Advocating Free and Open Source Software

After the Linux Ubuntu, I accidentally found out that there is a Linux based Operating System made by our Fellowmen. The Bayanihan Linux. I immediately downloaded the Image File on their website - http://www.bayanihan.gov.ph/. Bayanihan Linux is the product of collaborations and cooperative work of talented IT Pinoys. If you want to know more how this O.S., visit their website here - http://www.bayanihan.gov.ph/index.php/about-us/the-project. 

Free and Open Source Software, also known as FOSS, is a good alternative to other Commercial Software especially to schools offering Computer Education Class who cannot afford to buy too expensive softwares. Using FOSS in classroom instructions is not different from other commercial softwares. So in order for my students and other computer users understand more about FOSS, I made a simple tutorials in O.S. Installations (Linux Bayanihan), and Applications Software reviews. 

Installing Linux Bayanihan

Steps: 

1. Access the BIOS and set the boot sequence correctly. If you are using Internal Optical Drive, Then the boot sequence must be like this

First Boot:       CD/DVD Drive
Second Boot:   HDD

Save and restart the computer. The first screen that will appear on you screen should be like the one below. Select the Graphical Install Option then press enter. 

2. after pressing enter the screen below should appear. Just wait here until the next screen appear.

3. The next screen tells you that the setup is automatically detecting network hardware.

4. Enter what domain this computer belongs. then click Continue.

5. The setup now detect the hard disk drive and other hardware.

6. On the Partitioning Option, decide if you need another partition or not. Here, I used the entire disk as an allocation for the OS and other application softwares.

7. Select the HDD where you want to install the OS then click continue.

8. On the Partition disk option, I choose the first option: All files in one partition  because this is the first time we will install this OS.

9. Then choose finish partitioning and write changes to disk and click continue.

10. Select Yes if the setup ask you about the changes that will happen on your computer.

12.Enter a password for the administrator account, then click continue.

13. Set up your username. Make sure you will not forger this then click continue.

14. Type the password for the username you created, then click continue.

15. After the username and password have been created, the setup will continue install the base system. Just wait until the next screen appear.

16. Then the Installing software will proceed.

17. Choose Install Grub boot loader if there are no other Operating System installed on your computer then click the continue button

18. The installing grub boot loader scree appear.

19. When you see the Installation Complete message, click continue so the Linux Bayanihan will load its desktop.

20. The Linux Bayanihan Boot Loading Screen.

HOW TO SET UP A NEW OPERATING SYSTEM USING VIRTUAL BOX.

1. I-download muna ang virtual box sa kanilang website. Huwag kayo mag alala, libre ito at walang bayad. Ito ang kanilang eksaktong website - https://www.virtualbox.org/. 

Click download then select Virtualbox for VirtualBox 4.3.12 for Windows hosts x86/amd64

2. Pagkatapos mo ma download ang file, pwede mo na ito i run.

Project Linux

In our school, we are lucky because despite of lack of technical support, we still manage to run our obsolete computers and have it used by our students during their hands-on activity. I used the term "obsolete" for the 8 computers running on 800 mhz processor and 128 mb of RAM with 10 GB Hard Disk Drive. Also the monitors we are using are still CRT type. So if anyone out there who has the capability to donate, please save us and our students from too much radiation from the old CRT monitors, its eye popping glare and from the feeling of being stuck in a middle of no where because the system unit always hang everytime our students will open three programs at the same time.


We realize this project linux because in addition to our problem in our physical units, we also have a problem with our software. We have five computers with good specifications donated by some politicians and our PTA Officers. Thanks to them, because our students were happy every time they finish the task on a 50 minutes class hours using the fast system unit running on a dual core processor, 1 GB of memory and 250 GB of Disk Space. The problem arises when the operating system of these donated computers were corrupted because of viruses. The did not donate any Operating System!


So we decided to go Linux. We don't have any fund for our computer laboratory because as i said, we lack not just in technical support, but also financial support to buy a replacement to a defective parts of softwares. In this project, we used Linux Ubuntu because I already tried it on my own computer.


