OS Summit Asia 2007

A friend told me about an open source summit to be organized in Hong Kong this November 26-30, 2007. According to their website the summit is about "Combining the talents of the Eclipse Foundation and the Apache Software Foundation to create the first open source community summit in Hong Kong."

If you are an open source enthusiasts or a software developer that utilizes either Eclipse or any tools by Apache and have money, lots of money to spare then don't hesitate to give them a call or an email. Please click here to view their website.

SUNW to JAVA, MSFT to ?

Sun Microsystems Inc. has changed their ticker symbol from SUNW to JAVA. According to their CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, "JAVA is a technology whose value is near infinite to the internet, and a brand that's inseparably a part of Sun (and our profitability). And so next week, we're going to embrace that reality by changing our trading symbol, from SUNW to JAVA."

Is it a smart move or a dumb one? But some people over at slashdot wants Microsoft to change their ticker symbol from MSFT to ...

 

Job Hunting?

Juan was currently not on the look out for another job but fortunately a woman from a local recruitment agency phoned him.

Juan: Hello?
Woman: Hi Juan, are you busy right now?
Juan: Nope not at all.
Woman: Great! I'm going to ask you if you are interested in applying for another company.
Juan: Right now not really. But who knows right? I'm open to all possibilities.
Woman: Nice to hear that. We have a client that wants to hire a .NET programmer and we perused your resume and we think you are the ideal candidate.
Juan: Thanks. Mind if I ask the name of the company.
Woman: Sorry, as of the moment I'm not allowed to disclose it. But anyway if you are free on Sunday afternoon I would like to invite you for an interview.
Juan: (Sunday? But why?) Ok. But may I ask if how much is the expected salary of this position.
Woman: No problem. Well how much are you earning right now?
Juan: Around PHP *0,000.00
Woman: Really? Is that your expected salary or your current?
Juan: Current salary.
Woman: Wait I'm going to talk to my boss. *after a minute or two*
Woman: Juan? Well you can just stay in the company. Don't look for another job.
Juan: (silent laughter)

Software Freedom Day 2007

I got this from the local Linux user group in Davao. To all tech enthusiasts who share a passion with free and open source software, it's this time of the year to congregate.

Please say hello to Software Freedom Day 2007! Share the banner to inform other people.

Picturerror: %Firewall

What's wrong with my Firewall? I don't have an internet connection and this thing suddenly was turned off and presented me with a funny status report.

Bill Gates Open Letter to Hobbyists

Even way back then, Bill Gates was a strong believer in software as a business economy.

Read and enjoy.

--------------

An Open Letter to Hobbyists

by William Henry Gates III

February 3, 1976

To me, the most critical thing in the hobby market right now is the lack of good software courses, books and software itself. Without good software and an owner who understands programming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will quality software be written for the hobby market?

Almost a year ago, Paul Allen and myself, expecting the hobby market to expand, hired Monte Davidoff and developed Altair BASIC. Though the initial work took only two months, the three of us have spent most of the last year documenting, improving and adding features to BASIC. Now we have 4K, 8K, EXTENDED, ROM and DISK BASIC. The value of the computer time we have used exceeds $40,000.

The feedback we have gotten from the hundreds of people who say they are using BASIC has all been positive. Two surprising things are apparent, however, 1) Most of these "users" never bought BASIC (less than 10% of all Altair owners have bought BASIC), and 2) The amount of royalties we have received from sales to hobbyists makes the time spent on Altair BASIC worth less than $2 an hour.

Why is this? As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid?

Is this fair? One thing you don't do by stealing software is get back at MITS for some problem you may have had. MITS doesn't make money selling software. The royalty paid to us, the manual, the tape and the overhead make it a break-even operation. One thing you do do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting his product and distribute for free? The fact is, no one besides us has invested a lot of money in hobby software. We have written 6800 BASIC, and are writing 8080 APL and 6800 APL, but there is very little incentive to make this software available to hobbyists. Most directly, the thing you do is theft.

What about the guys who re-sell Altair BASIC, aren't they making money on hobby software? Yes, but those who have been reported to us may lose in the end. They are the ones who give hobbyists a bad name, and should be kicked out of any club meeting they show up at.

I would appreciate letters from any one who wants to pay up, or has a suggestion or comment. Just write to me at 1180 Alvarado SE, #114, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87108. Nothing would please me more than being able to hire ten programmers and deluge the hobby market with good software.

Bill Gates

General Partner, Micro-Soft

Video of the Week: Unknown Zune Commercial

Nice ending.

Which Transformer are you?

I AM 67% MEGATRON

Take the Transformers Quiz

Megatron

Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons. He will stop at nothing to establish his empire and destroy the Autobots, starting with Optimus Prime.

