

Deng opened the session by touching on the essential and elemental principle and concept of why should one be abreast with and study Open Source. Meric provided the hall with a glimpse of the KahelOS and other F/OSS available for use and study. While Agi on the other hand, had the challenge of conveying principle of programming but really did dwell more on tips on how to be a good programmer and basic of programming using F/OSS Tools and Applications.

In the Philippines, Open Source is barely and rarely part of the school curriculum. That is why with KahelOS through its team and Philosophy, we aim to bring Open Source and the value of learning and innovation to one student at a time.

maligayang pasko mula sa mga 8liens!

2009-12-22T00:15:00.002+08:00

(SOLVED)Clive Error

2009-10-29T15:10:00.001+08:00

When installing clive I got this error on my KahelOS Desktop.

Can't locate clive/App.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.10.1 /usr/share/perl5/site_perl/5.10.1 /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl /usr/share/perl5/vendor_perl /usr/share/perl5/vendor_perl /usr/lib/perl5/core_perl /usr/share/perl5/core_perl /usr/lib/perl5/current /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/current .) at /usr/bin/clive line 31.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /usr/bin/clive line 31.

use this PKGBUILD
# $Id: PKGBUILD 4029 2009-10-13 21:39:43Z ibiru $
# Maintainer: Daniel J Griffiths
# Contributor: Geoffroy Carrier
# Contributor: Benjamin Andresen
# Contributor: Kristaps Esterlins
# Contributor: Byron Clark

pkgname=clive
pkgver=2.2.7
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Video extraction/download tool for youtube and other websites."
url="http://code.google.com/p/clive/"
license=("GPL")
arch=('i686' 'x86_64')
depends=('perl-www-curl' 'perl-uri' 'perl-html-parser' 'perl-config-tiny' 'perl-berkeleydb' 'perl-class-singleton' 'perl-getopt-argvfile')
source=(http://clive.googlecode.com/files/${pkgname}-${pkgver}.tar.bz2)
md5sums=('3f713d996b9a440f83188c19db4023a0')

build() {
cd ${srcdir}/${pkgname}-${pkgver}
perl Makefile.PL INSTALL_BASE=${pkgdir}/usr INSTALLDIRS=vendor INSTALLVENDORLIB="$pkgdir/usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl"||return 1
make || return 1
make install||return 1
mkdir ${pkgdir}/usr/share
mv ${pkgdir}/usr/man ${pkgdir}/usr/share/man
}

Here are the steps that I did to install it.
1.mkdir /tmp/clive
2.put PKGBUILD above inside your /tmp/clive directory
3.use or type "makepkg"
this will create: clive-2.2.7-1-i686.pkg.tar.gz
4.install package
pacman -U clive-2.2.7-1-i686.pkg.tar.gz

Let me know if this helps you.

Reference:
http://bugs.archlinux.org/task/16629

KahelOS will be @Asia Source 3

2009-10-28T17:46:00.000+08:00

On November 7 to 12, 2009, more than 150 participants (40 of which are Filipinos) coming from 17 countries across the Asian Region will gather to share and collaborate on Open Source Topics and Activities.

This is the third leg of the Asia Source Summit and Conference, now dubbed as Asia Source 3. Please see more information on their website.

Bringing ASIA SOURCE 3 to the Philippines, are The International Open Source Network (IOSN) ASEAN+3 with support from InWEnt Capacity Building International, Germany, ASEAN Foundation, and Open Society Institute Information Program and co-organized by Tactical Technology Collective and Aspiration

And what has Kahel got to do with Asia Source 3?

Apparently, the organizers commissioned KahelOS Team to provide Asia Source 3 assistance with the KahelOS MIni USB Toolkit.

The 1 gig USB Toolkit is a live usb with some pre-installed Open Source Tools and Applications that were evaluated at the SME Guide. With this Kahel Mini USB Toolkit, users are able to either have a glimpse, preview and assess for themselves such Open Source tools and applications. The developers may also enable LAMP on this USB Toolkit for their own use.

Further, some of the laptops in the one week Asia Source 3 Conference will be installed with KahelOS and will be used by the attendees for the duration of the Event.

