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General
When a 19th century romantic French writer by the name of Victor Hugo said “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come” he obviously could not envision Pakistani bureaucracy. Not only can it reduce an idea to nothing more than its meager skeletal remains squirming in its own vile, it too often does.
Come 2004, the IT bubble is about to burst in a military run, democratic, American influenced politically independent subcontinent country by the name of Pakistan. It is here in our story that along comes an idea. It is a simple idea yet revolutionary in every way, the idea to prepare this country for the…
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Events General
The past whole week I was really excited about going to the exhibition on 5th and 6th at expo center Lahore since the theme read “home expo and super car expo”. I was counting on seeing some innovative home solutions, fancy cars and a lot of appliances for both. As I entered the arena, an ear piercing heavy bike engine race greeted me. Oh wow nice, we have bikes here too… and lots of them, but let’s see if we have the actual products that are expected.
First cars!! Honda Launched its new City Aspire at the event. This attracted a lot of young crowd who wanted to check it…
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General
NOTE: This is a sponsored post
Football. The most popular sport in the world. That may be hard to believe, we being a die-hard cricket nation, but there are many amongst us who get their blood pumping whenever our favorite team kicks some balls (pun intended). There’s excitement in the air, and the airwaves for that matter, when Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona are about to have a face-off on the field. Manchester United or Chelsea? The answer could incite either jeers or cheers, depending on who you’re surrounded by. It feels like you belong to an exclusive club really, not to mention how convenient it is to…
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Coffee Session General
There are two main things that are currently causing out growth in ICT to stall. One is the lack of original ideas, so most of the entrepreneurs either copy what is already around internationally or locally (same ideas of online shopping, online bidding) we still have not hit the jackpot with someone creating some thing like instagram or drawsomething and being acquired by one of the big names.
The second issue always lamented by entrepreneurs is lack of any funding sources in Pakistan. Over the years we have seen efforts being made to create funds which would help but what ended happening that most of these funds either did…
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Coffee Session General
We all know about the 7 layers of the OSI model. This is the framework by which computer networks are defined. Starting with the physical layer, going through the transport layer and finally culminating in the application layer where end user applications reside. I believe that this should be redefined to include and additional layer – the Social Layer. From the current vantage point, the Social Layer lies right above the Application layer – hence it is served by the Application layer.
The 90s witnessed a boom in what is now referred to as web 1.0. This consisted of static applications hosted over the web. Static applications meant that…
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General Mobile Apps Software & I.T.
Pakistani IT industry has been progressing rapidly over the last few years. It is heartening to see that the industry players are innovating and working in different areas to establish their expertise.
Recently, TenPearls, one of the leading IT companies of Pakistan, launched “Carumba!”, a 3D car racing game for iPhone and iPad. Carumba! has been designed and developed by TenPearls’ innovation labs. Launched as a free game, Carumba! allows users to earn coins during the race, and redeem them to unlock other cars and tracks or to get additional nitro boosts. It has also been integrated with Apple’s Game Center.
The game has received very good response from…
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Events General
‘Rethinking Pakistan’ [and my expression goes LOL and I will explain why] was the theme of the conference which took place at margalla hills Islamabad on March 31st 2011 organized by TEDx, lets just summarize here what TEDx is; before we further dig into the “theme” and happenings of this conference.
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) and ’x’ denotes the independently organized events under the TED umbrella, mission is “Ideas worth spreading” and this events basically brings together individuals, communities and organizations with the opportunity to excite dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level (geographically). The programs combine live presenters, performers and pre-recorded talks from some of the most brilliant…
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Announcements Events General
ICT R&D Fund aims to provide graduating students a chance to really make their final projects counts. I have always felt that students in their final year some times product excellent products which due to lack of any infrastructure and proper guidance plus funding just go in the Universities Libraries.
Seems ICT R & D fund is giving these students a chance to take their projects to the next level by acquiring funding, if you are a final year student doing a project all you need is to get this form filled and submitted through your head of department .
Last date for submission for forms is 31st…
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Coffee Session General
I wanted to discuss the Thiel Fellowship and sort of run the idea among our readership to figure out if it was justified or not. Bay Area hedge fund manager Peter Thiel started a Fellowship program in his name about a year ago trying to capitalize not on start ups, but the smart kids who may actually come up with the next billion dollar idea.
Let there be no mistake. Innovation solves problems. Bankers, lawyers and hot shot executives are good for only one thing: managing an existing infrastructure. It is the innovators who turn existing ideas on to their heads and enable breakthroughs. Considering the point above, it…
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11:53 pm
Hey Osama,
You quite rightly mentioned PixSense and Five Rivers Technologies. But let us not forget Mixit Technologies whose software is running at the NY Stock Exchange and various other stock exchanges in the US including Chicago and Philadelphia. Then there is Alchemy Technologies who have an amazing Risk Management Software that they have sold well locally and are now closing their first sale in the Far East. Techlogix who have expanded into China, Boston, Dubai; Etilize who have overtaken CNet as the leading content management company; Netsol that has hit US$22 million in revenue and have offices in China, the UK, Australia and the US; Ultimus whose work flow management software runs all round the world, Systems Ltd whose mortgage solution is used by the leading banks in the US; – i could go on and on.
