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christmas gift daw... #3
Technology / Philippine weather service finds forecasting cheaper with Linux
March 14, 2008, 05:19:05 PM
The Philippine government's official weather service, PAGASA, has replaced its SGI supercomputer with a clustered Debian Linux system that can process information vital to protection against typhoons, floods, droughts, tsunamis and other wild weather conditions at a fraction of the cost.
The cluster includes eight PCs running as a single node, connected via a gigabit switch, each with dual 64-bit Intel Xeon processors running the Debian Linux OS.
"We tried several Linux flavours, including Red Hat, Mandrake, Fedora etc," said Alan Pineda, head of ICT and flood forecasting at PAGASA.
"Our ICT group came out with Debian as the most stable in servers, especially when things are being done pretty much in automatic mode. In our workstations the preference among programmers is Ubuntu, which is basically Debian-based," he said.
The major motivation for migrating to an open source based system was cost. Previously, for almost a decade PAGASA used an SGI Irix supercomputer that cost over P200,000 (AUD$5200) a month to run. Since September 2007, the Debian Linux cluster has dropped that monthly figure down to around P10,000 (AUD$260).
"The other motivation was to increase computing power with less capitilisation. With Irix, our capitilisation was about P25 million (AUD$655,000). With the Debian cluster we spent around P2 million (AUD$52,000) including the migration cost and training," Pineda said.
"It doesn't make a dent in our budget; it's very negligible."
Pineda said PAGASA also wanted to implement a system which is very scalable.
All in all PAGASA uses 32 clustered processors, with 16 devoted to R & D and 16 for operational purposes.
The cluster works as part of the Philippine Interactive Communications Weather Information Network (PICWIN) which provides weather forecasting and an automatic warning system.
Continue reading from the source...
by: Andrew Hendry
Source: PCWorld
Another Source: SlashDot
The cluster includes eight PCs running as a single node, connected via a gigabit switch, each with dual 64-bit Intel Xeon processors running the Debian Linux OS.
"We tried several Linux flavours, including Red Hat, Mandrake, Fedora etc," said Alan Pineda, head of ICT and flood forecasting at PAGASA.
"Our ICT group came out with Debian as the most stable in servers, especially when things are being done pretty much in automatic mode. In our workstations the preference among programmers is Ubuntu, which is basically Debian-based," he said.
The major motivation for migrating to an open source based system was cost. Previously, for almost a decade PAGASA used an SGI Irix supercomputer that cost over P200,000 (AUD$5200) a month to run. Since September 2007, the Debian Linux cluster has dropped that monthly figure down to around P10,000 (AUD$260).
"The other motivation was to increase computing power with less capitilisation. With Irix, our capitilisation was about P25 million (AUD$655,000). With the Debian cluster we spent around P2 million (AUD$52,000) including the migration cost and training," Pineda said.
"It doesn't make a dent in our budget; it's very negligible."
Pineda said PAGASA also wanted to implement a system which is very scalable.
All in all PAGASA uses 32 clustered processors, with 16 devoted to R & D and 16 for operational purposes.
The cluster works as part of the Philippine Interactive Communications Weather Information Network (PICWIN) which provides weather forecasting and an automatic warning system.
Continue reading from the source...
by: Andrew Hendry
Source: PCWorld
Another Source: SlashDot
#4
Technology / Hackers attack MySpace and Facebook
March 05, 2008, 05:59:29 PMBy Clement James
4 March 2008 07:35AM
Buffer overflows are at the heart of a series of attacks against Facebook and MySpace, security firm Fortify Software has warned..
Criminal hackers now view social networking sites as their best target for attacks, according to Rob Rachwald, director of product marketing at Fortify Software.
Part of the reason is that such sites are designed to be usable by "unsophisticated" consumers, meaning that the barrier to entry for attacks is potentially lower as users are more likely to click on a link that leads to malware.
"A buffer overflow enabled hackers to exploit the Aurigma ActiveX image uploading software used by Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites," said Rachwald.
"The bad news is that this exploit is being used in a hacker toolkit currently being offered for download on several Chinese language sites, meaning that novices have been able to stage these attacks, and not just professional hackers."
Rachwald argued that social networking sites can no longer limit protection to their own security practices, but must take in the practices of their suppliers.
"Had Facebook and MySpace required Aurigma to provide proof of a code audit before sourcing the plug-in this latest security issue could have been avoided," he said.
Read More from the SOURCE: http://itnews.com.au/News/71298,hackers-attack-myspace-and-facebook.aspx
#5
Technology / 23,000 Linux PCs forge education revolution in Philippines
January 29, 2008, 01:03:00 PM
Source: ComputerWorld
Providing high school students with PCs is seen as a first step to preparing them for a technology-literate future, but in the Philippines many schools cannot afford to provide computing facilities so after a successful deployment of 13,000 Fedora Linux systems from a government grant, plans are underway to roll out another 10,000 based on Ubuntu.
Visiting Australia to discuss Linux and open source software in education at this year's linux.conf.au in Melbourne, independent open source consultant Ricardo Gonzalez, said there were a number of factors that led to Linux being chosen over the venerable Microsoft Windows.
Gonzalez, based in Manila, told Computerworld Linux became popular in the Philippines soon after the 1997 Asian financial crisis when open source was investigated for its value proposition to organizations.
"Open source was a viable business alternative because no one was doing it commercially," Gonzalez said.
...... continue reading via the source link
hopefully this will fire-up the opensource technology in the Philippines.
Providing high school students with PCs is seen as a first step to preparing them for a technology-literate future, but in the Philippines many schools cannot afford to provide computing facilities so after a successful deployment of 13,000 Fedora Linux systems from a government grant, plans are underway to roll out another 10,000 based on Ubuntu.
Visiting Australia to discuss Linux and open source software in education at this year's linux.conf.au in Melbourne, independent open source consultant Ricardo Gonzalez, said there were a number of factors that led to Linux being chosen over the venerable Microsoft Windows.
Gonzalez, based in Manila, told Computerworld Linux became popular in the Philippines soon after the 1997 Asian financial crisis when open source was investigated for its value proposition to organizations.
"Open source was a viable business alternative because no one was doing it commercially," Gonzalez said.
...... continue reading via the source link
hopefully this will fire-up the opensource technology in the Philippines.
#6
Technology / Bohol Internet Connections
October 29, 2007, 01:57:20 PM
hi guys,
need to know the available internet connection in bohol.
Based on last year's info:
For Wireless and Laptop Users:
1. Smart Bro --> not offered to our bukid
2. Globe Visibility --> 2yrs contract (not good for me)
is there any aDSL connection offered by Globelines? or anything having some speed of 256kbps(guaranteed speed) will do... at least...
need to know the available internet connection in bohol.
Based on last year's info:
For Wireless and Laptop Users:
1. Smart Bro --> not offered to our bukid
2. Globe Visibility --> 2yrs contract (not good for me)
is there any aDSL connection offered by Globelines? or anything having some speed of 256kbps(guaranteed speed) will do... at least...
#7
Technology / Quick History of Hackers
October 12, 2007, 05:50:02 PM
SOURCE: RedHat Linux Documentation
The modern meaning of the term hacker has origins dating back to the 1960s and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tech Model Railroad Club, which designed train sets of large scale and intricate detail. Hacker was a name used for club members who discovered a clever trick or workaround for a problem.
The term hacker has since come to describe everything from computer buffs to gifted programmers. A common trait among most hackers is a willingness to explore in detail how computer systems and networks function with little or no outside motivation. Open source software developers often consider themselves and their colleagues to be hackers, and use the word as a term of respect.