Mabuhay Asia Source 3 and our warm welcome goes to all the Participants!

KahelOS Desktop Guide Ready for Download

2009-10-28T17:45:00.000+08:00

A Documentation Guide to craft a nearly-perfect desktop. It includes basic tips and commands. Download here:
http://www.kahelos.org/downloads.php

(SOLVED)Lenovo y510 Video problem (NVIDIA DRIVER) on my KahelOS

2009-10-26T01:02:00.000+08:00

After installing KahelOS on my lenovo I noticed that my graphics quality needs some tweaking.
It necessitates an nvidia driver to do the trick.

Installing using pacman -Sy nvidia nvidia-utils will not solve my problem instantly and explicitly. Not in my lenovo model i guess...

Step 1: remove dri driver that is conflicting with my nvidia installation.
pacman -Rnd ati-dri intel-dri mach64-dri mga-dri nauveau-dri r128-dri savage-dri tdfx-dri trident-dri

Step 2. Install nvidia and nvidia-utils that is still in the testing repo.
pacman -Sydf testing/nvidia testing/nvidia-utils

note: make sure to uncomment testing repo on your /etc/pacman.conf
# Testing is disabled by default. To enable, uncomment the following
# two lines. You can add preferred servers immediately after the header,
# and they will be used before the default mirrors.
[testing]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Step 3: create /etc/X11/xorg.conf and add the entry below.
Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
Option "RenderAccel" "true"
Option "NoLogo" "true"
Option "AGPFastWrite" "true"
Option "EnablePageFlip" "true"
EndSection

Step 4: modify /boot/grub/menu.lst and add/insert this on kernel..
vmalloc=512m vga=773
ie. kernel /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/ef609507-daab-48c6-bd10-9b12c82953f2 vmalloc=512m vga=773 rootdelay=2 rootfstype=ext4 fastboot ro quiet

Step 5: Edit modprobe.conf
vim /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf

then add this entry
options nvidia NVreg_Mobile=1

Step 6: Edit rc.conf and add nvidia on your MODULE list.
vim /etc/rc.conf
MODULES=(...nvidia...)

Step 7: edit mkinitcpio.conf and make sure to include modprobe.con under FILES:

vim /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
add:
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"

Step 8: Execute mkinitcpio (Create an initial ramdisk environment)
mkinitcpio -p kernel26

Step 9:Re-install dri dirvers (you will be needing this for the other applications ie. skype-oss etc.)
pacman -Sy ati-dri intel-dri mach64-dri mga-dri nouveau-dri r128-dri savage-dri tdfx-dri trident-dri (

Step 10: Reboot Laptop
reboot

That's it!

Get your own Kahel Download badge!

2009-10-20T19:13:00.000+08:00

>Jaja Del Rosario sent a message to the members of Kahel Linux.

--------------------
Subject: Get your own Kahel Download badge!

Spread the word about Kahel by simply putting a "Kahel" download icon on your website or blog. Choose from an assortment of shapes and sizes at http://www.facebook.com/l/34b37;www.kahelos.org/spreadkahel.php. Then, post your weblink in the Kahel FB Discussion board (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=171373942221&topic=12749).

You'll never know, but you're in for a "surprise" visit! :)

KahelOS Linux Review

2009-10-20T14:19:00.002+08:00

KahelOS just got its first linux review. Check this URL
http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2009/10/16/kahel-os-linux/

Not bad for a month-old release distro.
The comment is quite fair and is aligned to our Philosophy (Open for Change).

Personally, what this meant to me is the challenge to persevere into cascading this to more work and unwavering focus.

Also, I would also like to give our special thanks for the people on this forum for their questions,answers and contributions for sure will be one of our motivation to continuously improve this community project.

Happy Kaheling...

P.S. Watch our for our own repository care of the generosity of 8layer's Partner, PLDT Innolab, to support this noble cause.

a web based disaster management system for ready use

2009-09-27T14:35:00.001+08:00

Dear All:

We are a concerned IT Team who just finished setting up a web based Disaster Management System, Sahana. This has been used in a lot of disaster and calamities for sometime in some parts of the world.

The link is at http://sahana.kahelos.org – just freely register.

You may use this to track missing persons, those who wish to seek help, medical aids, shelter and provide relevant numbers to those who may need it.

Thank you and we hope this helps.

IT's Good to be FREE!

2009-09-23T14:31:00.003+08:00

IT's Good to be FREE!
The 8lien-hosted Software Freedom Day 2009

There were five main activities on the SFD09 "IT's Good to be FREE!" programme: Open Source Discussion, Business and Technical Talks, Install Fest, Makersmeet and Programming Contest. With most of the 400 attendeees coming from the studentry, the Technical Talks got the most registrants.

The morning of September 19, Saturday, 8:00am, the ground floor lobby of Systems Plus College Foundation Main Campus in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines had quite an influx of excited faces made more vibrant as each received a copy of Kahel OS CD installer. Well-donned martials, ushers and usherettes dressed in Barong Fashion from host SPCF graciously guided the attendees and guests to the carpeted theater where the initial plenary session would be held.

Open Source Initiatives in Education, Business and Government

The SPCF Theater was almost full at 9 o'clock. Before the program officially started the Code Breakers documentary film was shown on the widescreen and by 9:20am, the Philippine National Anthem played followed by an interpretative dance Doxology from the SPCF Dancers. The crowd was hushed as the lights softened on the graceful and svelte movements of prayer on stage.
SFDers were warmly welcomed then by SPCF's Eric Estropia, VP for Administration. Next was Dr. Francis Sarmiento III, Program Manager for IOSN ASEAN+3 briefly sharing on what F/OSS is about and likewise delved on the programs, trainings and immersions that the organization have to put and elevate F/OSS in the mainstream. Two of what interested the audience are the Train the Linux Trainers and the Asian Source3 Conference in November.

Ms. Grace Fabros-Tyler took the podium next sharing to the crowd how SPCF inculcates the values of F/OSS. The Dean of SPCF's CITE (College of Information Technology and Education) also shared of SPCF's approach in integrating Linux and OSS in their curriculum. The college also now has a F/OSS laboratory since last year.

Collaborating and contributing to the Open Source community was also IBM Philippines' call to action as equivocated by Ms. Femee Cruz. She even used IBM's Lotus Symphony's presentation document for her slides. IBM Lotus Symphony is a free and open source office suite with word processor, spreadsheet and presentation, and can be downloaded at http://symphony.lotus.com.
Atty. Richard Pascual enlightened the crowd next on the legal nettles of OSS licensing. It's good to know too that the highest judiciary, Supreme Court of the Philippines, has treaded on OSS by implementing the use of OpenOffice in its realm.

Congressman Teddy Casiño, the vigilant lawmaker and proponent of F/OSS Bill, unfortunately couldn't make it to the event. His solidarity message was read by 8layer's Deng Silorio.
Capping the morning session was Mr. Cecilio Tuanquin of Intel Philippines who candidly shared how Intel Chips are made and presented to the SFDers the current trends on server and mobile technology giving a much needed enlightenment of how F/OSS can greatly take on the company's challenge on costs and security.

Much to be credited too were the SPCF Dancers and CITE Dance Troupe for doing perky and lively numbers during some of the talk intervals.

Who says Technical Talks does not spell Fun, Fulfilling and Fantastic?

Simultaneously ongoing was the first set of the Technical Talks that actually started at about 11am at the 3rd Floor of the SPCF CITE Bldg. Every SFD Celebration needs to provide a brief yet meaty presentation about Intro to Linux and F/OSS. And everyone from the room was energized and got a good headstart on Linux as the speakers Mr. Erwin Galang (former 8lien) and our very own Mr. Meric Mara gave the listeners more than a good impression of F/OSS and Linux.
Originally, SPCF prepared two computer labs for the Tech Talks, one for the Install Fest and Makersmeet and one for the Programming Contest.

After most of the SFDers came back from lunch, it turned out that two computer labs was not enough to accommodate all 200 of them so the crowd all wanting to hear about Linux, Kahel and Web Development was sent back to the SPCF Theater.
Simultaneous with the plenary session for Tech Talks was the Tech Talks at the 3rd Flr, the Install Fest and the Programming Contest.