Like Megatron, you are not compassionate and harbor evil thoughts. You are inspiring, confident, and a natural leader. The Decepticons have chosen well. In addition, you enjoy being one step ahead of your friends as far as trends and technology.

----
Well, well, well. It seems that I am evil in nature. Next stop create 'sharks with friggin' lasers' and rule this world. Click here to test yourself.

What is FTW?

FTW is an Internet slang that stands for "For The Win".

It is usually added at the end of a message or a post to show enthusiasm on the subject.

USAGE

Guy1: Have you seen the new iMac?
Guy2: new iMac FTW!

Guy1 asked if anyone has seen the new iMac, Guy2 reaffirmed this. Whether or not the response of Guy2 was genuine or sarcastic depends on how we interpet it.

On the other hand, FTL - which is the exact opposite of FTW - stands for "For the Lose".

Pitfall of having a single point-person

It was this time of week that Z would normally hibernate. But fate would have its reason and he was denied of that precious luxury time.

There has been a major issue regarding the supposedly release of their software. His boss and other teammates have constantly been absent for the past few days. With the deadline looming over, it only means one thing, major overtime for him.

Why would these people be gone in the time like this, he winced. Don't they have any sense of urgency?

And so he spent sleepless nights and weekends trying to finish his module. With his boss nowhere in sight, Z at first seems helpless and then hopelessness sinks in. If we cannot deliver this project on time then that's it.

I don't want to be fired, he said defensively. This is one of those cases where this is out of my hand.

From the very start there was an anomaly regarding job designation in Z's company. One person, one project, one teamlead was the common mantra. Initially, it was a good plan as it would save scarce resources and manpower. But little did they know that this would be its pitfall.

So, if we do the math, it would be that three projects equals to three point persons. These three heads are the only ones who know the intricacies of their respective system. Its in and out. The lifeblood of the company depends on them and no person outside would generally understand the entirety of the project.

After that whole fiasco, the management decided that the best course of action to take was to assign multiple point persons to new projects. In that way, projects will not be stalled if at one point a teamlead will be run over by a bus tomorrow.

As for Z, he still has his job. Good thing for him the management realized its mistakes and did not point the finger at him.

Set Your Documents Free!

Red Hat announces the new ODF artwork for us to share and spread.

What is ODF?

ODF is a file format for electronic office documents, such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations, databases and word processing documents (e.g.: memos, reports, letters). [wikipedia]

It's main competitor is the Microsoft Office formats. The key differentiator here is that ODF is backed by a standards committee called Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).

What's the reason for ODF?

The reason for the existence of ODF is that OASIS believe that file formats should be free and open source, in that way when you open ODF files you don't need the expensive Microsoft Word to create, edit and view document files, rather you can use any document viewer program as well.

Final note from Red Hat

What can you do? Download, print, and hang the poster. Spread the word. And liberate your documents with ODF.

A Funny Parody Letter from Bill Gates

I got this one from Slashdot. This is very funny. This is a parody on Linus Torvalds' (creator of Linux OS) famous declaration of the birth of Linux.


From: William Gates [email blocked]
Subject: Costly kernel for IBM PC
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Date: 5 Oct 81 05:41:06 GMT

William Henry Gates III

Do you pine for the nice days of CP/M-1.1, when men were men and wrote
their own device drivers? Do you have too much money in your pocket? Are
you much too free to do what you want with your computer? Are you
finding it frustrating when everything works on CP/M? No more rebooting your
computer every 10 minutes? Then this post might be just
for you

:-)

As I mentioned a month(?) ago, I've purchased a version of QDOS for a song
and I'm busy cocking it up and I'm going to sell it to IBM (suckers) for their
new PC. It has finally reached the stage where it's completely unstable and
most of the cooler things in CP/M have been removed.
I am willing to put out the binaries, for a price, for wider distribution. It is
just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I've successfully
run BASIC/lunar-lander/COMMAND.COM etc under it (oh boy!).

Sources for this pet project of mine are all mine mine mine! Unless you talk
to Tim Paterson from SCP. Full kernel source is most definitely not provided, as
I have swiped a lot of code from CP/M and QDOS, and anywhere else I could find it.
The system is able to compile "as-is" on alternating Tuesdays and when the moon is
full or on a spring tide, and has been known to work. At least once. Heh.
Sources are locked away in my underground lair, I mean a shack I just bought in a
small town in Washington called Redmond.

I can (well, almost) hear you asking yourselves "why?". The Amiga will be
out in a year (or two, or next month, who knows), and I've already got
CP/M and the Apple ][. Well, this is a program for business people by a businessman.
It's been real work and I expect to get paid for it!
Plus hackers and students can't really create anything worthwhile.
I'm going to hire really smart kids who don't know jack about computers
and give them a lot of stock options. It won't matter if they create shit.
We'll market the crap out of this thing! Once I get the hardware vendors to bundle it,
we're golden! It is the beginning of my plan to dominate the world!
Muwhahahaha! If you have any comments, please direct them to the guy
over there holding the chair in a threatening manner.

