parser. The UP The dim roadway signs pointed to a lurching curve. Approaching
in velocity’s wake, he shrugged. Silently nodding and agreeing with its sexual stride his revving engine blurred a thundering exodus to billowing bursts of booming cumulus. 16, standing on the corner; insignificantly sixteen. She couldn’t reach further over bound to happen willing to put theirsift through and pick from
Analyzing life the CS way.
October to December 2004
The Official Publication of the Department of Computer Science, UP Diliman
what’s inside:
DCS Joins Competitions 3 5
Love Failed CS 10
Eng’g Week! Halalan Software 8
Nyungnyung & Friends 12 Rebirth Volume, Third Issue
UP DCS Wows Suntech Crowd by Brian Loya & Phillip Kimpo, Jr.
Nobody does it better than UP Diliman’s Department of Computer Science. Delegates to the “Sun Tech Days in Manila” held last November 4 and 5 were treated to an impressive display of undergraduate projects and theses made by DCS students at the UP Diliman DCS booth. The conference, held by Sun Microsystems Philippines, showcased the latest Sun and Java Technologies off the shelf and in development. Makati Shangri-La paid host to the event which was attended by hundreds of students and IT professionals. Major IT firms such as Oracle, Elixir Technology, ANT Labs, Computer World, Systema, and AMD co-sponsored the event. Schools such as the Ateneo de Manila, Mapua, and UP Diliman also The proud faculty pose by the DCS-DCSF booth. took part in putting put up their own Several of the crowd-pleasers were the HUNI, movie PARSER°IN°THE°SUNTECH°DAYS booths. analysis toolkit and OpenOffice.org Viewer theses, The DCS / Diliman and a compilation of CS 176 3-D animations (created Parser staffers and DCS Student Assistants Computer Science using Blender). Other featured projects were the Face Paolo Ferrer, Brian Loya, Jonas Roque, Foundation (DCSF) and EIC Phillip Kimpo, Jr., took turns in Recognition on the Go (FROG) thesis and the Mobile Java booth stood out from ably helping the faculty in manning the Game “Bullet Day Chaos.” the rest, arguably UP Diliman DCS booth during the twoThe DCS faculty, also conference delegates, attended drawing the biggest day conference. Aside from giving a talks on wireless networking, Solaris 10, NetBeans 4.0, crowds which flocked hand in the booth’s cool set-up, the four and game development, plus hands-on labs where they to see various DCS elucidated to Suntech delegates the were able to experience and test how exactly some Java projects and theses. projects and theses made by CS students. Technologies worked. The latter were Students from the College of Engineering, many from the demonstrated and explained by the DCS faculty and DCS, served as Suntech Volunteers, aiding in the delegates’ student assistants. registrations and entertaining their inquiries.
TechnoFair 2004: Walastech!
Three CS Teachers Say Goodbye
By Alfonso Miguel L. Mante & Carlos Miguel M. Lasa
By Karl Diaz Last semester, three members of the CS faculty bid goodbye to the Department, namely Sirs Mark Mateo, Erickson Miranda, and Neil Ongkingco.
Together with the DCS faculty and student body, The UP Parser wishes Sirs Mark, Erickson, and Neil a safe stay abroad. Godspeed to all three of you!
Sir Mark
Sir Erickson
Sir Neil
Photos c/o WuzzUP & Carlos Lasa
Sir Mark went abroad last October to reunite with his family in Canada. He taught Math 17 and CS 145 this last semester. Sir Neil, on the other hand, departed to pursue his masters in Oxford. He had been teaching CS 145 this past term. Sir Erickson, who handled CS 140 classes the previous semester, migrated to Philadelphia to join his wife, who is now taking her masters degree.
The Engineering Student Council successfully held the annual TechnoFair last September 20-24, 2004, with the theme “Walastech!”, in honor of Filipino innovations in the various fields of technology. From last year’s three main events, two more were added for the recent TechnoFair. The TechnoChallenge and the TechnoGames, two of the original trio, are competitions held among Metro Manila high schools. The TechnoChallenge is a technology quiz show while the TechnoGames involves the technological creations of participant schools being pitted against one another. The TechnoZone, the other original event, is an inter-department exhibit designed to showcase the technological advancements and research projects of the different departments in the College of Engineering. This year’s events featured a little tinge of Filipino flavor turn to page 3
Parser Goes Large! The UP Parser, Melchor Hall’s first Departmentbased publication, goes for a larger print issue this month! Sized at 11 by 14 inches (tabloid-size), this third edition for the Parser Rebirth Year (AY 2004-05) is suited to give its readers more news to analyze and views to process. Aside from increasing its size, Parser also widens its circulation, from 120 copies for each of the past two issues to a whopping 500 this time around. To our ka-Parsers, enjoy the copy you’re holding right now -- this is Parser Bigtime!
