Its the height of ingratitude for INEC to blame corpers for the very poor voters' registration. its very unfair and mischievous to say that most Nigerian graduates cant operate computers, Is it not this same corpers that get jobs in banks and other places where they use computers for their work.how many Nigerian graduates have ever seen Linux talk less of using it. If INEC had given them adequate training they'd have been able to perform much better,even as it is now they are trying considering their unfamiliarity with Linux.
The youth corpers didn't award contracts for the machines,they didn't fix dates and even organize their training, they didn't choose the polling units and other logistics,INEC did all those things,why wont they own up and address the problems rather than heaping the blame on poor youth corpers who have put themselves in danger, and have inconvenienced themselves just so we can have a free and fair election to elect leaders of our choice.

Also the reports about DDCs getting missing and then reappearing with 100ds of names raises my fear that the Nigerian people might have been conned by Jega and co, If at all the registration is biometric, then we need not be worried cos even if there are multiple registrations on the standalone DDCs now,the multiple registration will be taken care of by the time the data is compiled in one single database. But if after making people go through the excruciating task of scanning ten fingers and they are not able to detect multiple registrations,then the curses from the Nigerian populace will befall them,they,their families and cronies will never know and see peace in their lives since they don't want us to have peace by not giving us a credible election.

I used to hold Jega in very high esteem,but not anymore, he is a crook like all the rest. After spending N87bn this is what he can come up with,after taking so much time 'screening' contractors this is what he can come up with. After spending so much money he decided to get free OS which is somewhat too technical to the registration officers.The huge kickbacks he and his cohorts collected from that magnanimous sum,they'll never spend it in peace,if at all they cheated the Nigerian people,they'll forever live with a troubled conscience.



DDC Machines - Zinox Deploys 74 Workers to INEC

Emmy Nweke

17 January 2011

Zinox Technologies has deployed 74 supporting staff to ensure that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) succeeds in the on-going voters' registration using the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines nationwide.

It would be recalled that the exercise commenced last Saturday, with DDC machines which are running on Linux operating system supplied by a different company.

Computer experts, however, attributed the slowness of the machines to the kind of operating system. An operating system (OS) is an interface between hardware and user, which is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of a computer, that acts as a host for computing applications run on the machine.

While Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. Linus began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and released under the General Public License (GPL) and its source code is freely available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is developed.

According to the Group Corporate Communication Advisor, Zinox Technologies, Mr. Echika Ezuka, the deployment of 74 supporting staff to aid INEC was simply an act of patriotism as that was not part of the contract to supply 80,000 DDC machines which was completed mid-last week.

He explained that Zinox had displayed two IT engineers for each of the 36 States and Abuja.

"These 74 support personnel were not part of the contract but a gesture from Zinox to ensure that the DDC technology does not overwhelm the INEC operatives," he said.

Ezuka said that Zinox has caused to be published full page color advertisements in all national dailies designed to give vital tips to voters with graphic details on the DDC machines beginning from today, Monday, January 17, 2011.

He said the DDC machines; the technology backbone for the exercise had a shaky start in some areas due to the inability of INEC personnel to install the machines properly.

"The first problem was related to the capacity of INEC personnel to install the equipment properly. In most places the personnel adopted a trial and error strategy that was time wasting and frustrating," he said.

He said the problem was related to slow finger scanning arising from the way that INEC calibrated its software to achieve high quality finger print, stressing that INEC has given its word that both problems would be fully addressed in shortly.



#RSVP
#Rig2011ElectionsAndYouDieAPainfullDeath

INEC should come out openly and apologise to youth corpers and sack the individual who made such a callous statement.

It is so unfair to blame the corp members when you are using an application that is not even common.

At the risk of sounding like a pessimist, i think Jega's tenure will be worse than iwu's.

Are these people JOKING? Linux OS is now being blamed for the problem with the machines? WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY . . ,  ROFLMAO!!
ILLITERACY IS A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE DISEASE . .  who the heck are these so called COMPUTER EXPERTS??

Computer experts, however, attributed the slowness of the machines to the kind of operating system. An operating system (OS) is an interface between hardware and user, which is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of a computer, that acts as a host for computing applications run on the machine.

i no go lie - this is FUUNNNY!!!


linux slowing down pcs


wetin we no go hear

but as to issues with using linux, i agree. linux for the most part is for geeks who have no problem with troubleshooting by themselves.

oyb

Linux is no longer for the geeks, the OS is now intuitive, patapata you put all the necessary icons on the desktop and you are okay, abi they can not read?

hercules07:

oyb

Linux is no longer for the geeks, the OS is now intuitive, patapata you put all the necessary icons on the desktop and you are okay, abi they can not read?

i have been waiting for you guys

where is 4llerbuntu, bigrovar and co

abeg on to the homepage

It matters not what OS is on the machine, the INEC software runs as a full layer atop the OS. As numerous corps members have said, once launched, you cannot minimize the windows.
So whether Linux, Windows, OsX or BeOS, the corps members would have been faced with the same interface as soon as they launched the INEC software.