I'm also interested in hearing from anybody who has written any of the
utilities/library functions for CP/M. I'd like to steal them, I mean embrace/extend/extinguish,
I mean purchase them for a song, so I can add them to the system. If you
send it me, it becomes mine! And I'll patent it! Drop me
a line if you are willing to let me use your code.

Bill

PS. to STEVE BALLMER! I'm unable to get through to you, and keep getting
"forward error - hermanmiller unknown domain" or something. I think I've got
a job for you.

PPS. to the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto -- I'm going to bury you guys!

The declarations that started the Linux revolution

A trip back in the memory lane on how Linux started.

First declaration.

From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
Summary: small poll for my new operating system
Message-ID: <1991aug25.205708.9541@klaava.helsinki.fi>
Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

Hello everybody out there using minix - I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready.I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system(due to practical reasonamong other things). I've currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40),and things seem to work.This implies that I'll get something practical within a few months, andI'd like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-)

Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)

PS. Yes - it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs.
It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never
will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's
all I have :-(

Second declaration.

From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT
Message-ID: <1991oct5.054106.4647@klaava.helsinki.fi>
Date: 5 Oct 91 05:41:06 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

Do you pine for the nice days of minix-1.1, when men were men and wrote their own device drivers? Are you without a nice project and just dying to cut your teeth on a OS you can try to modify for your needs? Are you finding it frustrating when everything works on minix? No more all-nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this post might be just for you :-) As I mentioned a month(?)ago, I'm working on a free version of a minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers. It has
finally reached the stage where it's even usable (though may not be depending on
what you want), and I am willing to put out the sources for wider distribution. It is just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I've successfully run bash/gcc/gnu-make/gnu-sed/compress etc under it. Sources for this pet project of mine can be found at nic.funet.fi (128.214.6.100) in the directory /pub/OS/Linux. The directory also contains some README-file and a couple of binaries to work under linux (bash, update and gcc, what more can you ask for :-). Full kernel source is provided, as no minix code has been used. Library sources are only partially free, so that cannot be distributed currently. The system is able to compile "as-is" and has been known to work. Heh. Sources to the binaries (bash and gcc) can be found at the same place in /pub/gnu.

Picture of the Week: Remember kids, Google is your friend.

Being a thesis-for-hire person

Patrick was out of luck. He badly needed some money for the reason he himself only knew. So there he was, in front of the PC chatting hoping to find some idea online. And then it struck him, why not become a thesis-for-hire person, he was excited about the thought, I will earn extra money at the same time I can gain additional programming experience. Having that idea, he quickly chatted dozens of people around the IRC channels, hoping to sell his "product". And luckily, a girl from one of the new schools in the city inquired about it.

With a potential customer at hand, he quickly bargained about the price. He asked the girl what she wanted for a thesis. The girl said I want an online registration form written in classic ASP. Patrick smiled - I know ASP, this is going to be a walk in park. Patrick asked for PHP 3,000 for the application to be finished in a month. The girl was satisfied, it fitted her meager budget.

A week gone by and still Patrick has not started the thesis project. He didn't predict that this will affect his studies. But he amassed enough will (money plays an important role here) to create the program during weekends. Three weeks have gone and Patrick finally finished it. He presented it to the girl and lectured her about the code and how to defend it. He even gave the ASP book for the girl to read. It was all spoon fed and the girl can graduate easily. Patrick received the money and he was delighted at the same time stressed out. This is the last thesis I will create for someone, the money isn't worth the hassle. But alas, as fate would have it, after a week the girl went back to Patrick's house and asked him one more time to explain the flow of the program. And with a clinched fist, Patrick obliged, I hate this.

Video of the Week: Gates vs Jobs

A very funny video featuring two of the most respected icons in technology. Enjoy the video!

Starcraft Jargons

These are Starcraft jargons that originated from (where else) South Korea, also known as Starcraft country. So memorize these jargons just in time for Starcraft II.

kekeke = laugh
babo = stupid
^^ = :)

Gosu = master
Hasu = average
Chobo = noob
HUK = OMG

HUK U BABO CHOBO KEKEKEKE ^^

*courtesy of Slashdot.

What is IANAL?

You have probably seen this acronym across technology-related websites or blogs, and turned-off by it. Who wouldn't? It denotes a bad meaning. But don't worry, pinoytechie is here to explain the real meaning of IANAL.

IANAL is an acronym which stands for "I Am Not A Lawyer". The use of this abbreviation serves as a warning for the reader not to take the opinion as professional legal advice. [wikipedia] The expression became more and more common on online web forums starting from the year 2000, when debate about file sharing and peer-to-peer applications started to focus on copyright, privacy, and fair use issues. [wikipedia]

USAGE

An example commentary on peer-to-peer applications.