The Vibrance of Linux and Kahel

The bespectacled Joel Bryan Juliano of Team 8lien did a crowd-pleasing headstart. There were no idle moments as he made his way into showing the vibrance of the new Pinoy distro Kahel – an Arch-based OS with Gnome environment. He dubbed it as the “pinakamalupit na OS” which elicited an ecstatic roar and thunderous applause from the crowd.

The basics of Web Development was tackled next by the R&D Group of Team 8lien.
Gregarious Allan “Henyo” de Guzman, who became unexplainably softspoken, shared on Apache web server application. Alec Joseph “Agi” Rivera, whose birthday coincides with the celebration of SFD, was surely himself in confidence as he discussed PHP programming tips. Wynell Mark “Nel” Patricio's engaging talk on MySQL came afterwards and shared with gusto the features and elements of the open source database. And last (but definitely not the least), Vedasto Rey “Koya” Portugal, also the Head of Team 8lien R&D, wowed the crowd as he demonstrated on Symfony, an Open Source framework which, surprisingly, no one from the crowd is familiar with.

Two becomes one roomful

Just after lunch, registration attendants at the computer lab hall informed me that there were only two registrants for the Kahel Install Fest. I shrugged it off and openly welcomed the anticipation of the two registrants. As Roz Vargas started setting up the demo unit, people started coming in and filling up the room. To my surprise too, a number of them were already die-hard Linux users and system administrators making it easier for us to discuss the tekky side of Kahel while showing them how fast and easy the installation is. Not to mention, the boot up process.

Sure enough, technical questions arose. Good thing, our young and preppy CTO Meric Mara was just around the corner to help us answer some of them. Thanks, boss! :)

The elite Astmasters

A few doors from where we are was another roomful of bodies waiting for the Open Source Telephony (Asterisk and 8ix Zenith CE) talk to start. Since we “borrowed” our CTO in the Install Fest, they had to wait a few minutes. Also, some of those in the Install Fest were registrants to Asterisk and 8ix Zenith CE discussion.
It was an elite discussion and Q&A on Telephony and IP-PBX but was made practical, interesting and learning-filled.

Where the challengers are

At computer lab 3, seven brave “geeky” souls were all solemn and serious. It was the room for the Programming Contest with Koya Rey and Rosa Ang overseeing the contestants.
As opposed to the enthusiastic profundity at the Telephony discussion, the emphatic curiosity at the Install Fest and the cheery ambiance at the Theater, Lab 3 was all astute quietude.
After taking some photo evidence (on tiptoes!), I went to get myself a reinvigorating cup of caffeine. :)

A day where everyone is FREE!

As the day clocked to late afternoon, the audience at the plenary were still in high spirits embalmed with precious learnings on F/OSS. They were later joined by the programming contestants, install fest attendees and telephony talk attendees.
Enlivening the crowd (since the morning session by the way) was Mr. Moderator, Mark Castro, who facilitated on getting ALL SFDers to join the “Bring Me” game and “How well did you listen” Q&A. He was not failed by the group as each able-bodied ran to him and to the stage to take on his challenge.
Gifts, freebies and souvenirs courtesy of the event partners, IBM Phils., Intel Phils., and PLDT CBG were given away before the final hour ticked in.
Who else would have taken home the most freebies but the programming contest winners!
Our hats off to top placer Wilfredo Vallente, Marielle Faye Garcia in second and Jan Marie Galban in third. Kudos too to Jheric de Guzman, Norwin Lacson, Richard Lim and Denn Mark Balingit who surely did well.

If the Source is with you, the Force is with you

Team 8lien in partnership with Sytems Plus College Foundation (special thanks to SPCF MIS Director Raymund Lazarito) made a mark that day.
The 400 attendees to the “IT's Good to be FREE!” SFD09 event was but a speck in the local population but a fine start in reaching a good number to evangelizing the benefits and values of F/OSS.
Software Freedom Day 2009 is but one of those days when F/OSS is a highlight and part of our sharing. But for Team 8layer, Everyday is just another day; living, innovating and making the most out of IT.

http://picasaweb.google.com/8layer8liens/2009SoftwareFreedomDay#
http://picasaweb.google.com/8layer8liens/2009SoftwareFreedomDay02#

8ix Zenith CE was at the 8layer's Celebration of the Software Freedom Day 2009 at the Systems Plus College Foundation, Angeles, Pampanga, PH

2009-09-22T00:50:00.001+08:00

8ix Zenith CE was at the 8layer's Celebration of the Software Freedom Day 2009 at the Systems Plus College Foundation, Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines.