The only exposure to the OS would have been to boot and log in. And since the linux distro in use is reported to be Ubuntu, it should be intuitive enough to click on an icon on the desktop.

I think the so-called experts should keep quiet

PS: I'm so pissed off at Zinox. Sell Nigeria over 80,000 crappy laptops for inflated prices and then try to gain cheap PR by making a 'patriotic' gesture.

but wait o

if the software runs on linux, it is almost certainly FREE

so where was all this BIG BIG budget coming from

na wa o

a few months ago, tinubu was accusing iwu of running pirated biometric applications, now we may have JEGA running what is probably unsupported Freeware

considering the billion figures bandied about, i am suprised the vendors do not have any support guys on ground

naija . . .

When I said I didnt trust Jega sometime in October last year, some people almost crucified me.

Here we go now

But the signs where on the wall for all to see.

I complained bitterly (and still do) about that dogs boloks of a Delta state re-run, but I was quickly fired upon, by some. Well big Breeeeeeeeeze don blow now, so na fowl nyash we dey look.

The fundamental structure of INEC should have changed from day one. There was ample evidence to suggest that this whole thing would end up being a massive disaster.

Motto "always try and keep things short and sweet"

dappssee:

When I said I didnt trust Jega sometime in October last year, some people almost crucified me.

Here we go now

Can you guys grow up and give this Jega blame a rest?
he did the right thing on paper. Awarded the contract to a much hyped Nigerian IT company - Zinox - to procure and assemble to DDC apparatus (laptop, Printer, webcam, scanner). That's Nigerian content for you.
The buck stops on his table as INEC chairman, true, but is it really his fault that Zinox (as a typically Nigerian company) went the cheap option?
Did the terms of contract mandate that Zinox use Linux? Unlikely.
Would it have killed Zinox to use large capacity batteries in the laptops so they could run for at least 7 - 8 hours without charge? No.

Zinox is one of the main villains of this story and it irks me to see them escaping all the popular ire while Jega who is probably just an average computer user is left to explain about 'patches' and 'tweaks' to a Linux distro he's probably never used.

@texazzpete,

Well, the buck stops at his desk. So he should start by issuing an apology for the disgraceful excersize so far, instead of allowing innocent corpers take the blame.

Then next wee need to question his judgement, and his advisers. They should really be giving his sound advice? Who did the due diligence on this whole thing.

Sorry, the fhuck-up is just to big for him to be passing the blame around. They say with the top job comes great responsiblility (and money), so he should me man enough to admit to the mistakes.

The buck stops on his table as INEC chairman, true, but is it really his fault that Zinox (as a typically Nigerian company) went the cheap option?
Did the terms of contract mandate that Zinox use Linux? Unlikely.
Would it have killed Zinox to use large capacity batteries in the laptops so they could run for at least 7 - 8 hours without charge? No.

proudly nigerian

he was probably mandated to use em as 'local content'

even regular laptops have issues when used in open air environments,

when you now consider that these are the lowest end laptops of one of the lowest end pc assemblers on the globe. . .

The problem is not giving it to Zinox, Zinox sells super duper HP laptops (bought 3k laptops for clients from them), the issue has to do with INEC not having a good project management team, settlement of stakeholders (serious egunje changed hands) and poor logistics. They could have asked Zinox to bring say about 500 unit of those devices in for a test run say 1 month before the commencment of registration, they could have done corper training about two months ago, all the teething issues would have been resolved long before the registration exercise proper. They chose linux as an operating system because it is free and did not plan properly, their only thought was on getting the DDC machines in, they did not think about the human angle.

The problem is not giving it to Zinox, Zinox sells super duper HP laptops

sort of like saying ,zhongxing (chinese car manufacturers ) sell super duper toyotas

They could have asked Zinox to bring say about 500 unit of those devices in for a test run say

500 machines? they only needed to do a test run with five machines max

@oyb

The reason I quoted 500 is so they can have trainings in all 36 states and abuja. Believe me, Zinox is the largest distributor of HP products in Nigeria, they could have sold them high end equipment if the settlement issue was not there, you can buy an HP product from them, worst case they import it for you at a price lower than what you see on the internet. Jega might have got 87billion naira, I doubt 25 percent of that was used to purchase the items.

hercules07:

@oyb

The reason I quoted 500 is so they can have trainings in all 36 states and abuja. Believe me, Zinox is the largest distributor of HP products in Nigeria, they could have sold them high end equipment if the settlement issue was not there, you can buy an HP product from them, worst case they import it for you at a price lower than what you see on the internet. Jega might have got 87billion naira, I doubt 25 percent of that was used to purchase the items.

na wa o

so in the end zinox are full of sheet

forming nigerian pc manufacturer while marketing hp products
bizarre

proudly nigerian

hercules07:

The problem is not giving it to Zinox, Zinox sells super duper HP laptops (bought 3k laptops for clients from them), the issue has to do with INEC not having a good project management team, settlement of stakeholders (serious egunje changed hands) and poor logistics. They could have asked Zinox to bring say about 500 unit of those devices in for a test run say 1 month before the commencment of registration, they could have done corper training about two months ago, all the teething issues would have been resolved long before the registration exercise proper. They chose linux as an operating system because it is free and did not plan properly, their only thought was on getting the DDC machines in, they did not think about the human angle.

