It was the first time 8layer Technologies, Inc. hosted Software Freedom Day. The morning of September 20 spelled excitement for Team 8lien that initiated the intimate gathering. Those who were there warmed up to the comfort of PLDT InnoLab's board room while some got a quick tour of the Linux Desktop on display.
By ten o'clock, "IT's a Free World!" started with a warm welcome from Mr. Joey S. Limjap, PLDT Head of Corporate Solution Product Development and Quality Management and kind-hearted InnoLab host.
InnoLab, PLDT's breeding ground for new innovations and the foundation for focused research, new product development and service innovation, now became the hatchery for new advocates to Software Freedom. Mr. Limjap summed up InnoLab's essence of existence:
“We recognize our role in the development of ICT in the country,” he said. “We launched InnoLab two years ago and since then, our advocacy is the same. We want Innolab to be the melting pot for the innovative ideas, a venue where new products and cost-effective solutions unfold.”
The 8lien-hosted Software Freedom Day 08 (SFD08) dubbed as “IT's a Free World” was participated by select attendees from the academe, the government, private companies and NGOs. The event was also co-sponsored and made successful by UR Solutions, IBM, Intel and IOSN-UNDP.
The day-long celebration also got a surprise visit from Bayan Muna Representative, Mr. Teddy Casiño, a staunch advocate of F/OSS and the author of House Bill 1716 (The FOSS Act). He humorously referred to himself as a “gate crasher” which elicited a good-natured laugh from the audience.
Congressman Casiño expressed relief in saying that the proposed Free and Open Source (FOSS) Act drafted way back in 2006 is now being heard in the Committee on Information and Communications Technology and Committee on Trade and Industry. He shared too that the government is now bundling Open Source softwares in the computers given to schools cutting back costs in purchasing proprietary softwares and therefore enables them to provide more computer hardwares.
“Open Source is the way to go,” the militant lawmaker added. “Its advantages far outweigh whatever perceived weaknesses there is. With the proposed bill, we can expect an official policy on FOSS.”
With attendees of mostly non-FOSS users, UR Solutions' GM, Patrick D. Reidenbach, started off with a basic yet encompassing presentation of what F/OSS is. He emphasized the word "Free" and used the catchphrase, Free as in "freedom"... not free as in "free beer".
GM Reidenbach also highlighted the Open Source business model which gave the audience a clear view of how Open Source projects are implemented and executed.
Download the F/OSS Basics presentation in PDF here.
Laying the foundations of F/OSS thru the presentation of GM Reidenbach and by the brief yet concise introduction by Deng Silorio, COO of 8layer Technologies, Inc., Team 8lien proceeded to present the daily experiences of using a Linux desktop and the advantages that go with it. Befitting topics for new F/OSS users were discussed by Renan Mara (Using Linux-Ubuntu), Roz Vargas (Desktop Applications and Utilities), Nilda Andal (Firefox and Flock) and Allan de Guzman (RSS).
Ending the morning session was a presentation on Web Technology, Jasper Tomas gave an informative fundamentals on how easily possible it is to setup and create a website. Here, he shared Joomla! from the point of view of a user and a programmer.
Download the presented slides in PDF:
With still some cobwebs of misconceptions and myths lurking around the room at lunchtime, Technology Manager Robert R. Reidenbach of UR Solutions came to the rescue with a very substantive presentation on how secure Open Source technologies can be.
The soft-spoken Security Master openly discussed platforms, systems and applications that handle and manage critical security operations. It was a total delight for the listening group as Robert threw one essential point after another.
Get the F/OSS & IT Security presentation in PDF here.
Another eye-opener presentation was given by 8layer's CTO Meric Mara. Sharing the power of Open Source telephony in Asterisk, the rouge-looking Astmaster and Security Expert detailed how this can benefit users and enterprises. He also clearly compared how one can take advantage and be empowered with the use of Open Source telephony like Asterisk.
As a take-home to the curious audience, CTO Mara gave a befitting F/OSS advice: If the source is with you, the force will guide you.
Download Open Source Telephony slides in PDF here.
As a way of true recognition of the capability of F/OSS to keep an organization going, Team 8lien shared 8 applications which they themselves use. The following are considered recommended F/OSS applications and tools that anyone, even those new in Linux can implement in their IT environment: Mail8 by Allan "Henyo" de Guzman, WvDial and MediaWiki by Jaja del Rosario, and last but definitely not the least Wine, phpSysInfo, VirtualBox, Clix and Lotus Symphony by our CTO Meric Mara
Download the presented slides in PDF: