The topic covered this week (July 20-26, 2009) was all about Standard-Setting and Open Standards. To answer the questions given by the leader of the week which is the first group, I made a research about the subject and read the material that was given to us by our instructor. I would like to say that the said file entitled Free/Open Source Software – Open Standards by Nah Soo Hoe was a good material to read. I think most of the ideas regarding the topics can be found there.

Since I answered already the questions raised by the leader, I would like to sum up it all here.

A Standard-Setting Organization or shortly known as SSO is an organization that sets standards and make recommendations. A formal SSO is recognized as the national standards body and has the authority to designate specifications as the national standards of a country.

For a standard to be said internationally acceptable, it has to be set or adopted/adapted by an international standard-setting body. Such organizations are International Standardization Organization (ISO), International Electro-technical Commission (IEC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and so much more.

There are three (3) several main processes in setting or creating of new technical standards and these are the following: de jure, de facto and industry-driven standards.

Let us first discuss de jure standard. A de jure standard is normally created or set by formal SSOs. The creation is a repeated cycle of several procedures (deliberation, voting and modification) until the standard is accepted by the organization for publication and becomes a formal standard.

The main advantage of the process is that it follows formal and accountable procedures. Also, the development of the standard is open for all to participate. Members of the SSO and other experts and individuals interested with the standard are given an opportunity to contribute. Given the process of creation, the process is neutral and transparent, and not controlled by any particular group and thus, no lock-in.

Taking into account the advantages, there are also disadvantages in the process. The process can be quite long since it undergoes several procedures and needs approval. The publication of the standard by no means guarantees its success in implementation and usage by the industry and users.

The next standard is what we called the opposite. A de facto standard is set mainly by the vendors or owners of the product. When a product is so popular that becomes generally accepted and widely used by most of the users, as a result, a de facto standard is established even though the standard is not authorized by the standards body.

The advantage of having the de facto standard is that there is an assurance of its widespread acceptance in its implementation and usage. Not like de jure standard in which it should be debated first by the committee and come up with a consensus. Thus, modification and improvement of the standard is also faster.

Before I continue, when I was taught about the EEE tactics which stands for Embrace, Extend and Extinguish, I realized how wise those vendors are. I think the action is some kind of a deception. At first, they will introduce to you their product saying that they are supporting open standards and market to you the product. Then they will take advantage on the standards. When you have already their product, they will say that there is a need to add in proprietary enhancements to improve the product and make their product different from their competitors. Instead of ensuring that the enhanced implementation should still interoperate with the basic one, they are not. Since the standard is so widely used, it now becomes a de facto standard and since the enhancements are proprietary, the standard now becomes proprietary instead of open.

To continue with the processes in setting or creating of new technical standards, the next one is the industry-driven standard – a sort of intermediate between de jure and de facto standard. The standard is set by a group formed.

Reading about de jure, de facto and industry-driven standards, I noticed some information that made me come up with a conclusion. Based on the information I stated above, I would like to say that a de jure standard is an open standard while a de facto standard can be a proprietary standard. Take note, it has been said that the development of a de jure standard is open for all to participate and no lock-in also. Let us try to recall open standard; according to Nah Soo Hoe, the following are the characteristics of an open standard: (1) openly developed, (2) openly maintained, (3) openly modified, (4) openly accessible, (5) openly implemented. Further, a proprietary standard is in contrast to open standard and has the following characteristics: (1) development and maintenance is controlled fully by vendor alone, (2) development and maintenance is not open or just partially open to all interested parties or stakeholders, (3) specifications are not freely available for implementation. So, given the characteristics, my conclusion was based on the comparison between de jure and open standard, between de facto and proprietary standard.

However, if ever my interpretation with regard to my conclusion is wrong, I am open for corrections.

To end this, I would like to say that the topic was interesting for me. The material that I used was also good since most of the topics can be found there and lastly, the most important is that I learned.