Typically, hackers follow a form of the hacker ethic which dictates that the quest for information and expertise is essential, and that sharing this knowledge is the hackers duty to the community. During this quest for knowledge, some hackers enjoy the academic challenges of circumventing security controls on computer systems. For this reason, the press often uses the term hacker to describe those who illicitly access systems and networks with unscrupulous, malicious, or criminal intent. The more accurate term for this type of computer hacker is cracker â€" a term created by hackers in the mid-1980s to differentiate the two communities.
The modern meaning of the term hacker has origins dating back to the 1960s and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tech Model Railroad Club, which designed train sets of large scale and intricate detail. Hacker was a name used for club members who discovered a clever trick or workaround for a problem.
The term hacker has since come to describe everything from computer buffs to gifted programmers. A common trait among most hackers is a willingness to explore in detail how computer systems and networks function with little or no outside motivation. Open source software developers often consider themselves and their colleagues to be hackers, and use the word as a term of respect.
Typically, hackers follow a form of the hacker ethic which dictates that the quest for information and expertise is essential, and that sharing this knowledge is the hackers duty to the community. During this quest for knowledge, some hackers enjoy the academic challenges of circumventing security controls on computer systems. For this reason, the press often uses the term hacker to describe those who illicitly access systems and networks with unscrupulous, malicious, or criminal intent. The more accurate term for this type of computer hacker is cracker â€" a term created by hackers in the mid-1980s to differentiate the two communities.
#8
Technology / The Risk and Cost of Hoaxes
September 28, 2007, 01:31:23 PM
SOURCE: http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org
The cost and risk associated with hoaxes may not seem to be that high, and isn't when you consider the cost of handling one hoax on one machine. However, if you consider everyone that receives a hoax, that small cost gets multiplied into some pretty significant costs. For example, if everyone on the Internet were to receive one hoax message and spend one minute reading and discarding it, the cost would be something like:
50,000,000 people * 1/60 hour * $50/hour = $41.7 million
Most people have seen far more than one hoax message and many people cost a business far more than $50 per hour when you add in benefits and overhead. The result is not a small number.
Probably the biggest risk for hoax messages is their ability to multiply. Most people send on the hoax messages to everyone in their address books but consider if they only sent them on to 10 people. The first person (the first generation) sends it to 10, each member of that group of 10 (the second generation) sends it to 10 others or 100 messages and so on.
Generation:Number of Messages
1:10 2:100 3:1,000 4:10,000 5:100,000 6:1,000,000
As you can see, by the sixth generation there are a million e-mail messages being processed by our mail servers. The capacity to handle these messages must be paid for by the users or, if it is not paid for, the mail servers slow down to a crawl or crash. Note that this example only forwards the message to 10 people at each generation while people who forward real hoax messages often send them to many times that number.
Recently, we have been hearing of spammers (bulk mailers of unsolicited mail) harvesting e-mail addresses from hoaxes and chain letters. After a few generations, many of these letters contain hundreds of good addresses, which is just what the spammers want. We have also heard rumors that spammers are deliberately starting hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses (of course, that could be a hoax). So now, all those nice people who were so worried about the poor little girl dying of cancer find themselves not only laughed at for passing on a hoax but also the recipients of tons of spam mail.
The cost and risk associated with hoaxes may not seem to be that high, and isn't when you consider the cost of handling one hoax on one machine. However, if you consider everyone that receives a hoax, that small cost gets multiplied into some pretty significant costs. For example, if everyone on the Internet were to receive one hoax message and spend one minute reading and discarding it, the cost would be something like:
50,000,000 people * 1/60 hour * $50/hour = $41.7 million
Most people have seen far more than one hoax message and many people cost a business far more than $50 per hour when you add in benefits and overhead. The result is not a small number.
Probably the biggest risk for hoax messages is their ability to multiply. Most people send on the hoax messages to everyone in their address books but consider if they only sent them on to 10 people. The first person (the first generation) sends it to 10, each member of that group of 10 (the second generation) sends it to 10 others or 100 messages and so on.
Generation:Number of Messages
1:10 2:100 3:1,000 4:10,000 5:100,000 6:1,000,000
As you can see, by the sixth generation there are a million e-mail messages being processed by our mail servers. The capacity to handle these messages must be paid for by the users or, if it is not paid for, the mail servers slow down to a crawl or crash. Note that this example only forwards the message to 10 people at each generation while people who forward real hoax messages often send them to many times that number.
Recently, we have been hearing of spammers (bulk mailers of unsolicited mail) harvesting e-mail addresses from hoaxes and chain letters. After a few generations, many of these letters contain hundreds of good addresses, which is just what the spammers want. We have also heard rumors that spammers are deliberately starting hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses (of course, that could be a hoax). So now, all those nice people who were so worried about the poor little girl dying of cancer find themselves not only laughed at for passing on a hoax but also the recipients of tons of spam mail.
#9
Technology / New PDF Security Exploit Emerges
September 23, 2007, 04:24:43 PM
SOURCE: www.internetnews.com
September 21, 2007
New PDF Security Exploit Emerges
By Andy Patrizio
A new vulnerability has emerged in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) and, so far, only Adobe and a white hat hacker know about it. But give the bad guys time.
PDF was the target of another exploit in January, which was quickly fixed. It then emerged earlier this summer as the new method for delivering spam because spam filters have become so efficient at blocking other forms.
PDF-based spam died off in a matter of months because it was too inefficient a means of delivery and the spam filter vendors were able to develop effective means to spot it.
Now, Petko D. Petkov, a.k.a. pdp, is the leader of Gnucitizen, a security Web site and security consultant in the U.K. has found a new JavaScript-based exploit in PDF that would allow malicious JavaScript code to execute on a user's client simply from opening an infected PDF file.
Petkov won't publish proof of concept code because the exploit is so dangerous, PDF is so ubiquitous and "it may take a while for Adobe to fix their closed source product," he wrote on a Gnucitizen posting.
Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism for Secure Computing, said even without sample code, it's still enough to send the bad guys off sniffing through the PDF format to find the holes. "Just the fact it has been found makes me think it will become available eventually," he told InternetNews.com.
Henry said the exploit is particularly insidious because it can embed JavaScript in the file, so an anti-virus scanner may not see it. "In this Web 2.0 world, it's important to scan everything coming over the wire, including scripts with malicious intent," he said.
Adobe has said that it is aware of the problem. "Adobe and Petkov have been in communication," the company said in a statement to InternetNews.com. "Adobe is currently researching the potential issue. Once this process is complete, Adobe plans to share further information on the topic via the company's Adobe Security Bulletins and Advisories page."
For now, both Adobe and Secure Computing offer the same advice: Never open a PDF from an unknown source and if you get it from a known source but weren't expecting it, double check with that person.
September 21, 2007
New PDF Security Exploit Emerges
By Andy Patrizio
A new vulnerability has emerged in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) and, so far, only Adobe and a white hat hacker know about it. But give the bad guys time.
PDF was the target of another exploit in January, which was quickly fixed. It then emerged earlier this summer as the new method for delivering spam because spam filters have become so efficient at blocking other forms.
PDF-based spam died off in a matter of months because it was too inefficient a means of delivery and the spam filter vendors were able to develop effective means to spot it.
Now, Petko D. Petkov, a.k.a. pdp, is the leader of Gnucitizen, a security Web site and security consultant in the U.K. has found a new JavaScript-based exploit in PDF that would allow malicious JavaScript code to execute on a user's client simply from opening an infected PDF file.
Petkov won't publish proof of concept code because the exploit is so dangerous, PDF is so ubiquitous and "it may take a while for Adobe to fix their closed source product," he wrote on a Gnucitizen posting.
Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism for Secure Computing, said even without sample code, it's still enough to send the bad guys off sniffing through the PDF format to find the holes. "Just the fact it has been found makes me think it will become available eventually," he told InternetNews.com.
Henry said the exploit is particularly insidious because it can embed JavaScript in the file, so an anti-virus scanner may not see it. "In this Web 2.0 world, it's important to scan everything coming over the wire, including scripts with malicious intent," he said.
Adobe has said that it is aware of the problem. "Adobe and Petkov have been in communication," the company said in a statement to InternetNews.com. "Adobe is currently researching the potential issue. Once this process is complete, Adobe plans to share further information on the topic via the company's Adobe Security Bulletins and Advisories page."
For now, both Adobe and Secure Computing offer the same advice: Never open a PDF from an unknown source and if you get it from a known source but weren't expecting it, double check with that person.
#10
Technology / Firefox 3 Secures Extensions
September 23, 2007, 04:18:51 PM
Source: www.internetnews.com
September 20, 2007
Firefox 3 Secures Extensions
By Sean Michael Kerner
Among the many reasons why Mozilla's Firefox browser has become popular is the fact that it's relatively easy to build and install add on extensions for it. That ease of extensibility however has a potential dark side to it.
Those same extensions that add power to Firefox, generally speaking, could arguably represent a security risk as well. It's a security gap that Mozilla is now plugging with its Alpha 8 development release of its next generation Firefox 3 browser.
In terms of add-on extension security, Firefox 3 Alpha 8 is specifically targeting the updating of add-ons to make that process more secure.
Mozilla spells out the issue in its guide on the new extension security:
"Firefox currently automatically checks for updates to add-ons using a url specified in the add-on's install manifest. Currently there are no requirements placed on these urls. In particular, neither url is required to be https. This allows either the update manifest or the update package to be compromised, potentially resulting in the injection of malicious updates. A demonstration of one form of compromise is already public."
The new extension security feature will aim to secure updates by a number of mechanisms including using SSL (define), and digital signatures that help to verify the identity and authenticity of the add-on's author. The general idea is that by ensuring that both the update mechanism and integrity of the update package are properly secured, overall safety will be improved.
There still might well be other issues that Mozilla will need to tackle in order to further improve add-on security though.
"It should be stressed that this feature is targeted at ensuring the security of updates to add-ons and has no impact on the security of initial add-on installs," Mozilla admits in its guide.
The Alpha 8 build is what Mozilla considers to be an early developer milestone and is not intended for the general public. In fact one of the rough edges in Firefox 3 Alpha 8 will actually prevent it from launching on Windows Vista if parental controls are enabled.
Mozilla developers have also not yet added in the fix for the QuickTime cross-scripting flaw that was fixed in the mainline Firefox 2.0.0.7 release which came out earlier this week.
Firefox 3 is Mozilla's next generation browser and has been under development since October of 2006 when the first Firefox 3 alpha appeared. Mozilla is currently releasing new milestones every 6 weeks for Firefox 3 with final development expected sometime in 2008.
September 20, 2007
Firefox 3 Secures Extensions
By Sean Michael Kerner
Among the many reasons why Mozilla's Firefox browser has become popular is the fact that it's relatively easy to build and install add on extensions for it. That ease of extensibility however has a potential dark side to it.
Those same extensions that add power to Firefox, generally speaking, could arguably represent a security risk as well. It's a security gap that Mozilla is now plugging with its Alpha 8 development release of its next generation Firefox 3 browser.
In terms of add-on extension security, Firefox 3 Alpha 8 is specifically targeting the updating of add-ons to make that process more secure.
Mozilla spells out the issue in its guide on the new extension security:
"Firefox currently automatically checks for updates to add-ons using a url specified in the add-on's install manifest. Currently there are no requirements placed on these urls. In particular, neither url is required to be https. This allows either the update manifest or the update package to be compromised, potentially resulting in the injection of malicious updates. A demonstration of one form of compromise is already public."
The new extension security feature will aim to secure updates by a number of mechanisms including using SSL (define), and digital signatures that help to verify the identity and authenticity of the add-on's author. The general idea is that by ensuring that both the update mechanism and integrity of the update package are properly secured, overall safety will be improved.
There still might well be other issues that Mozilla will need to tackle in order to further improve add-on security though.
"It should be stressed that this feature is targeted at ensuring the security of updates to add-ons and has no impact on the security of initial add-on installs," Mozilla admits in its guide.
The Alpha 8 build is what Mozilla considers to be an early developer milestone and is not intended for the general public. In fact one of the rough edges in Firefox 3 Alpha 8 will actually prevent it from launching on Windows Vista if parental controls are enabled.
Mozilla developers have also not yet added in the fix for the QuickTime cross-scripting flaw that was fixed in the mainline Firefox 2.0.0.7 release which came out earlier this week.
Firefox 3 is Mozilla's next generation browser and has been under development since October of 2006 when the first Firefox 3 alpha appeared. Mozilla is currently releasing new milestones every 6 weeks for Firefox 3 with final development expected sometime in 2008.
#11
Technology / Spider-like vessel hits New York waters
September 09, 2007, 01:09:09 PM
By Richard Pyle
Updated: 7:29 p.m. ET Sept. 6, 2007
Proteus, a prototype wave adaptive modular vessel, cuts through the waters of the Hudson River in New York.
NEW YORK - Pity the fisherman or sailor who staggers on deck in the morning and through bleary eyes sees a giant water spider, legs akimbo and buzzing ominously, coming at him.
No cause for alarm, however. It's just Proteus, a so-called Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel designed for everything from military uses to biological studies, ocean exploration and sea rescue.
The spindly catamaran is so efficient that it can travel 5,000 miles â€" farther than across the Atlantic â€" on one load of diesel fuel.
Daniel Basta, director of the National Marine Sanctuaries for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, said the lightweight, low-cost and modular craft is well suited to scientific and environmental purposes using technology that is itself smaller and less cumbersome.
"Proteus will be able to launch and recover automatic vehicles, do remote vehicle operations, it will be tested for standard dive support operations, putting instruments on the bottom, collecting data â€" all the things that we currently do in one form or another, but most likely more cheaply, effectively and probably better."
Proteus was making its first appearance in New York, the fourth leg of a tour that began in San Francisco last January and will end in Washington, D.C.
It tooled around the harbor off lower Manhattan, a seagoing traffic-stopper that looked as if it might have escaped from Steven Spielberg's warehouse of props for the next "War of the Worlds" movie.
Although the U.S. Coast Guard had been alerted in advance to the strange craft's presence, it dispatched a small patrol craft to check it out.
Ugo Conti, an Italian-born engineer and oceanographer who designed Proteus, was aboard a chartered harbor cruise boat during his creation's star turn on Thursday.
Conti and his wife, Isabella, are the co-founders of Marine Advanced Research, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based firm that built the Proteus for about $1.5 million, she said.
The craft rides on metal and fabric pontoons that have hinges and shock absorbers to flex with the motion of the waves, which helps it to skim over the water at a maximum speed of 30 knots (34.5 mph).