ECR Operation Suspended By Jonas Roque
The Department of Computer Science pulled the plug on the Engineering Computer Room (ECR) at NEC 411 last October 5, 2004, temporarily halting its operations. According to Dr. Ronald Tuñgol, Department Chair, the clearing act was brought about by several reasons, the first being the ECR having generated its lowest income last semester. Prior to the suspension, the ECR was receiving Php 100 from each consumable 10-hour coupon of computer access. The rest of its income came from printing, scanning, and storage media fees, prices of which were at par with those of the Shopping Center shops and the Computer Center. However, Aldwin Tanjutco, ECR Volcorps officer, told The UP Parser that the ECR only earned around Php 500 and only had seven user log-ins (other than the ECR Volcorps’), in the entire previous semester. This minimal income could not compensate for the ECR’s operating cost. Dr. Tuñgol cited the Computer Center’s more advantageous proximity as a factor on why students prefer paying the higher rates there (Php 15 per hour), as opposed to ascending ten flights of NEC stairs for cheaper fees. The ECR used to be a hot spot located at Melchor Hall Room 215, drawing computer users who are not even students of the College of Engineering. Another reason for the temporary suspension is that the DCS has plans for NEC 411, one of which is to use the room as another teaching laboratory. The same fate which befell upon the ECR may be awaiting the Engineering Web Team Laboratory and the DCS Student Assistant Lounge. One proposal is to put the ECR, Webteam Lab, and turn to page 2
New s B yte s First Woman President for UP
UP Diliman Chancellor Emerlinda Roman has been elected as the UP System’s first female President in its 96-year history. The UP Board of Regents (BOR) gave Dr. Roman seven votes against former Finance Secretary and Ambassador Edgardo Espiritu’s five in the balloting held last November 22. Dr. Roman will succeed outgoing president Francisco Nemenzo as the State U’s 19th president. *Picture from Digital Media Festival 2001, http:// digitalmedia.upd.edu.ph/dmf2001
DCS Offers Java, Linux Short Courses
Another round of short courses on Java, Linux, Visual Basic.NET, SQL Server and web design are being offered by the Department of Computer Science this January and February. These courses are scheduled on weekends, from 9 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. Students, fresh graduates and faculty members are entitled to discounts on the course fees. Standard fees range from Php 4,000 to 6,000. Interested parties may inquire at the CS department in Room 219 of Melchor Hall, telephone number 6329252366. Specific course outlines are available at the Diliman Computer Science Foundation (DCSF) website at http://dcsf.upcompsci.net.
Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Certification Program The DCSF is offering a certification for the Linux OS, under the Linux Professional Institute (LPI) Certification Program. LPI is a Canadian non-profit organization recognized worldwide as the premier institute advocating and assisting in the professional use of Linux, open source and free software. Certification will be granted upon passing two exams, both of which will be held on December 18, 2004, 9:00 am-11:00am and 1:30pm-3:30pm, at UP Diliman. A payment of Php 5,000 (per head) can be made at Room 219 of Melchor Hall on or before the exam day. Interested parties can contact Loraine or Amy at 6329252366 or e-mail dcsf@up.edu.ph to sign up for the certification exam. More details can be found at http://www.lpi.org.
Excellence Awards in CS 11
Ten outstanding CS freshmen were given the CS 11 Excellence in Programming award by the DCS, DCSF, and 2004-05 CS Representatives. The students, namely Tina Albores, Arvin Castro, Ramon Iñigo Espinosa, Rodrey Goite, Kristel Matriano, Wigi Oliveros, Roy Amante Salvador, Reggie Santos, Lew Arvin Sibal, and James Wyson, were chosen based on the scores they received in their Machine Problems. They were given a certificate and Php 100 cash prize each for their achievement.
Lecture on Software Engineering Held
UP Bachelor of Computer Science graduate and former DCS instructor Steven Huang held the lecture entitled, “On-time, Under Budget, High Quality – A Glimpse of Software Engineering in the Real World” last November 24, 2004 at the NEC Room 210. The speaker, a senior software engineer at Openwave Systems (USA), has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Cornell University. He is working on web browsers for mobile phones.