IT Professionals and Faculty Members and even students from Schools and Institutions from Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan,. Baguio, Subic and Olongapo appreciated the Asterisk Technology more (which most of us know is another kind of "animal" when it comes to programming) when 8ix Zenith CE was also presented to them.

8ix Zenith CE, the Asterisk-Derived IP Telephony Solution was discussed at the Tech Talks by 8layer's CTO, Meric B. Mara wherein he provided background on the OLD Telephony System to the emergence of the IP Telephony. Features of Asterisk Based and Derived Apps were of course discussed and the benefits that were raised were on cost-reduction, enhancement of communication, applicability and scalibility.

The audience were daunting and very participative that made the discussion livelier and more informative.

Kahel OS. Do IT Right.

2009-09-12T20:10:00.000+08:00

Dear Fellow Open Source Enthusiasts and Linux Advocate cum "Passionistas":

The Advent of one of the Filipino Contributions has dawned to the IT World. Kahel OS.

At first, i wish to write "... The Advent of one of the significant and relevant Filipino Contributions has dawned to the IT World. But it would only be significant if IT's goal will be attained and relevant if users may realize IT's value in the long run.

Kahel OS is not just an Operating System so to speak. IT is not just a Technology Product on a Linux and Open Source Platform added to the thousands of FREE Distros already available in the community. IT does not explicitly want to be different or to be set apart from the rest. However, among others, we simply would like Kahel OS (just like our team) to be the embodiment of our IT Values and Philosophy.

Kahel OS is based on Arch Linux. http://www.archlinux.org.

Kahel OS believes that there is no Distro War. Kahel OS would not like to attempt to break barriers. But believes that there is an Open Source Apps just for everyone: for one's taste and choice. Kahel OS does not impose; "that this one is better than that one"...Instead, IT's banner and call is "To reinforce to schools and students, organizations and individuals and advocates (organized and not) that IT is also ALL about VALUES, not just computers and operating systems". Kahel OS is Simple yet Flexible, Free yet Strictly adhering to Standards,Open yet Closed to those with a closed view, Cool and Light yet Powerful on Applications. Kahel OS is Encouraging learning and sharing. That IT will truly flourish if we complement our natural and nurtured skills and knowledge with the understanding of why one is gifted

We cannot distinguish distinctly who should use Kahel OS or who is it for yet we darn know that:
1. Kahel OS is not for the lazy and ignorant.
2. Kahel OS is not for those who do not like to learn (spare a few days) and is not a fan of innovation.
3. Kahel Os is not for those who only dares try it, may be dissatisfied but does not give his/ her comment or input on why he is dissatisfied/ dislikes it, so as IT could improve.
4. Kahel OS is not for those who prefers pirated OS because he/ she does not like to purchase one.
5. Kahel OS is not for those who can spare money for Desktop OS, but could not think of others and spare money for relevant causes on learning and education (because he/she thinks, it's not his/her job, it's the Government's.)
6. Kahel OS is not for those with a closed mind and perspective.
7. Kahel OS is not for those Filipinos who believes that a Filipino can only make it if you're not in the Philippines.
8. Kahel OS is not for those who are already happy and content with their current Desktop OS and you feel it's not worth keeping your options OPEN.

But then again, you aske me "Why should one try out Kahel OS?"

Here are 8 reasons: (i'll also try to express its benefits)

1. It is based on a Rolling Release Model - Genuine Upstream Source

Benefit. This means that you do not need to wait for months or for the next OS release to be updated with the newest applications available. (1) effortless updates of applications, and, (2) lesser time and MBs spent on getting the most recent available application and kernel releases.