Updated: 7:29 p.m. ET Sept. 6, 2007
Proteus, a prototype wave adaptive modular vessel, cuts through the waters of the Hudson River in New York.
NEW YORK - Pity the fisherman or sailor who staggers on deck in the morning and through bleary eyes sees a giant water spider, legs akimbo and buzzing ominously, coming at him.
No cause for alarm, however. It's just Proteus, a so-called Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel designed for everything from military uses to biological studies, ocean exploration and sea rescue.
The spindly catamaran is so efficient that it can travel 5,000 miles â€" farther than across the Atlantic â€" on one load of diesel fuel.
Daniel Basta, director of the National Marine Sanctuaries for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, said the lightweight, low-cost and modular craft is well suited to scientific and environmental purposes using technology that is itself smaller and less cumbersome.
"Proteus will be able to launch and recover automatic vehicles, do remote vehicle operations, it will be tested for standard dive support operations, putting instruments on the bottom, collecting data â€" all the things that we currently do in one form or another, but most likely more cheaply, effectively and probably better."
Proteus was making its first appearance in New York, the fourth leg of a tour that began in San Francisco last January and will end in Washington, D.C.
It tooled around the harbor off lower Manhattan, a seagoing traffic-stopper that looked as if it might have escaped from Steven Spielberg's warehouse of props for the next "War of the Worlds" movie.
Although the U.S. Coast Guard had been alerted in advance to the strange craft's presence, it dispatched a small patrol craft to check it out.
Ugo Conti, an Italian-born engineer and oceanographer who designed Proteus, was aboard a chartered harbor cruise boat during his creation's star turn on Thursday.
Conti and his wife, Isabella, are the co-founders of Marine Advanced Research, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based firm that built the Proteus for about $1.5 million, she said.
The craft rides on metal and fabric pontoons that have hinges and shock absorbers to flex with the motion of the waves, which helps it to skim over the water at a maximum speed of 30 knots (34.5 mph).
#12
Technology / NTP (Network Time Protocol)
September 09, 2007, 12:46:09 PM
SOURCE: Wikipedia.Org
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a protocol for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP uses UDP port 123 as its transport layer. It is designed particularly to resist the effects of variable latency (jitter).
NTP is one of the oldest Internet protocols still in use (since before 1985). NTP was originally designed by Dave Mills of the University of Delaware, who still maintains it, along with a team of volunteers.
NTP is not related to the much simpler DAYTIME (RFC 867) and TIME (RFC 868) protocols.
Overview
NTP uses Marzullo's algorithm with the UTC time scale, including support for features such as leap seconds. NTPv4 can usually maintain time to within 10 milliseconds (1/100 s) over the public Internet, and can achieve accuracies of 200 microseconds (1/5000 s) or better in local area networks under ideal conditions.
The NTP Unix daemon is a user-level process that runs continuously on a machine that supports NTP, and most of the protocol is implemented in this user process. To get the best performance from NTP, it is important to have the standard NTP clock phase-locked loop implemented in the operating system kernel, rather than using only the intervention of the external NTP daemon: all recent versions of the Linux and Solaris operating systems have this support.
The operational details of NTP are illustrated in RFC 778, RFC 891, RFC 956, RFC 958, and RFC 1305. The current reference implementation is version 4 (NTPv4); however, as of 2005, only versions up to 3 (1992) have been documented in RFCs. The IETF NTP Working Group has formed to standardize the work of the NTP community since RFC 1305 et al.
A less complex form of NTP that does not require storing information about previous communications is known as the Simple Network Time Protocol or SNTP. It is used in some embedded devices and in applications where high accuracy timing is not required. See RFC 1361, RFC 1769, RFC 2030 and RFC 4330.
Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP include the Windows Time Service, which has the ability to sync the computer clock to an NTP server. However, the version in Windows 2000 only implements SNTP. As of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, the Windows Time Service implements the more robust NTPv3 protocol as specified in RFC 1305.
Clock strata
(Note that this is different from the notion of clock strata used in telecommunications systems.)
NTP uses a hierarchical system of "clock strata". The stratum levels define the distance from the reference clock and the associated accuracy.
Stratum 0
These are devices such as atomic (cesium, rubidium) clocks, GPS clocks or other radio clocks. Stratum-0 devices are not attached to the network; instead they are locally connected to computers (e.g. via an RS-232 connection using a Pulse per second signal).
Stratum 1
These are computers attached to Stratum 0 devices. Normally they act as servers for timing requests from Stratum 2 servers via NTP. These computers are also referred to as time servers. Many Stratum 1 servers (for NTP v3 and earlier versions) may not actually be operating with Stratum 1 precision. As the NTP protocol is developed, it will become less and less possible for misleading Stratum 1 servers to run -- instead the protocol would automatically bump the server Stratum level down accordingly.
Stratum 2
These are computers that send NTP requests to Stratum 1 servers. Normally a Stratum 2 computer will reference a number of Stratum 1 servers and use the NTP algorithm to gather the best data sample, dropping any Stratum 1 servers that seem obviously wrong. Stratum 2 computers will peer with other Stratum 2 computers to provide more stable and robust time for all devices in the peer group. Stratum 2 computers normally act as servers for Stratum 3 NTP requests.
Stratum 3
These computers employ exactly the same NTP functions of peering and data sampling as Stratum 2, and can themselves act as servers for higher strata, potentially up to 16 levels. NTP (depending on what version of NTP protocol in use) supports up to 256 strata. It is hoped that in NTP 5 (a protocol still in development) that only 8 or 16 strata will be permitted.
-------->>>>>>...
NTP is very useful to those organization nga nag-gamit ug Time Attendance System, computers/time keeping machines will sync time from the master server which is connected to the internet (accurate time is business).
For single PC nga connected directly sa internet, you can check if your running NTP by issuing this command at the command prompt:
C:\Documents and Settings\marcopolo>net time /querysntp
The current SNTP value is: time.windows.com,0x1 --> set by default on windows system
To change the server:
C:\Documents and Settings\marcopolo>net time /setsntp:SERVER_NAME
For Unix/Linux/BSD/other *nixes, it will cost you some dollars if you're going to ask me. JOKE!
just send me your questions thru PM...
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a protocol for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP uses UDP port 123 as its transport layer. It is designed particularly to resist the effects of variable latency (jitter).
NTP is one of the oldest Internet protocols still in use (since before 1985). NTP was originally designed by Dave Mills of the University of Delaware, who still maintains it, along with a team of volunteers.
NTP is not related to the much simpler DAYTIME (RFC 867) and TIME (RFC 868) protocols.
Overview
NTP uses Marzullo's algorithm with the UTC time scale, including support for features such as leap seconds. NTPv4 can usually maintain time to within 10 milliseconds (1/100 s) over the public Internet, and can achieve accuracies of 200 microseconds (1/5000 s) or better in local area networks under ideal conditions.
The NTP Unix daemon is a user-level process that runs continuously on a machine that supports NTP, and most of the protocol is implemented in this user process. To get the best performance from NTP, it is important to have the standard NTP clock phase-locked loop implemented in the operating system kernel, rather than using only the intervention of the external NTP daemon: all recent versions of the Linux and Solaris operating systems have this support.
The operational details of NTP are illustrated in RFC 778, RFC 891, RFC 956, RFC 958, and RFC 1305. The current reference implementation is version 4 (NTPv4); however, as of 2005, only versions up to 3 (1992) have been documented in RFCs. The IETF NTP Working Group has formed to standardize the work of the NTP community since RFC 1305 et al.