Get 60% Off on Sun Certification Exams
If you are a DCS student (undergradute or graduate) interested in taking any of the Sun Certification Exams [Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 9, Part I; Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 9, Part II; Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform 1.4; Sun Certified Developer for iPlanet Application Server 6.0], feel free to approach Ms. Loraine Bautista or Ate Mila at the CS Department to avail yourselves of a 60% discount coupon. Hurry! This offer lasts only until June 2005. – Sophia Lucero and Phillip Kimpo, Jr.
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CS 21 Students Test Mettle in Quiz Bee By Karl Diaz
The CS 21 Quiz Bee was successfully held last October 9 at MH 233A, with the contestants coming from three CS 21 sections handled by Ms. Florence Tiu Balagtas, namely MHRU, MHXY and TFRU. Each section had three teams composed of three students per team. The quiz bee, which began at 11:30 AM, posed different questions to the contestants, ranging from the easy multiple choice questions to the difficult task of estimating the memory capacity of the human brain. After three rounds of easy, average and difficult questions, MHRU Team 1 (Jesse Dytioco, Marc Francisco, and TJ Roque) emerged victorious at 100 points. Meanwhile, another question was needed to break the tie between the two runner-up teams. TFRU Team 3 came second while MHRU Team The winning teams pause for a photo with Ma’am Florence Balagtas. 2 bagged third place. Aside from the prizes handed out, all The CS 21 Quiz Bee for this year was organized by contestants and the winning sections recieved additional Ma’am Florence, Parser adviser, together with the Diliman points to their grade. The winning teams also garnered a Computer Science Foundation, Kai Alcazar, and the current chance to join the ACM Programming Competition for the CS Representatives Carlos Lasa, Ponch Mante, Chicco next school year. Reyes, and Mike Sepulveda.
U Got Game: Game Development Competition Held By Tina Olpoc
Bored? Tired of the old games? Then why not make your own? The International Gaming Development Association (IGDA) Manila Chapter, together with the Computer Society of the Ateneo (CompSAt), the La Salle Computer Society (LSCS), the UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR), and the Organization of Technical Innovation (OTI) of Mapua Institute of Technology, recently organized a game development contest, U Got Game. Competitors from student groups engaged in a healthy competition of skills and talent for game development. The contest was aimed at the
student sector, specifically the college level. All games were to be made for PC (personal computer) use, created with any development tools as long as they would not be Macromedia Flashbased. The culminating event was held last September 18, 2004 at the Philippine Trade Training Center. Out of the 14 teams that submitted their games for the first ever interschool game development competition, only 6 got through the pre-judging. The finalists were “Tribo” from UA&P by the Powerpuff Girls and the Gangrene Gang; “Perlas” from UPD by Christian Arellano; “Pusoy Dos” from DLSU
by S-17; “Starfire” from ADMU by Team Coffee; “Heaven’s Drive” from DLSU by Team Infinitesimal Point; and “Dogfight” from CEU by Team CEU. Team Infinitesimal received Php 50,000 and won the first prize with “Heaven’s Drive.” The game “Dogfighter” by Team CEU got Php 30,000 for second place while Team Coffee’s “Starfire” gained Php 20,000 for the third. As an added treat, there was also a Cosplay Competition, in which people dressed up as their favorite game characters. The first prize was Php 10,000; Php 5,000 for second place and Php 3,000 for third.
Call for Convergence! ECR Operation... from page 1 A VoiceXML Contest By Tina Olpoc
The usual PABX telephone system is slowly being replaced by Voice-over IP (VoIP), even here in UP. It allows calls to be transmitted over a network, such as the Internet or a Local Area Network (LAN). Combined with an open standard such as VoiceXML, one can now create voice applications previously exclusively developed by the telephone companies. Thus, telic.net is encouraging Filipino programmers to develop more of these voice applications through “Call for Convergence: The telic VoiceXML Challenge.” This event is sponsored by Voxsant, KoolTel.com, La Salle Computer Society (LSCS), Computer Society of the Ateneo (CompSAt), UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR), Mapua Developer Network (MDN), STI Education Services Group, and the UP Society of Computer Scientists (UP Socomsci). Registration is from October 16, 2004 to December 16, 2004. The competition, which is open to all Filipino college students and freelance developers, will run from from October 16, 2004 until January 16, 2005. The first prize winner will receive $2,000. The prizes for the second and third place winners are yet to be announced. Visit http://www.callforconvergence.com or email contest@telic.net for more details.