COMDDAP 2009

It was awesome! It was a great experience for me when I attended the expo of the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines or COMDDAP. The said event was held three days from July 2 to 4, 2009 at the Grand Ballroom, Apo View Hotel in Davao City. My colleagues and I attended the first day. Although it was not the first time that I attended an event like that but still, it was fun and I learned some valuable lessons as well.

Before the event, we were told that we have to register online because seats were limited and so I did. I had this thought not to lose the opportunity. The lessons that I could get there may not be the same with the future events, and I may not have the opportunity again and it is a loss. When we got there, as what I had expected, there were several students from different schools like students from Ateneo de Davao University, University of Mindanao, Interface College and others not mentioned, and of course the professionals. As we entered the room, I was quite amazed by the exhibits. Different innovative products were being displayed. We were also given brochures and something like magazines (I can hardly tell but I really love the paper that was used and the way it was printed) that talks about their company and their products. Intentionally, I beg for those brochures because I wanted to have, bring and read those at home. I even wished to have those products.

Since we were very early for the seminar to begin, what we did was just walking around the room and looking at the displayed products. While doing the same thing, a great guy told us about openSUSE Operating System. It is an open source software which means you can download it from the Internet and install it in your computer. But he was not giving the software for free. There was an allotted cost for the said software. He told us the advantages of buying the software instead of having it download from the Internet. Once you bought the software and used it, you will be informed with the latest updates and new releases. But the thing is our computers are not Internet connected so even if we buy the software, still we cannot be immediately informed with the latest updates and the new releases.

The first seminar started at 1 pm. The first presenter was from Jupiter Systems Inc. (JSI). While the presenter was talking, I was quite confused and bothered by his words. He was talking about cars and I was even thinking what is with it. But as he went along with his discussion, it was not something like that. The discussion ended up so clear. He presented to us the Enterprise Resource Information and Control System or shortly known as ERIC – a brilliant Dealer Management System (DMS) developed by JSI. ERIC is a software application and it is used by the company – JSI and was first released in 1985.

ERIC monitors the sales executive activities, the warranty of parts, the services that they have offered, and their appointments with their clients. It manages the inventory, the parts and consumable cost. All the data and information are recorded in the system and they can be easily modified and retrieved. Such information like customer appointments, repair orders and estimates, technician’s daily time record, customer and vehicle service history, parts requisitioning, interface to manufacturer system, control parts and consumable costs. The system is simple to understand and to use since it uses a Graphical User Interface or GUI in short.
The discussion about ERIC discussed only by one person and it did not end too long.

After ERIC was being introduced to us, the next presenter discussed about HP Thin Client. The product was great and made us dropped our jaw. The presenter clearly discussed its features and it was totally awesome (not the presenter, I mean the product). Before the presenter started his discussion, he told us that there will be a question and answer portion after and he will be giving prizes. After hearing the words, my enthusiasm to listen leveled up. I was motivated to really listen and understand the every word that would come out from his mouth. I wanted to win the prize. Unfortunately, even though I was raising my hand, I was not chosen. The prizes were t-shirts, USB’s, and an optical mouse. They also gave CD’s of ERIC. How lucky my friend Kristine was because she was chosen to answer one of the questions and she brought home the optical mouse and a CD from JCI.

HP Thin Client is more secure from viruses. Because once it has been restarted, viruses are no longer in the system. It is also portable because it is smaller in size. And, as what I have heard from the presenter, once you bought it and noticed some defects, they will not just repair it but they will replace it with a new one. It also enhances data and information security. The administration cost is lower as well as the hardware cost. The energy consumption is lesser and the use of computing resources is efficient which is good since we are dealing with green computing. Finally, it is easier to manage whenever the hardware fails. Those are just some of the features and I might not have mentioned the others.