12:40 pm
Pakistan has lots of misguided talent. I personally know very good chaps who are being wasted in typical software houses and making old GL,payroll and other ancient systems.
Few years back, nobody in Pakistan wanted to learn LAMP(linux,apache,Mysql,php). In 2000, php was something very new for employers.
There is no venture capital concept in Pakistan. Most of famous IT products were came into being due to VC. Google is one of them.
1:10 pm
Jehan, that’s what I meant. I could have written down all of those copmanies in detail but I was being lazy.
Even the startups like Orgoo and Ooober and others are doing interesting work.
1:17 pm
Yes exactly. I often feel that some of us do not appreciate the kind of work that is already being done in this country. We need to highlight our successes much more. The new website that P@SHA is working on will highlight successess of Pakistani individuals (both in Pakistan and overseas) and Pakistani firms and products. If anyone is truly impressed with the work that a company or an individual has done, send it to P@SHA so that they can recognize the effort and promote it. They are working in voluntary capacities but doing a lot nonetheless.
1:34 pm
Everyone — go submit Green & White’s every article to P@SHA
6:58 pm
didnt know where pakistani people actually stand till i read these blogs….amazing man..
10:04 pm
Its great to know and read about these companies. A very good source of motivation to other startups like us
12:07 am
I have updated my entry and have added the achievements by Safi Qureshi, the founder of AST computers, the PC manufacturing company. Safi’s achievements are more than anyone else yet by any pakistani in IT industry. Even his recent company working on very innovative technology to transfer video content wirelessly to ANY device including TV.
11:09 am
@Adnan: It’s still hard to find good PHP guys here.
@Osama: What exactly FiveRivers do?
1:36 pm
FiveRivers started out as an embedded system design outsourcing shop acting as a dedicated offshore development office for one, then three clients, but this was fairly high-level architecture type of work.
Now they’re doing quite a bit of things, including making Pakistan’s first PDA for Rs.6000, working on their own embedded OS, building GPS phones and more.
Will write about them sometime.
10:20 am
I know somebody there, so was just curious
10:26 am
When was the last time PASHA did something for an average disillusioned IT professional again?
Perhaps the biggest irony to this nation is not even the bigots sitting on chairs they don’t belong to at top levels or the lack of resources but actually living with a manufacturing mass-production mindset in a world of individual-services mindset.
And again, has PASHA’s friends and affiliates running short of ideas and products which no one uses that it has to ask from people about their work? I, for one, would hate to be represented by the likes of PASHA and PSEB. But then again, PASHA or PSEB never claimed they represent design studios anyway.
10:25 pm
@Osama – Now they’re doing quite a bit of things, including making Pakistan’s first PDA for Rs.6000, working on their own embedded OS, building GPS phones and more.
FiveRivers Technology has developed few Alpha versions of there PDA, Sirius. I had written a special report about Sirius in April 2007 issue of COMPUTING. These Guys are doing excellent job.
10:29 pm
Opps! I just forgot to mention that I have just received a CD of KarachiOS from Tariq Farooqi (Linux Pakistan) today. Thanks you Boss! I will surely post my review here after using this CD.
9:07 am
Regarding KarachiOS.
Guys, I am a bit confused here. What’s the big deal about KarachiOS? According to the “creator”:
KarachiOS is the result of countless hours of devoted study, work and bug fixing.
Based on Debian sources, current release KarachiOS 1.0rc1 contains the following features:
* Linux Kernel 2.6.21
* X.org 7.2
* KDE 3.5.7
* KOffice
* Adept Package Management tool
* GnuPG 2.0 5
* Support for printers, scanners, digicams and webcams
* Wink
* VLC Media Player with native support for WMV files
* Amarok audio media player
* Support for legacy Windows Application via Wine
* LAMP Stack
* Apache 2
* MySQL 5.0.44
* PHP5
* WebERP for accounting
* Pre-release version of Badar Sami’s Urdu keyboard for touch typists
* Fonts for Arabic/Farsi/Urdu
* Adobe FlashPlayer 9
* Experimental support for wireless modems
* KPDF and KCHMViewer for viewing documents
* digiKam for digital camera and photo gallery management
* KOpete for Instant messaging with Yahoo and MSN Webcam support
* Skype 1.4beta
* Secure Remote Desktop access support using NX technology
* Viki (Onscreen Accessibility Keyboard)
* kbfx (Next generation KDE Lauch Menu)
* K3B for CD/DVD burning
* Builtin StartCom certificates
So if you take an open source software remove a few modules and release under a different name, it’s an achievement? Well may be for a 16-year old who wants to get his hands dirty in technlogy but it’s nothing more than that.
Correct me if I am wrong here, because I fail to see the ‘achievement’ in KarachiOS (unless it’s done by some 16 yr old).
The thing is its not even “new”. It’s based on Debian. If they had built something from scratch, or they had something like their own windowing sytem with some cool innovations then I’d say WOW, but as it is right now, it’s just compiling, recompilng, compiling , recompiling and spending ‘countless hours’ dong that – so nothing to be proud of basically.
I appologize if I’ve offended anyone.