Good morning! If you still remember, there was a meeting of PLUG and ASTI on customizing an open source distribution for government/school use. Here's the result. Our aim is to produce a distribution for desktop use (government, schools and personal). Currently, our team is "touring" the country to promote this CD as well as the open source movement. The audience's (in Lucena) initial reaction was positive.
The CD is still in beta-test phase. Maybe PLUG can help improve this distribution. ASTI Open Source-based Desktop Enters the Beta Testing Phase www.asti.dost.gov.ph The Advanced Science and Technology Institute [ASTI] is proud to announce that they are a step closer to the final release of an Open Source-based Desktop installation CD. The project has been undertaken as part of ASTI's ICT Research Program and Open Source advocacy work. The final release is scheduled by the third quarter of 2002. The desktop distribution incorporates the Open Office version 1 office productivity suite with an operating system based on Red Hat Linux. The ASTI Open Source team customized the Red Hat distribution to make it much easier to install. According to the team the final release will install the operating system, user interface, and applications automatically with minimal user intervention. The team is composed of Emily Pagador, Erwin Ruiz, Ivy Cabeza, Joanna Gonzales, Joseph Syjuco, and Mike Liguit. Four of them are on a road show for the next couple of weeks to promote the installation CD and to conduct training on its use. The 3-city tour is also an opportunity to conduct advocacy work for the use of Open Source technology in schools, SMEs, and government offices. The team shall be visiting three PREGINET partners who have requested them for this training. They are currently in Quezon province until May24 and shall be at the Butuan Training Center on May 27 and the La Union Training Center on May 31. The group�s efforts began in October last year with internal testing starting January of this year. The Beta Test phase has started now that the Open Office version 1 suite has been released. Peter Banzon, OIC of ASTI�s Computer Software Division, projects that the first release shall be ready in the third quarter of this year. Philippine Linux User's Group (PLUG) partners will be involved in the fine-tuning and further enhancements of the installation CD. The project cost is currently around P360,000 and is being fully funded through ASTI�s GAA. There are many distinct advantages of using Open Source software. It runs on lower-end computers, is generally compatible with proprietary (and oftentimes expensive) software, and has a large community of developers and supporters worldwide. Furthermore, it is more stable and secure than other desktop operating systems. Computers running on Open Source can run for years without needing to be rebooted. It is also a difficult target for virus creators. An important plus factor in today�s environment. If you want to be informed about the first release, or to be part of the beta test in any way, please call Peter Banzon at 4351065 or send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to the Linux Newbies' List: send "subscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