As I still remember, last 2007, I also attended the Davao Cyber Expo (DCE) held at the NCCC Mall of Davao. It was organized by E-Squared Event Organizing. Same as the event – COMDDAP expo, DCE expo was held also for three days started from July 4 to 6. Prizes were also given like t-shirts, printers and many more. Again, unfortunately, none of those prizes was given to me. Well, it is the thought that counts. The important is I learned valuable lessons from the events. Now, come to realize how great technology is. I am looking forward for more events like this to happen and exhibits of monsters or robots that is free for all to attend.

The New Enrollment System of the University

When I was in the university to enroll, I was surprised seeing the tarpaulins posted in its strategic locations. Within the tarpaulins is a diagram of the enrollment system of the university. I was surprised because that was my first time to see those tarpaulins and also the first time the university inaugurated that initiative. How lucky the freshmen students are because it is now easier for them to work for their enrollment given those diagrams that will serve as their guide.

It is now my fifth year in the university and I could say that in its nine key areas, there are several problems that should be addressed and solved. One of the nine key areas is the support to students. It was a nice thing to know that the university had thought of this and come up with a good idea that could really help the students especially the freshmen students and in case the university made changes to the enrollment system. Freshmen students could have a difficulty in enrolling since they are just new in school especially those students who are not from the city. They are not yet familiar with the place and it is difficult for them to identify the next step given that there are several steps to enroll. When I was about to enter the university, we, the enrollees were given a guide on what are the steps to enroll and the amounts to pay. That was very helpful to us. However, the guide was just a sheet of paper and it can be lost. Also, the words cannot be read once it gets wet and cannot be used again. Unlike those diagrams, even if it rains, even if it gets wet, those cannot be ruined and can be used again for the next school year and for more school years to come.

Those diagrams were not made without a purpose. The university made a decision to inaugurate the idea of having those diagrams in order to help the students in enrolling which is the very purpose of those diagrams. Using those diagrams, it should improve operational efficiency. Meaning, the students especially freshmen students can work faster in enrolling. As I still remember, when I was sitting on a bench near the cashier’s office, in front of me was a diagram and I stared at it. In our Systems Analysis and Design 1 (SAD) subject, we were also given assignments to create diagrams for the enrollment system of the university. That was last year before this semester. The first one was to create a use-case diagram, then an activity diagram and a data flow diagram. I even compared my works to the one that was posted. But, as I tried to study the diagram and read the every step, it made me confused. I was having a difficulty in following the steps. I was thinking, if I were one of the freshmen students and reading the diagram, instead of helping me, it would take time for me to understand it and it is a waste of time. I mastered already the steps to enroll so there is no need for me to depend more on the diagrams. But if ever the university decided to change some of the steps, diagrams should be posted and that is the time I have to depend on them. The idea was really good, it was just that based on my observation, the diagram was some kind of ambiguous. Maybe because of the way the steps were organized or the way the diagrams were printed.

From the previous assignments, I searched for the samples for each of the diagrams. I found many samples but they were some features in which they are different. Elements of the system are presented with specific figures but based on the samples I had gathered, some figures were not the same. For example, a use case diagram, based on my readings about it, use cases are presented with ovals, and actors are presented with stick figures. The connecting line between an actor and a use case represents the association to show that an actor carries out a use case. Use cases are the activities or the actions that are carried out by an actor. Some samples coincided to the given information but the other samples were not. How could they come up with those diagrams with different features but they were both use case diagram.

Diagrams are made to show the overall flow of the system in which the activities or the actions that should be taken by the actors or students are shown just like the diagrams posted in the strategic locations of the university. The usual enrollment system of the university for the students second year and above starts with paying the local and miscellaneous fees then should proceed to the adviser for evaluation of grades. The adviser will verify and record the grades of the enrollee, determines the subjects that are allowed to take by the enrollee, and issues PRF. The enrollee should fill up the PRF with all the necessary information and should go back to the adviser for verification and approval. After the PRF has been approved, the enrollee should present it to the encoder for encoding of subjects and for the issuance of COR. If the enrollee is a scholar, he should approach the bookkeeper to verify his account and validate his scholarship card. If the enrollee is a non-scholar, he is required to proceed to the cashier’s office and presents the COR and should pay the amount specified in the COR. The cashier will verify the enrollee’s information, updates the account and issues receipt after the amount is paid. Then the enrollee will be asked to proceed to the registrar’s office to verify and update his account and to register then should proceed to the library to validate the student’s library card.

