Another Pinoy Linux Distribution: AMA Desktop Linux

Another Pinoy Linux Distribution: AMA Desktop Linux - A new Philippine-made Linux distribution is waiting to be included in the official list of distros at Distrowatch.com. Its name is AMA Desktop Linux (ADL), and it is made by AMA Computer University, considered as one of the best and largest computer schools in the country.

The main aspiration of AMA Desktop Linux project is to provide an operating system interface that is comfortable to existing Microsoft Windows users. The OS will also be used on more than 300+ AMA Computer University Campuses around the world, and will be delivered in classrooms where over 1 million students are enrolled.

AMA Desktop Linux 2007 has many different exclusive applications and patches designed to make everything work seamlessly. It's a designer's Linux with a goal to make everything easy to use, attractive, innovative, powerful and most of all, simple. It also uses the latest GNOME Desktop. Most of the applications included are:

· Welcome Center - aims to provide a brief introduction of the basics of AMA Desktop 2007.
· Personal Proxy Wizard - set up squid for personal proxy server, to make internet surfing faster.
· Windows Compatibility Tool - a tool to configure Wine and everything Windows related like NTFS and msttcorefonts.
· Consolidators - Those are the applications that consolidates all other applications into a single window. It aims to make the menus simple. (ie, File Sharing, Network Browsers and Tools, Encryption, Mobile Devices)
· File System Preferences - Make the root file system easy to navigate. This tool offers an option to hide all other directories in the root and provide a symbolic links for them.
· Desktop-Init - This provides the users with the default directories for AMA Desktop 2007, randomly choose a Face picture if it's not available, and emblemize the default directories.
· Resource Manager - A tool that detects the system memory and disables some services via gconf if the memory is not met.
· Live Chat Support - An interface to create an account in Freenode and to communicate with other AMA Desktop 2007 users.
· Local Network Messenger - An interface that helps the user to create Bonjour IM service and provide an option to load them automatically upon boot.
· Draw Anywhere - An interface for gromit, that provides annotation capabilities even without Compiz. This is intended for presentations.
· Multicast Filesharing - An interface for udpcast, that sends files to multitude of computers within the network.

To be accepted in Distrowatch, the developers of AMA Desktop Linux must stay focused, as there is a minimum of a 90-day waiting period for new distributions to be listed. This is to discourage submission of new projects that start with great enthusiasm only to vanish in a few short months. I think this will not be a problem for ADL as AMA University is overflowing with talented computer programmers to keep it going.

AMA Desktop Linux is hoping to follow the footsteps of the already recognized Bayanihan Linux. So for now, I wish them good luck and Godspeed!


See more screenshots of AMA Desktop Linux here.