Reader1: If ever I will upload a file on rapidshare.com, will I get sued?
Reader2: IANAL, but if the file is a copyrighted one, I think you will get sued.

Reader1 should not take seriously the words coming from Reader2, because as Reader2 clarified, he is in no position to say legal things rather he is just stating his own personal opinion.

Powertripper

John, just like any other newly grads, wanted to look for a descent job. He trimmed down his choices to two. One would be a call center agent, the other would be a faculty member. He decided to try his luck on teaching, thus he created his first ever resume and applied for the job. The school he was trying to apply at was one of the most recognizable IT schools in the country and being a product of a prestigious school he was confident that he can land the job.

Days gone by and still no call from the school. One afternoon, an HR person called and informed John to prepare for an interview at the same time for the teaching demo. He asked what topic would that be, the other person on the line just said that he can choose any topic he wants as long as he is confident about it. John knew by heart Visual Basic 6, he even knew how to code it with his hands tied-up and blindfolded. And so he prepared his visual aids and practiced for hours his prepared speeches.

The day came for the teaching demo, the attendants were the Dean for the computer science department of that school as well as the top administrator. John finished off his teaching demo with a breeze, no questions whatsoever from the audience. Then the powertripping came. First, the dean told him it says here in your resume that you are good in assembly language. John said, i am knowledgeable in that field sir, so yes i have confidence i know how to write one. The dean asked then to show him a basic assembly program, John obliged but in the middle of it all the dean wasn't so sure of himself if he understands assembly or not. Then again he quickly asked another question, your thesis centered around networking, tell me what is the difference between wan and lan, to which John answered, it differs in their geographical location sir. The dean was infuriated! I studied Cisco he said. That is one of the most idiotic teachings in computer science he added, now standing up. He took the chalk and began writing on the blackboard. LAN is when this ATM machine is not connected to the internet, if it does it is now WAN.

WOW. John said. That was the most superb answer he has ever heard.

Why IT (sometimes) sucks in an IT firm

I had a discussion with a friend - he currently works in a software firm - two nights ago about his current dilemma with their IT team. By the way, let's call my friend "anonymous".

Anonymous: I hate our IT.

Jan2x: Why?

Anonymous: He keeps on blocking every damn website.

Jan2x: Like what?

Anonymous: For example blogspot! My God! I asked him, what's wrong with blogspot? Does it harm our computers? And he just told me that it is management's directive.

Jan2x: Well man, it really sucks to be on a software firm with IT team like that.

Anonymous: That is not only the problem. One time, we had a manager that visited our office and his laptop has yet to be approved before our IT team can give him any access to the internet. All those papers for approval and he needs to check his email NOW.

Jan2x: That is the pitfall, I think, of that idea. Sooner or later you will be behind the technology. For example what if tomorrow Microsoft decides to release a new product for the internet? Then your programmers will greatly suffer cause in the long run they will have no idea of knowing what are these new technologies!

Silence.....

Jan2x: Well it's hard to be treated as government employees. *laughter*

That is one of the reasons IT (sometimes) sucks. It is good to be paranoid and secure but at what price?

Pinoy Job: PERL Software Engineers

REWSS A/S is currently in need of PERL Software Engineers.

REWSS A/S is a Danish company specialized in developing Software Solutions and providing Consulting Services for Telecom companies worldwide. We have an expanding global client base and offices in Denmark, US, Brazil and the Philippines.

Responsibilities:

• Develop detailed technical design documents based on high-level designs
• Participate in and/or facilitate technical design walkthroughs
• Code and test modules per detailed technical design specifications
• Prepare unit test and assembly test plans (i.e., test script, test conditions, test data)
• Perform testing according to test plans
• Document test results
• Ensure quality of own deliverables through adherence to project standards (budget, schedule and quality)
• Adhere to project processes, policies and standards

Requirements:

• Candidates must have knowledge/skills in any of the following programming language: Perl or JAVA/J2EE, SQL, UNIX scripting, PHP
• With strong written and oral communication skills
• Entry Level applicants/Fresh graduates are also encouraged to apply
• Possesses an open attitude towards learning and adapting to new technologies and methodologies
• Experience/knowledge in object-oriented design and/or programming is a plus
• Experience in Linux and development tools such as Dreamweaver, Zend Studio, Eclipse, and CVS is a plus
• College degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology or similar discipline with good academic record is a plus

So if you are a PERL Software Programmer looking for greener pastures please email your resume to jobs@rewss.com.

Pinoytechie New Banner

Hey everyone! Up there in this page is my new banner for pinoytechie website. I created this late last night and sorry for the rough banner. It is minimalist in design - which I love - at the same time it is simple and on-the-spot. Is my banner ok? Suggestions are always welcome.