July 2011 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

Biometric clocking
by Simon Wainaina 10 Jan '12

10 Jan '12

Skunkers, Am in contact with all the good peoples who sent me their details for the POS. Now i'd like a biometric clocking system (thumb/hand) for use by staff when reporting for duty... Regards, Simon

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Open source has all this, yet they cannot build even the most basic of systems!
by aki 20 Nov '11

20 Nov '11

According to the definition in wikipedia, "Open source code evolves through community cooperation". lol! :-) Open source software <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Open_source_software> is software whose source code is published and made available to the public, enabling anyone to copy, modify and redistribute the source code without paying royalties or fees. Open source code evolves through community cooperation. These communities are composed of individual programmers as well as very large companies. Examples of open-source software products are: [19]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.html#ci…> - GNU Project <https://mail.google.com/wiki/GNU_Project> — “a sufficient body of free software” - FreeBSD <https://mail.google.com/wiki/FreeBSD> — operating system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Operating_system>derived from Unix <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Unix> - Alfresco <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Alfresco_(software)> — content management system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Content_management_system> - Apache <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Apache_HTTP_Server> — HTTP web server - Tomcat web server <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Apache_Tomcat> — web container - Drupal <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Drupal> — content management system <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Content_management_system> - Eclipse <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Eclipse_(software)> — software development environment comprising an integrated development environment<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Integrated_development_environment>(IDE) - Joomla <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Joomla> — content management system <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Content_management_system> - Linux <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Linux> — operating system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Operating_system>based on Unix <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Unix> - Mediawiki <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Mediawiki> — wiki<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Wiki>server software, the software that runs Wikipedia - MongoDB <https://mail.google.com/wiki/MongoDB> — document-oriented, non-relational database - Moodle <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Moodle> — course management system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Course_management_system>or virtual learning environment<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Virtual_learning_environment> - Mozilla Firefox <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox> — web browser - Mozilla Thunderbird <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Mozilla_Thunderbird>— e-mail client - OpenBSD <https://mail.google.com/wiki/OpenBSD> — operating system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Operating_system>derived from Unix <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Unix> - OpenOffice.org <https://mail.google.com/wiki/OpenOffice.org> — office suite - openSIS <https://mail.google.com/wiki/OpenSIS> — open source Student Information System - OpenSolaris <https://mail.google.com/wiki/OpenSolaris> — Unix Operating System from Sun Microsystems - osCommerce <https://mail.google.com/wiki/OsCommerce> — ecommerce<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Ecommerce> - PeaZip <https://mail.google.com/wiki/PeaZip> — File archiver<https://mail.google.com/wiki/File_archiver> - PHP <https://mail.google.com/wiki/PHP> - Scripting language suited for the web - RenovatioCMS <https://mail.google.com/wiki/RenovatioCMS> — content management system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Content_management_system> - Stockfish <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Stockfish_(chess)> — chess engine <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Chess_engine> series, considered to be one of the strongest chess programs of the world - Symbian <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Symbian> — real-time<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Real-time_operating_system>mobile operating system <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Operating_system> - TYPO3 <https://mail.google.com/wiki/TYPO3> — content management system<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Content_management_system> - WordPress <https://mail.google.com/wiki/WordPress> — blog software<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Blog_software> - 7-Zip <https://mail.google.com/wiki/7-Zip> — File archiver<https://mail.google.com/wiki/File_archiver> - *Many, many more* --- Saidia-Ohh-Saidia Apps Made in KE aka Mkate Nusu---

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https://selfcare.safaricom.co.ke/
by Joe Mayaka 02 Nov '11

02 Nov '11

Hey Skunks Some might have already registered with the above portal for safaricom, but if you have not give it a try. It is quite helpful in managing your safcon line and other features. I happened to stumble on it on their Facebook page. Regards Joe

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Never register a domain with a Kenyan ISP
by Daudi Were 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