A less complex form of NTP that does not require storing information about previous communications is known as the Simple Network Time Protocol or SNTP. It is used in some embedded devices and in applications where high accuracy timing is not required. See RFC 1361, RFC 1769, RFC 2030 and RFC 4330.
Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP include the Windows Time Service, which has the ability to sync the computer clock to an NTP server. However, the version in Windows 2000 only implements SNTP. As of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, the Windows Time Service implements the more robust NTPv3 protocol as specified in RFC 1305.
Clock strata
(Note that this is different from the notion of clock strata used in telecommunications systems.)
NTP uses a hierarchical system of "clock strata". The stratum levels define the distance from the reference clock and the associated accuracy.
Stratum 0
These are devices such as atomic (cesium, rubidium) clocks, GPS clocks or other radio clocks. Stratum-0 devices are not attached to the network; instead they are locally connected to computers (e.g. via an RS-232 connection using a Pulse per second signal).
Stratum 1
These are computers attached to Stratum 0 devices. Normally they act as servers for timing requests from Stratum 2 servers via NTP. These computers are also referred to as time servers. Many Stratum 1 servers (for NTP v3 and earlier versions) may not actually be operating with Stratum 1 precision. As the NTP protocol is developed, it will become less and less possible for misleading Stratum 1 servers to run -- instead the protocol would automatically bump the server Stratum level down accordingly.
Stratum 2
These are computers that send NTP requests to Stratum 1 servers. Normally a Stratum 2 computer will reference a number of Stratum 1 servers and use the NTP algorithm to gather the best data sample, dropping any Stratum 1 servers that seem obviously wrong. Stratum 2 computers will peer with other Stratum 2 computers to provide more stable and robust time for all devices in the peer group. Stratum 2 computers normally act as servers for Stratum 3 NTP requests.
Stratum 3
These computers employ exactly the same NTP functions of peering and data sampling as Stratum 2, and can themselves act as servers for higher strata, potentially up to 16 levels. NTP (depending on what version of NTP protocol in use) supports up to 256 strata. It is hoped that in NTP 5 (a protocol still in development) that only 8 or 16 strata will be permitted.
-------->>>>>>...
NTP is very useful to those organization nga nag-gamit ug Time Attendance System, computers/time keeping machines will sync time from the master server which is connected to the internet (accurate time is business).
For single PC nga connected directly sa internet, you can check if your running NTP by issuing this command at the command prompt:
C:\Documents and Settings\marcopolo>net time /querysntp
The current SNTP value is: time.windows.com,0x1 --> set by default on windows system
To change the server:
C:\Documents and Settings\marcopolo>net time /setsntp:SERVER_NAME
For Unix/Linux/BSD/other *nixes, it will cost you some dollars if you're going to ask me.
JOKE!just send me your questions thru PM...
#13
Technology / "Storm" worm spoils Labor Day for some
September 07, 2007, 10:25:07 PM
By Cara Garretson, Network World, 09/05/07
The "Storm" worm takes no holidays; over this past long weekend this busy piece of malware emerged as part of a spam campaign that pointed recipients to a Web site wishing them a happy Labor Day, then downloaded an “exploit cocktail.â€
According to McAfee Avert Labs researcher Vinoo Thomas, who posted an item to the security vendor’s blog on Tuesday, this spam is an HTML-formatted e-mail that invites recipients to view an e-greeting card. However the link to the Web site is disguised to look like it’s pointing to a Hallmark site; the spammer used anchor tags in HTML to mask the link that actually points to a malware-laden site, he says.
Once the recipients click on the link, they are sent to a site with a Labor Day cartoon greeting and “everything looks hunky dory except an unsuspecting user is served an …exploit cocktail in the background,†Thomas says. The exploit cocktail is composed of Microsoft, QuickTime, and WinZip exploits.
The Storm worm has been part of a number of recent spam campaigns, including one that used the popular Web site YouTube as bait, and another that posed as an account-confirmation e-mail.
“W32/Nuwar, aka the Storm worm, since its debut in November 2006 has relentlessly flooded Internet users with its ever-changing e-mail campaigns,†Thomas writes in the blog. “…The Storm worm authors have this uncanny knack of using sensationalist themes that draw public attention.â€
The "Storm" worm takes no holidays; over this past long weekend this busy piece of malware emerged as part of a spam campaign that pointed recipients to a Web site wishing them a happy Labor Day, then downloaded an “exploit cocktail.â€
According to McAfee Avert Labs researcher Vinoo Thomas, who posted an item to the security vendor’s blog on Tuesday, this spam is an HTML-formatted e-mail that invites recipients to view an e-greeting card. However the link to the Web site is disguised to look like it’s pointing to a Hallmark site; the spammer used anchor tags in HTML to mask the link that actually points to a malware-laden site, he says.
Once the recipients click on the link, they are sent to a site with a Labor Day cartoon greeting and “everything looks hunky dory except an unsuspecting user is served an …exploit cocktail in the background,†Thomas says. The exploit cocktail is composed of Microsoft, QuickTime, and WinZip exploits.
The Storm worm has been part of a number of recent spam campaigns, including one that used the popular Web site YouTube as bait, and another that posed as an account-confirmation e-mail.
“W32/Nuwar, aka the Storm worm, since its debut in November 2006 has relentlessly flooded Internet users with its ever-changing e-mail campaigns,†Thomas writes in the blog. “…The Storm worm authors have this uncanny knack of using sensationalist themes that draw public attention.â€
#14
Technology / Did Microsoft Buy Netcraft?
September 07, 2007, 09:59:36 PM
By Nicholas Petreley on Fri, 2007-08-24 09:07.
Linux Journal
Okay, I'm not seriously suggesting Microsoft is paying off Netcraft to produce positive survey results (although this is certainly a standard operating procedure for Microsoft). But something is odd, if not rotten, in the state of Netcraft. I have often cited Netcraft web server surveys as evidence that open source beats closed source. The Netcraft surveys almost always showed Apache leading Microsoft IIS by a wide margin, and showed Apache growing as Microsoft IIS market share was shrinking. Lately, however, Netcraft began to claim that Apache market share has been shrinking rapidly while Microsoft IIS has been gaining the market share lost by Apache. Netcraft even proposed that, "Microsoft's recent gains raise the prospect that Windows may soon challenge Apache's leadership position." Microsoft IIS may displace Apache as the most-used web server? Could this really be true, or is this reporting from the Bizarro world? And does anyone else find the wording rather odd? "Windows" may challenge Apache? Huh?
If, as counterintuitive as it may seem and so contrary to "data by word-of-mouth", Microsoft IIS is actually challenging Apache in terms of market share, then so be it. But how does one explain why other web surveys do not detect this remarkable shift?
Here is the Netcraft survey and here is a Security Space survey. While Netcraft says Apache represents 51% market share and rapidly shrinking, Security Space puts Apache at 74% and growing! Netcraft says Microsoft IIS has 34% market share and is rapidly growing, Security Space pegs Microsoft IIS at 20% market share, as it continues to shrink.
Why the vast discrepancy? Does one or the other survey use a misleading polling technique (sites vs. domains vs. servers)? And which survey is misleading? Is Netcraft guilty of voodoo economics (perhaps we should start calling it Witchcraft)? Or is Security Space getting it wrong? I believe common sense favors Security Space, but what do you think?
---------->>>>>>>>>>>>
Apache is way too good for IIS.