Not only the diagrams that made me surprised, also the new enrollment system that was made by our professors and was just recently used by the college. When I submitted my Pre-Registration Form (PRF) to the secretary, I was surprised by the system that he was using. The environment was a little bit different from the former one and there were new text boxes to be filled up. The secretary asked me to write down my date of birth and contact number and he entered those in the system. I was amazed and I laughed when I saw my face in the computer. I was just a fresh student that time when that picture was taken and it was totally different. They even said to me that I looked more innocent in that picture than now. I did not see totally the system and never had a chance to test or use it. Of course, I am just a student of the university and I do not have the right to test it or even use it without any permission. So, if I were to evaluate the new enrollment system that was developed by our professors, I can hardly tell. As far as I know, given that the system was already used, it was successfully done.

Last second semester, school year 2008-2009, the university made a decision to tap in-house resources. Our professors in the subject Systems Analysis and Design (SAD) 1 and Software Engineering (SE) 1 were given a task to develop a new enrollment system for the university. They were used to be our professors for the two subjects. However, because of the task that was given to them, they made a decision to give up our class and focus on the task. Me and my classmates were sad and disappointed when we heard the news because we were already used to their teaching methods and we would miss them. When we were given assignments about outsourcing and insourcing on which is better between the two, we were also asked about the decision that made by the university to tap in-house resources if it was good or the other. It was also a good decision. When the university was still using the former enrollment system, they were paying large amount of money for the system. Maybe that was the reason why the university seemed to forget its other problems like its facilities and laboratories and to other key areas as well. Maybe the universities made that decision because they can no longer afford to pay for the former system or just because they had come to realize to why not use the resources inside the university and save money.

There are IT professionals in the university and they are very good and I am very proud of them and glad that they are our professors. Now that the former enrollment system was replaced with the new and improved system, faculty and students can now work with great efficiency. With the new system, it is now easier to locate the student because it was already in the system the student’s contact number and also the address. It is also easier to recognize the student because it was already in the system the student’s picture. The student will wait no more for how many hours for the Certificate of Registration or commonly known as COR to be given after it is printed since the former printer that used to have a ribbon to print was already replaced with the new and improved one. It is now faster to print a COR and other documents. The overall process is now faster. The students can finish their enrollment earlier – the earlier the better. I would like to congratulate the developers of the system – our professors who deserved to be acknowledged. I wonder how much was paid to them.

If I were asked to evaluate the new system and compare it with the former one, I would really ask the university to allow me to test and use the two systems. In that way, I can easily tell their differences, advantages, their bugs as well. I was just wondering, how good the two professors are because as far as I know only the two of them who worked for the system when in fact, as what I have learned from my previous subjects, when we talk of developing a system or software, there are several members of the team. They were able to develop the system mainly the two of them but with the help of others, of course.

Why did the university decided to change the enrollment system? Were there problems with the former system? Was it because of the identified bugs? Was it because the university can no longer afford to pay for the system or both?

Actually, I am not sure of the answers to the questions. I only found out that the university decided to change the enrollment system when the project was given to our professors. I have not seen totally the former system and have not tested it or used it and I never did investigate or ask persons about the issue. Well, when I saw the new system, I also asked few questions about it to the secretary because I was waiting for my COR that time however none of my questions can answer the questions above. But if I were to base it on my observations, maybe the former system was replaced with the new one because they were not satisfied with the system. The system could not still attain the standards of the university or the features that the university wants with the system or just because the university can no longer afford to pay for the former system. I would rather believe the last one.