SA Lounge back to its original home, MH 215; but the room is already being used as a computer laboratory for CS classes. The last grounds for the suspension were the occurrence of violations on the College of Engineering curfew on room use and of the UP Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Dr. Tuñgol confirmed that unlicensed (cracked) applications and games were installed in ECR computers. He also verified some reports of students overstaying in the ECR. The DCS is still weighing the possibility of retaining the ECR at NEC 411. When the ECR’s reopening pushes through, either in the NEC or Melchor Hall, a more strategic marketing of ECR services and firmer implementation of policies will be carried out. ECR computers will also reformat to the Linux operating system. Meanwhile, Professor Cedric Festin, Assistant Department Chair, informed The UP Parser that computer sets with similar specifications from the ECR were displaced to the NEC Thesis Room and DCS Faculty Room (MH 219). Other computer sets will operate as servers. The ECR’s operation is suspended until further notice from the ongoing Departmental review and redefinition of the facility’s feasibility and functionality.
Parser // News The official color of Parser is yellow. Guess why. (Hint: Check out the past two issues this year.)
TechnoFair 2004... CS Majors Join Programming, Quizbee Tilts from page 1
in accordance with this year’s theme. The TechnoChallenge included questions with Filipino t e c h n o l o g y trivia while the TechnoGames put a techno-twist on two traditional Filipino parlor games, luksong tinik and tiyakad (a form of stilt-racing). Grace Christian High School won the TechnoChallenge and the Tiyakad game, while Luksong Tinik was topped by New Era University. The two fresh events of the TechnoFair were the TechnoForums and the TechnoRace. The former provided a venue for high school and college students to learn about the latest trends in technology as well as in the different fields of engineering. Several of the talks were centered on the latest software trends such as Macromedia Flash MX and Adobe Photoshop (sponsored by the Portal Media Group). The TechnoRace, on the other hand, was patterned after various reality race shows and was designed so that the various organizations of the College could participate in the TechnoFair. Several stations were spread across the campus, testing the technological prowess of the members of each participating organization. All in all, the TechnoFair 2004 was a truly ‘Walastech!’ event sponsored by the ESC.
By Jonas Roque UP Diliman’s participation in two computer science-related competitions last month produced mixed results. Alexander Felipe II, Sarah Isabel Mendoza, Francesca Nicole Montinola, and Isabel Casas bagged the bronze medal in the Clash of the Brains, a computer science quiz bee held by De La Salle University last November 20, 2004. They finished behind Ateneo De Manila University and Mapua Institute of Technology, who bagged the first and second spots, respectively.
Prior to the quizbee, four groups from the DCS, together with a batch of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (EEE) students, joined the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM) International Programming Contest held at the University of Asia and Pacific last November 12, 2004. Eighty teams sent by universities from Hongkong, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines competed for the top spots. The highest final rank UP attained was 15th, courtesy of the “Kwekkwek” Team. The regional finals champion, University
Clash of the Brains team
Kwek-kwek: Daniw de Leon, Chubbs Casas, Kevin Manansala, Ken Gallo Isaw: Jonas Roque, Jeff Quiambao, Carlo Cabello, Alan Valdez Monay: Alex Felipe, Aldwin Tanjutco, Tina Olpoc, Waldemar Bautista Squidball: Aldous Penaranda, Oliver Baldenero, Ivan Orosco, Aimee Villaraza
ACM contestants & advisers
of Tokyo, shall compete for the world finals. Ateneo de Manila University and ZhongShan (Sun Yat-sen) University came second and third, respectively. Ms. Joyce Avestro, one of the coaches for both Clash and ACM, told The UP Parser that better chances of winning next year are seen from the promising juniors who will undergo more comprehensive training and CS mastery. Joining Ms. Avestro as coaches and advisers were Ms. Rebecca Ong (for Clash) and Ms. Florence Balagtas, Ms. Riza Batista, and Ms. Rowena Solamo (for ACM).