One reason that Kenyan ISPs lose money, customers and the good will of the technical committee is their backward, dracorian and illegal policies regarding domain names. It has now reached the stage where I believe that NO ONE in the right mind should purchase a domain (.com, .net, .org or .ke) from a Kenyan ISP. Mainly because they make it such a hassle to transfer your domain out. All international reputable domain registrars make it very easy to get your Auth Code/EPP Code to transfer your domain away from them if you wish. With Namecheap for example, have your EPP codes in your domain admin screens so you don't even have to ask anyone for it. For many others you get the code in your email at the click of a button. However, Kenyan ISPs go as far as even lying blatantly to keep hold of a single domain. One person was told that if the get the EPP code they would never be able to use the domain again. Another was told that if they get the EPP code their website and email would go down immediately. Another was told they would have to fill in a detailed form stipulating why they needed the code. In one crazy example last year a ISP wanted me to shuttle between their Mombasa Road and city centre office carrying hard copies of a “letter of authorisation” to get the Auth Code. They did not release the domain until we threatened them with legal action and adverse publicity. They ended up losing the contract to provide internet connectivity as well as domain registration as their aggression/unprofessionalism over a simple USD 10 domain scared one of their big clients away. What nonsense is this? Why not focus on delievering a reliable service rather than attempting to hold people hostage when they realise how useless the service your deliver is? These guys either ignore or have no knowledge of even the most basic ICANN policies: http://www.icann.org/en/transfers/policy-en.htm Considering that Kenyan ISPs are probably the main registrars of .ke domains this unprofessionalism represents a big challenge to increasing .ke domain uptakes. If it were not for the independent .ke registrars and all we had to deal with were Kenyan ISPs then .ke would have died out a long time ago. Yes, I know I have been speaking generally. I challenge you to name one Kenyan ISP where I can ask for my domain Auth Code during business hours and have it within the hour. -- Pamoja e:daudi.were@gmail.com <e%3Adaudi.were(a)gmail.com> skype: d.were

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Call for Local Software Houses
by Samuel Mbugua 08 Sep '11

08 Sep '11

Skunks, KQ is looking to partner with a local software development house to develop an in-house staff travel application. I need contacts for Software Development Houses. Please include contact information and details on projects already delivered. If you have some contacts for someone who did exceptional work for you who is not on the list, please forward their contacts as well. Kindly do so before EOD Friday. Kindly contact me offlist. Regards, Samuel Mbugua -- Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation. - Aristotle

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Credit Card payment solutions
by Calvin Omari 21 Aug '11

21 Aug '11

Hi Skunks, Trust your weekend is cool, I am pondering on how to incorporate a credit card payment solutions to a website I am working on and to enable payment online, anybody who has done so (especially on php) please adivice on how to go about the following 1. Security levels e.g SSL (verisgn etc) 2. How the transaction is done between banks or and the website 3. Credit Card validation - how to verify whether the card is genuine 4. How to make the transaction semaless and secure Regards -- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. Calvin Omari Systems Software Developer http://www.facebook.com/barongo

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EXCHANGE SERVER MIGRATION
by ANTONY NDUNG'U 17 Aug '11

17 Aug '11

Looking for a company to do migration from MS exchange server 2000 to 2007, Active sync config plus the AD. 50 users. Contact me offlist pls. Rgds, Antony

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Idiot IT auditors
by Brian Ngure 13 Aug '11

13 Aug '11

I am still reeling in shock from the sheer stupidity shown in this link. http://serverfault.com/questions/293217/our-security-auditor-is-an-idiot-ho… Anyone got a local horror story to share? -- Regards Brian Ngure

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Learning simplified: Khan Academy
by Tony Likhanga 11 Aug '11

11 Aug '11

Folks, You may know persons to whom this is invaluable. Kindly do the needful. http://khanacademy.org/ PS: It should make a perfect haloween present to some. :) Haloween is meant tobe spooky anyway. Tony

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Generic PHP form saving functions
by Peter Karunyu 10 Aug '11

10 Aug '11

Good people, I seek to write a generic, reusable set of functions that, given a GET/POST array, a table name and a few other instructions, can retrieve data from a form and save it in one or more tables. Anyone know of anything similar which I can build upon? If there is one thing I find totally boring, its processing form data. Oh yeah, ideas on how to do this are also welcome, below are my initial ideas: ---- Parameters to be received by function: 1. Associative array with name of form element and corresponding name of table column 2. Name of table, to be used to construct the INSERT statement 3. A flag to instruct the function to return the last_insert_id() for those cases where you need it for the next save To be returned by the function 1. The last_insert_id() if specified 2. A boolean value indicating if the saving was successful or not Anything else I am missing?

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