Linux is a good option because unlike commercial softwares like Microsoft Windows and Apple machintosh, it is free and its applications are all free!. To educate our students easily about this operating system, I created a tutorial on how to install Linux ubuntu on the computer. Luckilly, the donated computers meet the system requirements of Linux Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Desktop Edition

1 GHz x86 processor
1GB of system memory (RAM)
15GB of hard-drive space (although this can be split onto 2 drives, a 5Gb / and a 10Gb /home fairly easily)
Graphics card and monitor capable of 1024 by 768
Either a CD/DVD Drive or a USB port (or both)
Internet access is helpful

Source: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements

Here are the steps in installing Linux Ubuntu: 

1. Have the installation disk inserted on the Optical Drive. 

2. Restart and Boot your computer from Optical Drive. 

3. On the Set Up Screen this is what you should see. Select the best language for you. 

4. Select Install Ubuntu then press enter. 

5. Wait until the next setup screen appear. 

6. Choose the language for the installation process and click forward

7. Select the time zone for your country. 

7. Select the best layout for your keyboard and click forward

8. This is the partitioning section. I just used the entire disk for the operating system. 

9. here, I decided to use the entire disc as its partition for the Linux Ubuntu

10. On this screen,enter a name for your computer,username and password to use in log in then click forward.

11. This is the summary of what we did on our installation setup. Click Forward to continue.

12. After Clicking Forward button, the setup will format the selected partition.

13. After the setup format the partition, it will copy all the important files for installation. 

14. On this screen you could see that the setup install the system on the selected partition, Just wait until the next window appear.

15. The installation dialog box will remind you that installation is complete and you need to reboot so changes could take effect.

16. This is the loading screen where you could see the Ubuntu working at the bac

17. Type the username and press enter. 

19. Type the Password then press enter.

20. Congratulations! This is the desktop of Linux Ubuntu. Luckily, it already have different useful applications for your daily task. 

That's it! We're already done installing Linux Ubuntu on our computer. Just remember Linux Ubuntu is not the only Operating System free and Linux based. Our own Linux Bayanihan is also available and could be our options in using Linux based O.S. I will discuss the installation procedure of Linux Bayanihan on my next blog post.

Let us Explore the components of Linux Ubuntu. Below are my screen screen shots of its desktop and some of its pre-installed softwares. 

1. Accessories: Just Like Microsoft Windows, It has a ready to use utility programs. I think it was made here very simple. You could see below the text editor, calculator, terminal, take screen shot which I used to show the images here, and the CD/DVD creator. What can you ask for?

2. Under Games Option, a lot of games could be used for fun! See below image. 

3. In other O.S. Like Microsoft Windows, you need to install a commercial software such as Adobe Photoshop in order for you to edit Photos. Here you already have a photo editing softwares such as Gimp.

4. Looking at the Internet option, I found out that it already have messenger called Pidgin so no need to download other messenger softwares.

5. Another Good thing on Linux Ubuntu is it already have Office applications such as Word Processor, Spreadsheet and Presentation package. See below image.

6. The Sound and Video Option will give you a chance to play your media files like videos and music files

7. And here some of its other features: See below images

Operating Office Applications in Linux Ubuntu

The Linux Ubuntu I showed here comes with Office Applications ready to use. Open Office Applications includes the popular Word Processor, a program used to create documents like letters, pamphlets, posters, and other related files intended for printing. Another is the Presentation Package, a software used to create slideshow presentation. It also have Spreadsheet application, a program used to create files like ledger, journal or other files needed with computations and graphing. Let us try and explore these office applications. 

Open Office Word

We need a Word Processor basically for us to create documents like letters and other related documents for printing. A good word processor must have different useful features like the following listed below:

1. Document Management
It must allow the user to create, delete, copy, move, save in different format and search for files.

2. Font specifications
It must have options for you to change the font size and even the typeface. Specify bold, italics, and underlining.

3. Footnotes and cross-references
Good word Processing should allow you to automatically assign the numbering and placement of footnotes and enables you to easily cross-reference other sections of the document.

4. Integration of Graphics
It must have options where you can create illustrations within your document; or insert an image ready to use saved in your computer or other locations such as the internet.

5. Page Layout
It must also allow you to specify margins size within a single document and to specify different features in indenting paragraphs.

6. Mail Merges
It must allows you to merge text from one file to another file. A good example is the mail merge labels.

7. Spelling and Grammar feature
This is a utility that allows the user to check the spelling on a document. It will highlight any words that is not included in its dictionary.

8. Tables of contents and indexes:It must allows you to automate the creation of Table of Contents and Indexes.

9. WYSIWYG
(what you see is what you get): This feature allows the user to see the document as it will be printed.

Luckily, the Open Office Word have all these features, and there are even more features which I have not yet discussed. Below is the Working area of the Open Office Word.

The Open Office Word

HOW TO USE VIRTUAL BOX