2. Utilizing the Newest Linux Kernel 2.6.30.

Benefit. This means that there will be more devices/ drivers that could be supported. WIMAX is one of them (please read this separately for your appreciation). WIMAX of which is an emerging broadband wireless standard supported and included in this kernel. Fast Boot. Boot up is under 10 seconds (Environment Friendly).

3. Kahel is using all the default and suggested applications for Gnome, which makes everything tightly integrated. Default Gnome Applications for Office, Multi-Media and Web- Browsing.

Benefit. This is most likely appreciated by already Linux Users but for the layman, necessary applications are already in place upon boot up of the Kahel OS. However, you can still be able to install other Linux Applications.

4. Supports for latest NILFS2, BTRFS by default. Support for Next Generation Technologies.

Benefit.This implies that applications are provided with improved filesystem scalibility and performance.

5. Utilizing Pacman and Package Kit

Benefit. With the Pacman and Package Kit, easy installation of applications is enabled.

6. Source Code Installation-Capable.

Benefit. This simply implies that if you have favorite applications (you need not compile), all you need to do is type yourt (with the application name) on the console and voila, your application is installed and ready to use.

7. All applications is i686 and x86-64 optimized.

Benefit. With the availability of the Technology of the New CPU's in the market, special features such as multi-threading are put to use and maximized because all applications are compiled on i686. Thus, Applications run very fast. No backward compatibility bottleneck.

8. Most of all, IT is FREE as IT is our gift to all. IT is an innovation of a dedicated and passionate team that espouses the same values and philosophy Kahel OS has. The team, 8liens.

8liens believes that IT (Information Technology) is not a world apart from our daily living, its transcendental path is towards eliminating mediocrity, harnessing skills, alleviating our economic strength as a whole while fostering nationhood as we search for our global niche.

Kahel OS does not like to sound preachy, and does want to teach without a cause, but Kahel OS is for sure here, When you need IT. Do IT right.

Kahel Desktop OS to join Software Freedom

2009-09-12T14:51:00.002+08:00

It will be an event that will test how "tasty" citrus Kahel will be when it takes center event during the Software Freedom Day celebration at Angeles City, Pampanga (Philippines).

The SFD09 event dubbed "IT's Good to be FREE" is hosted by 8layer Technologies, Inc. which also spearheads Kahel's development.

A Kahel Desktop OS Intall Fest is scheduled to happen for the whole duration of the event on September 19, Saturday, from 9am to 5pm at Systems Plus College Foundation, Angeles City. CD installers of Kahel Desktop will also be given away.

Other event details happening during the 8lien-hosted SFD09 are just as enjoyable. For the complete listing of activities and programme, visit http://www.8layertech.com/sfd.

Kahel OS is the only desktop and server Arch-based distro that follows a rolling release schedule, boasts of optimum performance on i686 and x86-64 systems, and has btrfs, nilfs and ext4 filesystems.

IBM Phils., Intel Phils. and PLDT Corporate Business Group are co-hosting the event, too.

Kahel OS is a winner's bet this lucky day of 9s

2009-09-10T04:52:00.001+08:00

Kahel OS is a winner's bet this lucky day of 9s

September 09, 2009 - Wednesday

... and you don't even have to make an out of pocket expense to draw the winning cards!

This is IT! Your winning hand. Your computer's fantasy made real.

Kahel is a Linux™ operating system and desktop utility that promises a radical change on your computing experience, and the ideal hit for personal or business use.

Why use Kahel OS Desktop?

100% Free and Open Source Software

Most press releases would often pitch on the word "FREE" followed by clauses like "for a minimum purchase of", "if you place your order before" or "when you dial now and be the 999th caller".

You'll never see Kahel OS on the Price is Right. Kahel OS is plain FREE. Period.

Simply Effective, Simply Entertaining

Kahel OS gets you organized and productive. Kahel has IT - email, calendar, office suite, multimedia and entertainment.

You also have the freedom to get limitless picks of open source applications - no demowares, no sharewares, no viruses!

IT is Kahel. You can do voice and video calls, connect via social networks, play music or any audio files, watch movies and videos, manage your iPod and organize your photos all right on your desktop. Kahel has IT!