UnPLUG Holds LaTeX Talk By Phillip Kimpo, Jr. The UP Linux Users’ Group (UnPLUG) conducted a LaTeX Knowledge Sharing Session last December 1 at MH 215. Diwa del Mundo, founding president of UnPLUG, and Prem Vilas Fortran Rara, vice-president, were the session’s speakers. Rara and del Mundo are third year BS Electrical Engineering and BS Computer Science students, respectively. LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system used for the publication of technical and scientific documents. Aside from LaTeX, LyX, a related advanced open source document processor, was also discussed. [With data from http://kss.uplug.org]
Diliman Computer Science Foundation, Inc. Established in 1996, the Diliman Computer Science Foundation, Inc. (DCSF) provides technical services in the fields of computer science, information technology, and other related fields to individuals and organizations. The Foundation is composed of faculty members from the Computer Science (CS) Department of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. It acts as the project implementation and resource generation arm of the Department. Basically a non-profit and non-stock organization, the DSCF Inc. currently provides the following services: Education and Training The Foundation conducts regular short courses on different topics in information technology and computer programming. These short courses are open to the public. It also administers on demand training courses for employees of public and private institutions and corporations. Courseware Development The Foundation reviews, improves, and develops modules, books, and other instructional material for schools and various learning institutions. In addition, it also designs evaluation methods and materials for both students and teachers. Research With its close ties to the academe and to the local
and international research sector, the Foundation involves itself with research and development in networking and distributed systems, internet technologies, computer vision and machine intelligence, computer algebra, software engineering, biomedical informatics, database management systems, and theoretical computer science. Technical Consultancy The Foundation provides consultancy services on various aspects of computing technology, from database and management information systems to network security. Software Development The Foundation designs and develops customized self-contained software systems and applications involving and using the latest technologies available. These can range from small database systems to large e-commerce websites. Scholarship Grants The Foundation, through the initiatives of sponsors, offers scholarship grants to full time undergraduate and graduate students as well as Junior Faculty research grants. Please contact us at dcsf@up.edu.ph
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Parser // News Parser. Bestseller. Libre eh.
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What You Need to Know About Both enlistment and enrollment seasons have passed, and we’re sure quite a number of students in the University are wondering how exactly the Computerized Registration System (CRS) works. Here are a few tidbits we got from the CRS peeps themselves. The pre-enlistment engine processes database 1. records by batch: regular, freshmen, graduating, varsity and registration assistants. Each batch is assigned
a (non-unique) priority number. Freshmen have a special pre-enlistment period during their first semester in the campus. In the second semester, though, their batch trims others’ chances as they obtain the highest priority, followed by the graduating students, etc. The CRS algorithm does not consume all the slots for each subject and leaves about two slots per priority level per subject “fought over” during enrollment. CRS started as a “pet project” of Prof. Arnold Putong and Prof. Paulo Paje of the Computer Science Department. Before this, the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering had just implemented their registration system Prof. Putong (the DEERS) throughout the College of Engineering, and CS Department was at times blamed for the encountered difficulties in enrollment. The Department’s “pet projects” are large-scale and tedious to work on. Francis Tuazon, hired as a Student Assistant on the 12-person team, says he and his colleagues, Marlon Manansala and Rico Pangan, did not realize what they had gotten into. Eventually, though,
2. 3.
CRS
By Jonas Roque & Sophia Lucero
they learned to enjoy their “super-SA” status, despite great demands, and most of the time ditched classes for what turned into a hobby. Their dedication to the project was finally acknowledged after having earned Student Service Awards after graduating. Today, CRS is not under DCS; it answers to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA) through the University Computer Center (CC). They’re busy with projects like online grade submission and fee assessments, plus a certified true copy of grades (TCG) procurement system, and online pre-advising. There has been 6 generations of CRS programmers and at least two thesis groups on it.
5. 6.
CRS Update: Second Round Pre-enlistment
4.
The latest feature of the registration system a “Second Round” pre-enlistment scheme, first implemented for this semester. After the first pre-enlistment period, requests were processed and schedules were returned in no more than two days. During the second period, the results can be modified by the students in case the schedules chosen for them are not desirable. They may also want to try enlisting once more for a subject they did not obtain with possible freed up slots. *More in the second issue of The Engineering Logscript.
PrintScreen Paolo Ferrer
the CS cheer
By Sophia Lucero
Who doesn’t enjoy Eng’g Week and the endless excitement it brings? This year, themed “Eng’gcredibles,” surely won’t disappoint.
First time mo?
