Thoughts About Your Project

For my dear students, this is now the time to prove your worth. This year is the best year for you to show off everything you’ve learned in and out of school. Now that you are looking for a project, I have some tips on how you can fully utilize this to a more meaningful activity.

Some of you are still looking for projects you need to propose. I would like you to keep in mind four things:

1. A project that you really like to do. As the old maxim goes “Love your work and everything is just like a play”

2. Marketability. Hitting two birds with one stone. Foresee something that could be useful in our locality in the near future. Make projects that could be marketed. With that, you will not gain only your diploma but also an income!

3. Practically everything is possible. Bring out those wild imaginations that you have. Research on how to come up with it.

4. DO NOT BE LAZY.

In our era, innovativeness is the key to success. It is very hard to find new things to discover nowadays but being an innovative person will give you an edge over a lot of people.

One last thing, don’t say it is hard when you haven’t done anything yet.

www.sticollegetacloban.com

How to make clients happy

Getting customer satisfaction is harder than getting the deal closed. In the software development business like any other business, customers are always right. They are the most effective advertisers. Thus, I may say that if you have a customer, you are in an extreme situation between improving and putting your business at risk. Why? Because when bad comments will come out of your customers mouth and the people around will hear it, chances are, customers-to-be will step backward and look for another. But if your customer will be satisfied, you have a good reason to celebrate because for sure they will spread the good news!

Now, how can we get customer satisfaction? I would like to share some of my views.

1. Take note of their needs.
2. Be friendly.
3. Stay humble and let them feel they are the boss.
4. Explain to them clearly the pros and cons and let them decide.
5. Do not blame them for a decision that flops instead give them an alternative.
6. Give them extra care and do not make them like a milking cow.
7. Explain why you can not come for an appointment.
8. Be honest.

As a business man, always put it in mind that conflict will always arise. To avert such situation always make the contract clear and in black and white. Avoid verbal contract.

Once I had an experience with a client he said it is best to ask questions about a project and talk to the buyer first, before laying out your requirements for payment.
Talk about your plan on designing the project or the estimated cost if the project involves funds.

Haven’t tried Linux?

I have been exploring around my Red Hat Linux 9.0 distro from installation to its everyday use. Practically I would say Linux has a lot to offer. Like any other person who is new to something, I too stumble at a lot of things before I could run and explore Linux smoothly.

My Red Hat Linux 9.0 comes with 3 CDs which I bought in a sidewalk. Wondering if it’s a pirated huh? Absolutely not! Because Linux is FREE. You will pay for the CD and the package though. Other than that, it is absolutely free! You can even download any Linux distro at the web unlike Windows that you are afraid to be caught if you do not have the license. Just a friendly advice, don’t try downloading Linux unless you have a good and fast internet connection. Why? It will take you a day to download it.

Linux comes in different flavors. Below is the list of major Linux distros:

1. Red Hat
2. Mandrake
3. Caldera
4. SuSE
5. Slackware
6. Debian

We will talk about Red Hat since this is the one that I have a personal experience. RH or Red Hat is very easy to install. It has a GUI installation the same with Windows. All you need to do is click and click and click. What I like most in Linux is that for almost several months now, I haven’t experience hang up. Aside from that, Linux has four workspace (desktop) switcher where you can switch from one desktop to the other. This is used to eliminate crowding of applications in one desktop. Linux can run in a single machine that runs Windows. All you need to do is partition your hard drive to give room to Linux. You can do that one using the common FDISK command of DOS.

Below are 10 reasons why to choose Linux. This is from me and my friends’ personal experiences.

1) Stability. I did not experience my box hangs!

2) Security. Never gotten infected with spyware, adware, or virus so far. (harold_heckuba@yahoo.com)

3) Choices!! You can choose from over a dozen GUIs and flavors to use, or just work in console, you have at least 3 web browsers, for console alone, multiple console email clients, news readers, cd players. (jaqui_greenlees@yahoo.ca)

4) Open Source/Control. You have complete control over what is running on your system.

5) Price. You can spell F-R-E-E, can’t you? You do not have to pay for its license.

6) Speed of patches when needed

7) Community. A lot of people around the world willing to accommodate your questions!

8) Remote Administration. It has great tools for remote administration gnulinuxmania@yahoo.co.in


9) Establishments are migrating to Linux. As a way of preparing yourself for the new challenge, you must go and grab this opportunity while others are still nailed to windows.

10) You can restart only the services that you have re-configured (e.g the ip-address), without restarting the whole system. This is very important for big servers on the internet that depend on each second of online-time.


FAQs about Linux

1. When I install my RH Linux 9.0, it can not automatically look for a partition
I really don’t know why some people meet this problem while some don’t. However, there is not much to worry about since this can be easily solved. For example, if you are going to partition your hard disk into two, after making the first partition, leave the second partition untouched. After FDISK you will be required to format the disk partition, format only the one for Windows while still leaving the other partition untouched then run your Linux installation.

2. One day while I am using my Linux box, I reconfigure my mouse and after that it just hangs up!
All you need to do is disconnect the mouse and turn your box ON. During start up, Linux will tell you that the peripheral is missing and will give you an option to either Remove, Replace or Do Nothing to your current configuration. Choose Remove. Although this will still hangs your computer, shut it down. Connect now your mouse and run your box. At this time, the same prompt will appear.. Choose Configure at this time then continue. This may not yet solve your problem but after you restart the box, it will run now smoothly.

3. Can I still see my folders and files in other partition if I am using Linux?
Absolutely yes! All you need to do is mount it with this command # mount –t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/dos. But make a directory first. In this example, dos.

4. Can I still run Yahoo messenger on Linux?
Definitely yes.

5. I didn’t make a new account but I supplied a password during the installation, now I am faced with a dilemma since once I open Linux, it will ask for a username and password. I am stuck!
Use “root” as your username and supply the password you’ve made during installation

6. Can I still connect to our web server running in windows?
Yes. Just set up your Network Card and supply the IP address

7. Are word processing and spreadsheet applications included already in the Red Hat distro?
Yes it is already included.

http://linuxfinances.info/info/redhat.html
http://www.freeos.com/articles/3777/2/13/
LINUX_Newbies@yahoogroups.com
http://www.bretschneidernet.de/linux

Entrepreneurship

From the Webster dictionary, it means creating a new organization, specifically business thus creating also a lot of jobs.

But I will not talk about the definition of this word. Rather, I will be talking about the importance of this word. You know, we usually imbibe it to ourselves that after studying we will be looking for a job.

Today I will share something. When you are dreaming of a little abundance in life, employment is not the key. What you need to do is put up a business. But the question is, what kind of business should you choose?

An acquaintance of mine once gives me an advice. He is an owner/manager of a gasoline station I met just this month. He provided me with these keywords:

1. Field of Expertise.
See to it that you are expert on the said business. If you are good in the field of computer, think of a good business about computers.
2. Vices.
This is a well known culprit on why your business goes down.
3. Don’t diversify your business unless very necessary
Do not widen your horizon. The downside of diversifying your business is that if your other business will go down, you will be force to get financial support from your other business. Although this can be prevented if you really have a budget for your new business but still it is not recommended.
4. Location
Situate your business at the right place.
5. Cash Flow
You should know how to control your cash flow.
6. Break-even / Gain
Your company should meet a break-even after 6 months and no more than one year you should be gaining or else close your business.

It doesn’t really require you to be an accounting genius to start a business. Start small if you are not yet confident enough with your capabilities.