Linux Journal
Okay, I'm not seriously suggesting Microsoft is paying off Netcraft to produce positive survey results (although this is certainly a standard operating procedure for Microsoft). But something is odd, if not rotten, in the state of Netcraft. I have often cited Netcraft web server surveys as evidence that open source beats closed source. The Netcraft surveys almost always showed Apache leading Microsoft IIS by a wide margin, and showed Apache growing as Microsoft IIS market share was shrinking. Lately, however, Netcraft began to claim that Apache market share has been shrinking rapidly while Microsoft IIS has been gaining the market share lost by Apache. Netcraft even proposed that, "Microsoft's recent gains raise the prospect that Windows may soon challenge Apache's leadership position." Microsoft IIS may displace Apache as the most-used web server? Could this really be true, or is this reporting from the Bizarro world? And does anyone else find the wording rather odd? "Windows" may challenge Apache? Huh?
If, as counterintuitive as it may seem and so contrary to "data by word-of-mouth", Microsoft IIS is actually challenging Apache in terms of market share, then so be it. But how does one explain why other web surveys do not detect this remarkable shift?
Here is the Netcraft survey and here is a Security Space survey. While Netcraft says Apache represents 51% market share and rapidly shrinking, Security Space puts Apache at 74% and growing! Netcraft says Microsoft IIS has 34% market share and is rapidly growing, Security Space pegs Microsoft IIS at 20% market share, as it continues to shrink.
Why the vast discrepancy? Does one or the other survey use a misleading polling technique (sites vs. domains vs. servers)? And which survey is misleading? Is Netcraft guilty of voodoo economics (perhaps we should start calling it Witchcraft)? Or is Security Space getting it wrong? I believe common sense favors Security Space, but what do you think?
---------->>>>>>>>>>>>
Apache is way too good for IIS.
#15
Technology / Microsoft Readies Five September Security Updates
September 07, 2007, 09:45:50 PM
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
Thursday, September 06, 2007 5:00 PM PDT
www.pcworld.com
Microsoft will release five sets of security patches next Tuesday, including a critical update for users of Windows 2000, the company said Thursday.
With the remaining four security updates rated as "important" by Microsoft, this latest round of patches appears to be less worrisome than the August updates. Last month, Microsoft released nine updates, six of which were rated critical.
Microsoft rates its bug-fixes as critical when attackers can exploit the flaws without requiring any user action.
Also set to be patched this month are Visual Studio, Windows Services for Unix, SharePoint Services, and the Windows Live and MSN Messenger software.
Microsoft releases its security patches on the second Tuesday of each month, generally around 11 a.m., Pacific time.
With this latest rounds of patches, Microsoft will have released 55 updates in 2007; the same number it had released by September of last year.
------------->>>>>
as always... another bug-fix to release... another security holes to patch
.
Thursday, September 06, 2007 5:00 PM PDT
www.pcworld.com
Microsoft will release five sets of security patches next Tuesday, including a critical update for users of Windows 2000, the company said Thursday.
With the remaining four security updates rated as "important" by Microsoft, this latest round of patches appears to be less worrisome than the August updates. Last month, Microsoft released nine updates, six of which were rated critical.
Microsoft rates its bug-fixes as critical when attackers can exploit the flaws without requiring any user action.
Also set to be patched this month are Visual Studio, Windows Services for Unix, SharePoint Services, and the Windows Live and MSN Messenger software.
Microsoft releases its security patches on the second Tuesday of each month, generally around 11 a.m., Pacific time.
With this latest rounds of patches, Microsoft will have released 55 updates in 2007; the same number it had released by September of last year.
------------->>>>>
as always... another bug-fix to release... another security holes to patch
.
#16
General Topic / Most Hated Pinay
August 28, 2007, 09:25:39 AM
The most hated pinay
By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:36pm (Mla time) 08/27/2007
At least as far as millions of overseas Filipino workers and their families are concerned, the "Most Hated Pinay" Award goes not to Imelda Marcos or Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but to Manila society columnist Malu Fernandez.
This dubious honor was attained by Ms. Fernandez with just one article which appeared in her regular Manila Daily Standard (“Fierce and Fabulousâ€) column which dealt mainly with the hedonistic lifestyles of the Philippine rich and famous. In that piece, “From Boracay to Greece,†which was also featured in the June 2007 issue of People Asia magazine, Fernandez wrote of her travel to Boracay and of her spur of the moment decision while there to spend her Holy Week vacation in Greece.
Fernandez is apparently accustomed to riding in first class or business class but on her flight to Greece, however, she decided to “bravely†fly in economy class. This is how she recounts her trip: “To save on my ticket, I bravely took an economy class seat on Emirates as recommended by my travel agent……However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-fee shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume.
“Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them. While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga saan ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?†(“Hey there! How are you? Where are you from? Are you also a domestic helper?) I thought I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.â€
After a nine-hour flight, Fernandez landed in Greece and quickly “washed the plane off†her as the “Louis Vuittons†under her eyes, she wrote, were “enormous.†Despite the cold, she “bravely went about in a lightweight sweater and a throw.†("Bravely" is apparently her favorite description of how she does things.)
“On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.â€
From Meryl Streep, we learned that the Devil wears Prada. From Malu Fernandez, we know she also wears Jo Malone perfume, which sells for $100 per 100 ml bottle (approximately 5000 pesos), unlike the cheaper Axe and Charlie colognes some OFWs prefer.
As soon as Fernandez’ article was published, word about her condescending depiction of OFWs quickly spread through the Internet to the blogosphere of OFW communities throughout the world, especially to the 1.5 million Filipinos in the Middle East. Through various OFW blogs, hundreds of Filipinos expressed their personal anger at the person they called the “mahaderang matapobre†(a meddlesome person who contemptuously looks down on the poor). [Google the words.]
Francis Sangalang wrote from Dubai: “We are already having a hard time here working under the hot climate then we get a strong below the belt blow by our own kabayan who has totally no idea on being an OFW.†Ingrid Holm, from England, chimed in: “You wrote that you wanted to slit your wrists because you were stuck in coach with all the OFWs. I am moved every time I am on a flight with OFWs. I am reminded of their resilience. Of how hard they work, and how they keep the Philippines going. The economy relies on their bravery. You should have slit your wrists, hon. And you are going to hell if you don’t change the way you think. Think of sitting in coach, imagining your personal hell as a personal foreshadowing.â€
The vitriol fueled by her article, which she personally thought was a product of her “acerbic witâ€, did not cause Malu Fernandez to back down one bit. Instead she responded by throwing gasoline to the fire: “The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker then a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world; otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading.â€
So the lower class OFWs can’t read anything thicker than a magazine, huh? And they should be grateful for self-proclaimed “bitches†like her for making their “boring and mediocre†lives exciting? If there were hundreds of Filipinos denouncing the “mahaderang matapobre†in various blogs and print publications before, her rejoinder caused thousands more to vent their spleen at her utter contempt for the poor. In his blog, Loi Reyes Landicho compiled a list of things for OFWs to tell Malu Fernandez when they see her. On the top of the list was this: “In case you die, we’d like to attend your funeral. However, we’ll probably just go to work that day. You know… business before pleasure.â€
The “deeply personal insults†and “death threats†she received eventually caused her to resign from the Manila Daily Standard and People Asia. In her statement which she released in her website, Fernandez wrote: “To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world. I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked. It was truly not my intention to malign, hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.â€
Even as she "bravely" travels around the world regularly, what Malu Fernandez failed to realize is how much the world she travels in has changed. Twenty years ago she could have written about the “que horror!†of being surrounded by OFWs and gotten away with it. Not anymore. The Internet and the blogosphere it produced, coupled with the economic power of their remittances, have empowered the OFWs and leveled the playing field. It’s not safe to be a “matapobre†now.