Prepare yourself. Eng’g Week is about intense competition (and conceiving ways to insert the word “Eng’g” into the name of an event). Most of the time it entails running around to beat the default penalties or fullfilling any last-minute errands (it’s all about protecting precious EWOC points and making registration fees worth the buck). Another good part of it requires many nights of perfecting skills, whether vocal or athletic. Time is difficult to keep on your side, and just by gazing at the sheer enormity of scale an org must do to actually WIN this thing, you will get weak in the knees. Push as hard as you can; cheer even harder. But don’t forget to brush your teeth. And laugh along the way.
Eng’g Week Notables
A Grand Pakaeng’g during the Openeng’g is most always present; now that’s an incentive right there. Watch out for Eng’gcredibly Hot, the latest ESC event — this time participants are to transform themselves into either girlbands or boybands. Then stay up late for the famous staples: Smokers’ Night (the show synonymous to “okray”), Maskipaps (a concert and fashion show rolled into one), Indakan (pair and group dance competition), Awitan (choral singing), and Ms. Eng’g (where the hunks turn into, uh, drag queens). Don’t forget our own participation in the Lantern Parade, too!
Check out the CS Org
The UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR) is raring to topple the formidable opponents. They’ve proven themselves worthy in events like volleyball, basketball, Uulit kaya? badminton, Twister, Tekken, mattress stuffing, Awitan, and Ms. Eng’g, of course. And after gaining the top third spot last year, the org believes that EWOC is clearly within reach this year, more than ever. Plus, while sponsoring events like Ragnarok/Anime Cosplay Competition; Finger Olympics; You Gotta Lick It; Shuttle Cockeng’g; TuggEng’g; and UP Sigaw, UP Hataw, it’s all busy, busy, busy these last two school weeks of December as one of Eng’g’s best orgs gives its all, while cheering on: “Cursor.....SEXY!”
Push up, pop down Shift to the left Shift to the right Fight fight fight! Byte byte byte! Note: This was not invented by the staffers. luma na ‘to at parte ng CS tradition, mga ka-Parser!
2nd.Run Take 1 (Shangri-La) Ma’m Joyce: Picture, picture... [Focus ang camera kay Kimps] Kimps: [Ngiting Starstruck] Naz: [Ang lakas ng pandinig] Picture! Ma’m Joyce: Sige, isa pa! Standout damit mo eh. Kimps: Tama na po! Naz: Ako naman, I’m at my best. Ma’m Joyce: Hehe [Ngumiti lang, tinalikuran si Naz] Take 2 (Eng’g Café) S1: Ano ang lesson na hindi makakalimutan ng second taker ng CS135? S2 & S3: Ano? S1: Recurrences.
ngg Week
By Jonas Roque
Take 3 (Shangri-La) Naz: [May parating from Chinese school] Good Morning ladies... We’re from UP Diliman, DCS... We’re here to present some of the undergraduate theses written in Java.... Pepoy: [Nagtaka dahil kinarir ang English ng kasamang SA] Naz: [No reaction ang mga lola] Do you understand English or Filipino? C1 & C2: [Ngumiti] Actually parehas. Take 4 (Eng’g Café) S2: Eh eto, bakit 135 ang number sa CS ng Algorithm Analysis? S1 & S3: Bakit? S2: Kasi, 1, 3 o 5 lang makukuha mong grade.
-----------------Take 5 (CS Dept) Ia: Naku, wala pa tayong sponsor? Paano yan? Naz: Advertise tayo sa broadsheet na naghahanap tayo ng advertisers. Take 6 (Eng’g Café) S3: Eh bakit naman 131 ang Numerical Methods? S2: Dahil Uno at Tres lang? S3: Sort of. Kasi. 131 — Uno. Tres at Uno sa second take. Take 7 (Idiotors’ Meeting) Feeture Idiotor: Sorry, I didn’t mean it to do. [Di kasi isinama sina TI at NI sa Idiotor Article] Tech Idiotor: You’re mean it. You mean. News Idiotor: You, shout up your mouth. Take 8 (Shangri-La)
LB1: [Sobrang mangha sa theses ng UPD] Ang galing ninyo naman. Pepoy: Thank you! LB2: Ano pa po ang itinuturo ninyo, sir? Pepoy: Naku, hindi pa po kami instructors, SAs po kami. [Naks!] LB3: [Sarcastic] Gaano naman katagal nila natapos? Siguro iyan na lang kinukuha nilang units? [To his colleagues] Naz: Two sems po. Actually sir, at least 18 units ang last year namin. [Ano ka!] LB2: Transfer na tayo sa kanila? LB1: Ang galing nyo naman, buti pa kayo, department na! Kami institute pa lang. Naz: [Ha?] LB3: [Binulong] Tange! Mas mataas ang institute. turn to page 12
Parser // Features and Fun Parser. It’s a clever big thing.