Here is another question, when we decide to change something, what are the usual reasons? We want something new. We want something better. We want something that can satisfy us. We want that something that can attain our standards. When the university decided to replace the former system, it was expected already that the new system is better than the former one. When I saw the environment of the new system, it was also good. Comparing it with the former one, the new system was better. I was looking at the computer when the secretary was doing the encoding. The interface was good and user-friendly. I am just sad because we have not seen the presentation by the developers of the new system when it was introduced. I was wondering how much was the amount allotted to the project and the amount that the university was paying for when the former system was still in use. I have heard the university was paying a month for that system but I am not sure how much exactly the amount was.

I am used already to the question on which is better, to outsource or to insource. Well, even though I know already what the two are all about and given that I already read some articles about them, I can say that there are still areas which I am not familiar of and have not learned yet. They both have distinct advantages and benefits. So, to help us evaluate the decision made by the university, let us first discuss each of them – outsourcing and insourcing.

When an organization opted to outsource, what are the benefits that will be obtained?Outsourcing can be very beneficial. The project of the organization will be made faster, making it reliable, efficient and in good quality especially when the project was offered to a reliable and a good company or individuals. The everyday tasks of the organization cannot also be disturbed and interrupted and they can concentrate on their works. For system and data security, the organization should be very careful and strict in giving their records and data especially nowadays there are lots of tricks that can be made, lots of threats and lots of attackers. The security has three basic components and these are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. To prevent the organization from harm, they should be well versed with what they are doing and what are the risks that they are facing. The organization should be very keen especially when they opted to outsource because their information, records and data are at risk. As what I have always been said, the one that I like the most about outsourcing is being global meaning the organization’s project can be offered to a company or individuals even if they are both from different countries especially when we speak of the undying vision of the university which is to become globally competitive.

Insourcing can also be very beneficial to an organization. Most of the organizations who opted to insource reasoned out that they could not afford to outsource. Some of the organizations have also said that they do not want to take the risk. They want the organization’s information, its record and data be very confidential and not to put them at risk. Another reason is they have their own IT professionals that are very good and enough to work with their project and by doing this they can spend less.

We always hear the word less amount when we speak of insourcing, what about the other benefits? There are lots of benefits when opted to insource not only spending less amount of money. It is easier for the organization to follow or track the development of the project. It is also easier for the management and project makers to locate one another and to interact with each other. Whenever there are questions and clarifications regarding the project, they can easily and can directly ask and answer. And if ever any problem would occur, it can be solved easily and immediately. Other problems regarding operating cost, any changes in plan, etcetera can be fixed ahead of time. The organization can also be immediately informed about the identified bugs and lastly, maintenance of the project is not a problem since the project makers are already there.

Whether to outsource or to insource, we always look for their advantages and benefits to the organization and which is better for the organization. I have read from an article that says if the organization can hardly decide and is torn between the two, they can hire an analyst or a consultant to help them decide but we are talking another expense. Of course, they have to pay for the service of the analyst or consultant. Mostly, huge firms have been doing this but mostly they do outsource.

The decision made by the university to tap in-house resources was also good. The university spent lesser amount than before. The skills of the IT professionals inside the university were being utilized and developed. The students especially the Institute of Computing (IC) students have learned something from the issue and can help us think and decide in the future when we are already IT professionals. Even though at first, when we found out that our two professors gave up the class for the project, some of us were quite sad and disappointed but we learned from it, especially because we were given assignments related to the issue, we were forced to know more about the issue and its related areas.

Having those diagrams was a very good idea. The operational efficiency is now improved given those diagrams, the new and improved enrollment system together with the new and improved printer that was used recently by the secretary in printing the student’s COR and other documents. Unlike before, freshmen students were having a difficult time in identifying the next step that they could hardly finish the enrollment earlier. Now, with the help of those diagrams, students will be guided, students will also spend less time in waiting for the COR to print and to be given to them because the former printer was already replaced with the new and improved one which is totally different from the previous one. The university implemented lots of new this semester, which add points to the university.