IT is for ALL

As much as we want you to close your Windows, Kahel can still let you run Window-based applications -- without the fearsome Blue Screens of Death! Give your computer the freshest massage to give it a boost.

By running Kahel, you'll know the real meaning of Speed. And yes, even games run fast on Kahel.

IT is a Legacy

Kahel is a dream, a goal and now a fruition. It evolved from the passion to innovate on the available Linux kernel features and integrating these with those we think are "cool-and-dreamy" ones.

Kahel is a gift and a manifestation of the collaborating Filipino spirit that believes in the competence of the global IT community.

As an Open Source Software, Kahel shall therefore maintain to remain FREE OF CHARGE with an active community to support it.

Power your PC with Kahel OS and be one of those who truly lived to make 09.09.09 the luckiest 9 of all time!

Well, at least for your desktop.

Six steps to future-proof your telephone system

2009-09-01T23:01:00.001+08:00

By Tristan Degenhardt, Digium
Posted on ZDNet News: Jul 21, 2009 10:53:05 AM

Imagine if you had the chance to buy a car 10 years ago that included a DVD player, Sirius XM radio, OnStar, automatic parking capabilities and dozens of other advanced features. Chances are you would snap it up in a heartbeat and not think about purchasing a car for years.

In the corporate telephony world, there are choices you can make today that include features and functionality that most companies won’t see or use for years. These same systems are versatile enough to address new technologies that have yet to be developed.

This checklist of 6 ways to future-proof your organization’s phone system investment should help you make a smart decision for your organization today and as it grows.

1. Stay away from VoIP lipstick on a legacy PBX pig
Hardware-based Phone System vendors are losing market share and sales are slumping like never before. Software-based phone solutions are also feeling the pressures of the economy but fared far better than hardware-based solutions over the past quarter.

This trend will likely continue, so hardware-based PBX vendors believe the best way to compete is to start bolting on VoIP capability to their products. What this really does is extend the life of these products for a little while, but they don’t stand a chance against VoIP solutions built from the ground up. Get ahead of the game with a native VoIP system.

2. Consider open source
More and more organizations are running mission-critical parts of their business on open source. What was once thought to be the focus of a small group of uber-geeks has emerged as a viable enterprise option. The open source community boasts many developers, creating the next big breakthroughs. While large organizations may topple (read: Nortel), Open source can live on beyond the corporation. It also delivers cost-savings and avoids vendor lock-in.

3. Alleviate management headaches
Proprietary systems require fancy training and certification. As your organization grows, staff turns over or the company consolidates, you don’t want to be stuck in the constant cycle of costly and time-consuming retraining/certification or having to outsource with a pricey, certification brandishing consultant. Pick a system that offers a simple Web interface, similar to other hardware around the office such as routers, firewalls and other systems in your business.

4. Prepare for success
No one goes into business to fail, but many are not prepared for success. Scalability of your phone system is a critical consideration when making a purchase. You want to select a phone system that doesn’t penalize you for your success; this means one that doesn’t charge you and arm and a leg to add users, or is unable to expand to be as large as you require.

5. Don’t be the only one on the block without the cool technology
Analysts agree that companies are moving towards unified communications, where a single solution can provide access to things like conferencing, faxing, chat, etc. Advanced phone systems can even provide a Google map of the caller’s location, video calling, listen-in functionality (great for training and customer service quality assurance), and integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) and ERP systems, etc. Don’t be left out in the cold as new and powerful tools that can help your employees work more efficiently or communicate more effectively come online. Make sure the system you purchase can seamlessly integrate each of these technologies as well as those not even yet developed by using a widely used integration hooks, like XML.

6. It’s time to get out of here
Mobility is not only a hot buzz word in organizations throughout the world, it’s a reality that companies must face in order to remain competitive. In addition, as a company grows, it’s likely that they will want to open offices in geographically dispersed locations. Whether an employee moves across town or across the country, your organization opens an office in Binghamton or Bangladesh, or your suppliers or tech support are located in China, choose a phone system that doesn’t care where you are. Flexibility is key.

biography
Tristan Degenhardt is director of product marketing for Switchvox at Digium.