Zinox has their own branded systems that they sell, i don't know about retailing HP laptops.
Secondly, If memory does not fail me, wasn't it only in October that INEC got their cash request approved for the DDC machines? They've been running a tight timeline for a while now.

hercules07:

@oyb

The reason I quoted 500 is so they can have trainings in all 36 states and abuja. Believe me, Zinox is the largest distributor of HP products in Nigeria, they could have sold them high end equipment if the settlement issue was not there, you can buy an HP product from them, worst case they import it for you at a price lower than what you see on the internet. Jega might have got 87billion naira, I doubt 25 percent of that was used to purchase the items.

That's not how it works. Zinox would have been asked to submit a quote for the DDC setup including the laptops. I doubt a non-technophile like JEGA would be the one discussing the specs of the laptops. Bottom line is that Zinox was given the contract as per local content and they supplied mediocre, underpowered laptops for an overbloated price.

monkeyleg:

@texazzpete,

Well, the buck stops at his desk. So he should start by issuing an apology for the disgraceful excersize so far, instead of allowing innocent corpers take the blame.

Then next wee need to question his judgement, and his advisers. They should really be giving his sound advice? Who did the due diligence on this whole thing.

Sorry, the fhuck-up is just to big for him to be passing the blame around. They say with the top job comes great responsiblility (and money), so he should me man enough to admit to the mistakes.

I agree, the buck stops at his desk and ultimately the fallout of this will come on Jega's head.
But it's extremely distasteful seeing people comparing him to Iwu at every turn

Texaz

Zinox asks the peeps in China to brand the systems, do you think they couple anything in naija? You speak as if JEGA is the only one in INEC, they have an IT department that is meant to get out all the technical details, the only thing you can accuse Zinox of is in colluding with INEC, Legislators and the Presidency to steal our money. Zinox sells more HP systems than its brand, do you think Shell will buy machines branded as Zinox? HP has the capacity to produce hundreds of thousands of laptops when you place orders and if they can not meet your time frame you take it to Dell, they will move heaven and earth to meet your deadline, is it not cash and carry business?
JEGA should take absolute blame because it is his project, Zinox should take part of the blame for providing sub-standard products while our Legislators and Presidency are of course thieves anyway so that one na by default.
Texaz, do you think Zinox just decided to supply sub-standard products, maybe you are not aware that all the stakeholders take their egunje upfront and if you like scream from now to heaven comes, nobody will prosecute Zinox as the prosecutors and judge are both culpable.

Linux is not the problem, the Linux OS is small, compact and secure and well fitted for operation like this. Going for Window that is very bogus is a waste of resources and will definitely slow down the whole process.

If you people have not used Ubuntu, try to dual boot with window and you will see the difference. Since I started using Linux I have not gone back to Window again.

Obeledu:

Linux is not the problem, the Linux OS is small, compact and secure and well fitted for operation like this. Going for Window that is very bogus is a waste of resources and will definitely slow down the whole process.

If you people have not used Ubuntu, try to dual boot with window and you will see the difference. Since I started using Linux I have not gone back to Window again.

Windows will FLY on a capable machine. Plus its driver support is much better.
This is not an issue of Linux vs Windows, save that for the Computer section please.

Muza:


DDC Machines - Zinox Deploys 74 Workers to INEC

Mr. Echika Ezuka, the deployment of 74 supporting staff to aid INEC was simply an act of patriotism as that was not part of the contract to supply 80,000 DDC machines which was completed mid-last week.

He explained that Zinox had displayed two IT engineers for each of the 36 States and Abuja.

I can bet "Zinox Engineers" are mostly Nigerian University graduates and former corpers?

Now INEC will need their help to fix the voting machine.

I still want that silly INEC spokesman flogged, publicly!

I have nothing substantial to add to this discussion. Just wanted to shout out Ubuntu. Been using it for the past 1.5 years now on my laptop. I love it!

Zinox fall hand sha

INEC should have asked the telcos how they are doing SIM Registration.

Ajalenkoko

It is not Zinox per se, it is the culture of settlement, abi if I settle with 75% of contract sum, how can I give you good products.

While i agree that INEC should take responsibility for the whole poor process, we all can't deny the fact that the decay in our school system hasn't affected the quality of graduates that we produce yearly. Our graduates are poor with very low productivity and same with everything Nigeria right now,