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up.parser Department of Computer Science University of the Philippines Diliman http://www.engg.upd.edu.ph/~parser upparser@yahoo.com Phillip Kimpo II Editor-in-Chief Adelaida Sophia Marie F. Lucero Associate Editor & Business Manager Carlos Miguel M. Lasa Alfonso Miguel L. Mante Luis Antonio B. Reyes Michael James O. Sepulveda CS Representatives / Managing Editors Lia N. Maliwat Tristan Jed G. Roque News Editors Kathleen A. Martin Jonas G. Roque Features Editors Karl Oliver Diaz Opinion Editor Ardee C. Aram Tech Editor Daniel Joseph R. Saracin Julia Isobel F. Teehankee Literary Editors Kristine Marie B. Dario Layout Head Frank M. Tan, Jr. Circulation Manager Maybelle Sibayan Head Artist Erica Mae Abbass Jenny G. Cheng Benjamin Pio R. Claudio Jose Paolo L. Ferrer Stevenson Cunanan Lee Brian P. Loya Joscar Gamaliel S. Malacaman Jan E. San Jose Staffers Florence Tiu Balagtas Adviser Dr. Ronald Tuñgol Department Chair
Editorial
Parser Bigtime! With the yuletide atmosphere in the air and the Eng’g Week fever fast catching up with everyone, we at UP Parser take a break from the serious themes of past editorials – a sudden shift from solemnity to frivolity, a homage to the merry, razzmatazz weeks ahead. Take a look at the cartoon above, and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Parser Go Bigtime: Just Add 6000 Pesos. Self-aggrandizing? Maybe. Find the past booklet-type issues of Parser with the screaming yellow cover a tad cuter than this one? We concur. But hey, this tabloid-sized issue – the quintessence of the staff’s wheelings and dealings with the printing press and advertisers, a shining example of how to overcome layout difficulties and beat article deadlines – was published not just for the sake of it, rather as a tribute to the entire Department of Computer Science, from the faculty to the student body (and the computers in between). This ‘Go Large’ edition of Parser is the physical realization of our intent to give greater service to you, our kaParsers. With this larger, tabloid-sized newspaper (tabloid-sized, mind you, not tabloid-material), we were able to pack in more CS news and views, which ultimately means you’ve got more info and fun stuff to enjoy. With this ‘big-time’ issue, we were able to come full circle with the staffers of Parser 1999 – the ground-breaking batch of programmerjournalists who established the College of Engineering’s first department-based publication. Yes, the ‘P’ in ‘Parser’ stands for ‘pioneers’, and you can find them here in CS. Be proud. And rest assured, we will move heaven and earth just to honor that endowed pride and preserve the five-year tradition that is The UP Parser. Here, we don’t just write programs; we simply…write. And write we will, for as many years as the DCS lives. GO PARSER!
In retrospect
Here’s a look at how things were back in 1999. Parser has adopted new looks for both its logo and masthead; so has the Dept. But the slogan we carry is–curiously–a lot like the first. Indeed, we at Parser are still out to analyze CS life.
More Parser ‘99 Trivia
1. The first headline ever was “Dept. Revises Curriculum.“ In the second issue, it was “CRS Pre-enlistment Goes U-wide.” 2. Maru M. Velas was the first Editorin-Chief of the paper. 3. NewsBytes was then called ByteSize Bits.
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Parser // News The language Perl’s slogan is “There’s More Than One Way To Do It.”