By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 04:36pm (Mla time) 08/27/2007
At least as far as millions of overseas Filipino workers and their families are concerned, the "Most Hated Pinay" Award goes not to Imelda Marcos or Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but to Manila society columnist Malu Fernandez.
This dubious honor was attained by Ms. Fernandez with just one article which appeared in her regular Manila Daily Standard (“Fierce and Fabulousâ€) column which dealt mainly with the hedonistic lifestyles of the Philippine rich and famous. In that piece, “From Boracay to Greece,†which was also featured in the June 2007 issue of People Asia magazine, Fernandez wrote of her travel to Boracay and of her spur of the moment decision while there to spend her Holy Week vacation in Greece.
Fernandez is apparently accustomed to riding in first class or business class but on her flight to Greece, however, she decided to “bravely†fly in economy class. This is how she recounts her trip: “To save on my ticket, I bravely took an economy class seat on Emirates as recommended by my travel agent……However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-fee shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume.
“Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them. While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga saan ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?†(“Hey there! How are you? Where are you from? Are you also a domestic helper?) I thought I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.â€
After a nine-hour flight, Fernandez landed in Greece and quickly “washed the plane off†her as the “Louis Vuittons†under her eyes, she wrote, were “enormous.†Despite the cold, she “bravely went about in a lightweight sweater and a throw.†("Bravely" is apparently her favorite description of how she does things.)
“On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.â€
From Meryl Streep, we learned that the Devil wears Prada. From Malu Fernandez, we know she also wears Jo Malone perfume, which sells for $100 per 100 ml bottle (approximately 5000 pesos), unlike the cheaper Axe and Charlie colognes some OFWs prefer.
As soon as Fernandez’ article was published, word about her condescending depiction of OFWs quickly spread through the Internet to the blogosphere of OFW communities throughout the world, especially to the 1.5 million Filipinos in the Middle East. Through various OFW blogs, hundreds of Filipinos expressed their personal anger at the person they called the “mahaderang matapobre†(a meddlesome person who contemptuously looks down on the poor). [Google the words.]
Francis Sangalang wrote from Dubai: “We are already having a hard time here working under the hot climate then we get a strong below the belt blow by our own kabayan who has totally no idea on being an OFW.†Ingrid Holm, from England, chimed in: “You wrote that you wanted to slit your wrists because you were stuck in coach with all the OFWs. I am moved every time I am on a flight with OFWs. I am reminded of their resilience. Of how hard they work, and how they keep the Philippines going. The economy relies on their bravery. You should have slit your wrists, hon. And you are going to hell if you don’t change the way you think. Think of sitting in coach, imagining your personal hell as a personal foreshadowing.â€
The vitriol fueled by her article, which she personally thought was a product of her “acerbic witâ€, did not cause Malu Fernandez to back down one bit. Instead she responded by throwing gasoline to the fire: “The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker then a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world; otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading.â€
So the lower class OFWs can’t read anything thicker than a magazine, huh? And they should be grateful for self-proclaimed “bitches†like her for making their “boring and mediocre†lives exciting? If there were hundreds of Filipinos denouncing the “mahaderang matapobre†in various blogs and print publications before, her rejoinder caused thousands more to vent their spleen at her utter contempt for the poor. In his blog, Loi Reyes Landicho compiled a list of things for OFWs to tell Malu Fernandez when they see her. On the top of the list was this: “In case you die, we’d like to attend your funeral. However, we’ll probably just go to work that day. You know… business before pleasure.â€
The “deeply personal insults†and “death threats†she received eventually caused her to resign from the Manila Daily Standard and People Asia. In her statement which she released in her website, Fernandez wrote: “To say that this article was not meant to malign, hurt or express prejudice against the OFWs now sounds hollow after reading through all the blogs from Filipinos all over the world. I am deeply apologetic for my insensitivity and the offensive manner in which this article was written, I hear you all and I am properly rebuked. It was truly not my intention to malign, hurt or express prejudice against OFWs.â€
Even as she "bravely" travels around the world regularly, what Malu Fernandez failed to realize is how much the world she travels in has changed. Twenty years ago she could have written about the “que horror!†of being surrounded by OFWs and gotten away with it. Not anymore. The Internet and the blogosphere it produced, coupled with the economic power of their remittances, have empowered the OFWs and leveled the playing field. It’s not safe to be a “matapobre†now.
#17
Technology / Japan Becomes First Asian Nation To Embrace Open Software Standards Such As ODF
August 18, 2007, 09:34:23 PM
Press Inquiries: Kathryn Brownlee
(202) 429-1833 -- kathrynbrownlee(AT)rationalpr(DOT)com
Interoperability Framework Cites ODF as Example of Open Standard
Washington, DC, July 9, 2007 â€" The OpenDocument Format Alliance (ODF Alliance), the leading organization advocating for openness and accessibility to government documents and information, today congratulated Japan for adopting a policy under which government ministries and agencies will solicit bids from software vendors whose products support internationally recognized open standards.
Previously, government agencies could ask bidders to submit bids based on whether their products offered functions comparable to particular software suites. With the new interoperability framework, which takes effect immediately, the government will give preference to procuring products that adhere to open standards, and which interoperate easily with other software.
The new guidelines, available from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry at www.meti.go.jp/press/20070629014/20070629014.html, were designed to be implemented by government ministries and agencies. The interoperability framework also suggests that the guidelines would also be useful for private industry.
“With its new interoperability framework, Japan is setting an important worldwide example,†said Marino Marcich, ODF Alliance Managing Director. “By giving preference to open software formats such as ODF, it is saying that information should be competitively priced, innovative, and easily available to the widest range of people, now and in the future. We hail Japan for its diligence and vision."
Said Masayuki Hayase, General Manager, President's Office, Justsystems Corporation: "The formal launch of the interoperability framework by the Japanese government is an epoch-making initiative for Japan. Securing open standards based interoperability is critical to accelerate innovation. The interoperability framework will propel healthy competition and open up more opportunities for small and medium size companies in Japan."
The OpenDocument Format Alliance is an organization of governments, academic institutions, non-government organizations and industry dedicated to educating policymakers, IT administrators and the public on the benefits and opportunities of ODF.
--------->>>>>>>
how i wish Philippines unta pud...
i remember couple of years ago when diha pa ko sa manufacturing industry (support team) nag-work, gina-advice ko sa taga-BIR to assist our admin staff regarding sa ilang system which is a vintage FoxPro and MS Access combination. what a pain in the a**...
SSS pud unta, naa na sila web-based system pero pastilan sad kahinay sa ilang server... kabalo man unta sila nga daghan mogamit/access sa ilang system pero wa jud na nila gi-anticipate daan.
pilipinas......
(202) 429-1833 -- kathrynbrownlee(AT)rationalpr(DOT)com
Interoperability Framework Cites ODF as Example of Open Standard
Washington, DC, July 9, 2007 â€" The OpenDocument Format Alliance (ODF Alliance), the leading organization advocating for openness and accessibility to government documents and information, today congratulated Japan for adopting a policy under which government ministries and agencies will solicit bids from software vendors whose products support internationally recognized open standards.
Previously, government agencies could ask bidders to submit bids based on whether their products offered functions comparable to particular software suites. With the new interoperability framework, which takes effect immediately, the government will give preference to procuring products that adhere to open standards, and which interoperate easily with other software.
The new guidelines, available from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry at www.meti.go.jp/press/20070629014/20070629014.html, were designed to be implemented by government ministries and agencies. The interoperability framework also suggests that the guidelines would also be useful for private industry.
“With its new interoperability framework, Japan is setting an important worldwide example,†said Marino Marcich, ODF Alliance Managing Director. “By giving preference to open software formats such as ODF, it is saying that information should be competitively priced, innovative, and easily available to the widest range of people, now and in the future. We hail Japan for its diligence and vision."
Said Masayuki Hayase, General Manager, President's Office, Justsystems Corporation: "The formal launch of the interoperability framework by the Japanese government is an epoch-making initiative for Japan. Securing open standards based interoperability is critical to accelerate innovation. The interoperability framework will propel healthy competition and open up more opportunities for small and medium size companies in Japan."
The OpenDocument Format Alliance is an organization of governments, academic institutions, non-government organizations and industry dedicated to educating policymakers, IT administrators and the public on the benefits and opportunities of ODF.
--------->>>>>>>
how i wish Philippines unta pud...
i remember couple of years ago when diha pa ko sa manufacturing industry (support team) nag-work, gina-advice ko sa taga-BIR to assist our admin staff regarding sa ilang system which is a vintage FoxPro and MS Access combination. what a pain in the a**...
SSS pud unta, naa na sila web-based system pero pastilan sad kahinay sa ilang server... kabalo man unta sila nga daghan mogamit/access sa ilang system pero wa jud na nila gi-anticipate daan.
pilipinas......
#18
Technology / Bohol gets first solar-powered Internet cafe in RP
August 04, 2007, 08:52:58 PM
SOURCE: Sun.Star Online
WEB Site: Cabilao Solar Project
CALIBAO ISLAND, BOHOL--The residents and foreign tourists here, who were deprived of the benefits of the information technology (IT) evolution because of limited power supply, will now get to experience the country's first solar-powered computer laboratory-cum-Internet café at Cabilao National High School (CNHS).
The solar-powered computer laboratory on Cabilao Island was made possible through the consolidated efforts of the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (Cite), and the German Development Service (DED) with funding assistance from the Gate program of Gessellschaft fuer Technische Zusamme-narbeit and the Municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines.
Allan Hendrick Buena, electrical department head of Cite, said the budget for the entire project was P1.9 million covering the purchase of 28 solar panels, batteries, computers, inverter and other on-line services for one year.
The Municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines provided the local counterpart funding of P200,000 for the infrastructure and monthly payments of IT technicians in the laboratory, among others.
Konrad Bortoli, DED coordinator for the Economic and Employment Promotion, said the project's main objective was to bring computer literacy to the 379 high school students of CNHS and to provide an income-generating project for the school.
"Before, students here didn't have the formal computer education because of the limited power supply here, where communities in the island are allowed to use power supply only from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. with their existing diesel power plant here," he said.
Bortoli said the realization of the project came after several of their friends who are also the resort owners of the diving resort in the island who showed interest in an Internet and computer laboratory that would also connect the island to the outside world.
Solar panels
Buena said energy produced by the 28 solar panels would be stored in the 24 batteries. Then from direct current, it would be converted to alternating current.
Afterwards, power will be brought to the controller-a gate to give 220 volts, from which it will then go to the laboratory.
He said the laboratory has six computers, five of which will be for the use of students, and the remaining one for the teacher administrator in charge of the laboratory.
Buena said locals and foreign tourists on the island would also get to enjoy the service. Locals pay P20 per hour for the Internet service, while foreign tourists will pay P100 an hour.
"Our Internet service provider is the AZ Communication using the satellite communication service with 128 kbps or speed per second passing the Agila 2 satellite launched by former President Fidel V. Ramos," he said.
With the solar-powered computer laboratory, Cabilao National High School principal Mario Garcia said its students will now have the edge in terms of IT education over other schools in Bohol.
He said the computer course for the students will be put under the Technology and Livelihood Education Curriculum for the third and fourth year high school students.
Department of Education-Bohol education supervisor I Marcelo Vigante expressed gratitude to the German community that made the project possible.
Loon Mayor Yul Lopez said the Internet lab is a priceless project for Cabilao Island, which will now have a bridge of information to the outside world. (Clara Mae Hortelano)
WEB Site: Cabilao Solar Project
CALIBAO ISLAND, BOHOL--The residents and foreign tourists here, who were deprived of the benefits of the information technology (IT) evolution because of limited power supply, will now get to experience the country's first solar-powered computer laboratory-cum-Internet café at Cabilao National High School (CNHS).
The solar-powered computer laboratory on Cabilao Island was made possible through the consolidated efforts of the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (Cite), and the German Development Service (DED) with funding assistance from the Gate program of Gessellschaft fuer Technische Zusamme-narbeit and the Municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines.
Allan Hendrick Buena, electrical department head of Cite, said the budget for the entire project was P1.9 million covering the purchase of 28 solar panels, batteries, computers, inverter and other on-line services for one year.
The Municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines provided the local counterpart funding of P200,000 for the infrastructure and monthly payments of IT technicians in the laboratory, among others.
Konrad Bortoli, DED coordinator for the Economic and Employment Promotion, said the project's main objective was to bring computer literacy to the 379 high school students of CNHS and to provide an income-generating project for the school.
"Before, students here didn't have the formal computer education because of the limited power supply here, where communities in the island are allowed to use power supply only from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. with their existing diesel power plant here," he said.
Bortoli said the realization of the project came after several of their friends who are also the resort owners of the diving resort in the island who showed interest in an Internet and computer laboratory that would also connect the island to the outside world.
Solar panels
Buena said energy produced by the 28 solar panels would be stored in the 24 batteries. Then from direct current, it would be converted to alternating current.
Afterwards, power will be brought to the controller-a gate to give 220 volts, from which it will then go to the laboratory.
He said the laboratory has six computers, five of which will be for the use of students, and the remaining one for the teacher administrator in charge of the laboratory.
Buena said locals and foreign tourists on the island would also get to enjoy the service. Locals pay P20 per hour for the Internet service, while foreign tourists will pay P100 an hour.
"Our Internet service provider is the AZ Communication using the satellite communication service with 128 kbps or speed per second passing the Agila 2 satellite launched by former President Fidel V. Ramos," he said.
With the solar-powered computer laboratory, Cabilao National High School principal Mario Garcia said its students will now have the edge in terms of IT education over other schools in Bohol.
He said the computer course for the students will be put under the Technology and Livelihood Education Curriculum for the third and fourth year high school students.
Department of Education-Bohol education supervisor I Marcelo Vigante expressed gratitude to the German community that made the project possible.
Loon Mayor Yul Lopez said the Internet lab is a priceless project for Cabilao Island, which will now have a bridge of information to the outside world. (Clara Mae Hortelano)
#19
Technology / OpenSource Software Links
July 17, 2007, 01:30:27 PM
to those people nga in-need of software para sa ilang work then dont have enough resources to purchase licenses, so you better check this link:
http://www.opensourcewindows.org
by the way, use at your own risk... don't blame me for the disaster that may happen. if you can buy enterprise software then go for it, but if you cant... so go look for opensource (no to piracy) 
http://www.opensourcewindows.org
by the way, use at your own risk... don't blame me for the disaster that may happen.
if you can buy enterprise software then go for it, but if you cant... so go look for opensource (no to piracy)
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