A Senior’s Clichés Jan E. San Jose Seniors’ columns can’t seem to avoid clichés. When a person becomes nostalgic reminiscing the years spent on his college life, recalling the professors, classes, friends, and lessons learned within and outside the classrooms, one cannot help utter jaded lines and echoes of thoughts from voices of past senior students. This article ought to spare you these clichés but I guess this writer cannot, no matter how hard she tries, spare you the clichés of our college years. Cliché #1. Time flies fast. It really does. I can’t seem to account the almost four years I spent in the university. What did I do when I was in my freshman year? Ah I remember! That was perhaps the only year I really studied. Separation anxiety and fear of being deported home if I don’t make passing marks are quite good appetizers for the main course of studying. Later after making it to my freshman year, my system developed a virus called CS, Complacency Syndrome. My PC just makes MP’s the night before the deadline, refuses to do MP’s earlier, only prints the lectures for the exam coverage a few hours before the exam, always hibernates during the semester and only wakes up during the finals week! I advise everyone to protect their systems from having this virus, since once your system has it, I believe it is a debilitating virus and is bound to be with your system
When I finally decided on Computer Science as my college course, I was hoping that I could learn something practical. I was hoping that what was taught during the lecture will be applied at the laboratory class. That was until I took up CS 32. OK, so maybe I did get to do something practical with CS 32. After all with the kind of MPs Prof. Quiwa requires of us, who wouldn’t learn appreciate the beauty of data structures? However, when I began to take the higher CS subjects, I began to doubt. I oftentimes questioned why we don’t have any practical applications in CS 135, CS 133, CS 140, CS 165 or even EEE 8 and Stat 130. I mean, wouldn’t it have been more useful and much more fun to learn if we got to build a program and test what is being taught during class? I was frustrated by the fact that every time I was given an MP, I suddenly didn’t know where to start, how to go about the problem or even understand what the problem was. I don’t know if it was due to the fact that I was getting older. A friend once told me that we lose a something hundred brain cells a day once your reach the age of 20 and that amount increases exponentially as time passes. Somehow, I began to feel paranoid that maybe even if you haven’t reached 20, you are already start losing brain cells!
Pulso ng Publiko
We asked you: Which CS logo do you like best?
A: 3 votes
A, but only because I haven’t seen it before. Hottie
B: 11 votes
B! Ang umepal, EPAL!, 02-23837
for the rest of your college years. Heck! It might even stay with your PC for the rest of your life, which results in some of your life-shattering results.
Your system acquires it after a hollow part of the system owner’s brain say that “You survived your first year, you can survive anything!” Well, there’s some truth to this, but it all depends on your definition of the word ‘survive’. If it means passing all your academic units with flying colors, bravo! But if it means barely breathing after you got curly marks on subjects you only remembered you were enrolled in during the finals week... well, let’s just say, you are in for a lengthy realization after that semester is over. What realizations? Well, that you have to come up on your own. The only way to remove this virus from your system is a complete reformatting and reconfiguration coupled with sheer willpower and determination. Sadly, after my system acquired this virus, I spent my sophomore, junior and senior years, fighting this virus. It turned out this whole reformatting thing is more than just commands and some keystrokes. Cliché #2. Education is important. I mean education in every form. I can’t believe it took me four years in college just to grasp this concept! Talk about slow learners! What we come to know inside the classroom and what we learn outside it is equally important. We all try to avoid the grueling hours of studying, okay perhaps not everyone avoids it, but I do, but come to think of it the things we take for granted, like studying how to make programs, data structures, algorithms, numerical methods, these are
things which others are dying to know! Fine, that was an exaggeration… but hey! It is interesting and there are lots of people who wants to learn these things! We just have to look at the bigger picture and learn that we are blessed to be in our department learning these things and meeting our professors who, despite our inability to appreciate valuable lectures and whether we like it or not, still teach us the fundamentals of our beloved course (Agree with me on this okay?!). For these efforts, I do believe they have earned our respect and admiration. Cliché #3. Enjoy life. At the end of everything, our happiness does count. College life is too short. (Yes it is, even if you are in your nth year.) Can you imagine being unhappy while enduring tons of school work? Adding insult to injury is a line that comes to mind. Of course, enjoyment is relative. You may be the type who can’t enjoy without parties and everything that comes with it, or you can be someone who can’t live without road trips or you can be that college kid whose maximum happiness is achieved through movies, books and lots of sleeping hours. Well, to each his own. Whatever the case, you have to enjoy college with your friends while you’re at it! If this column didn’t spare you the clichés and things you already knew since time immemorial, this surely spared you of lines that start with “I can still remember...” and goodbyes. This might be my senior year but who knows for certain if this is my final year in college? What if I lose my battle with my system’s CS which will bring disastrous results for my supposedly last semester? Well, que sera sera. Cliché but true.
Random Thoughts
However that was not the case. Halfway between listening during a class last summer (hopefully my last) and sleeping, it dawned upon me that Miguel Santiago despite having not been able to do lab work, I have already learned a lot. It occurred to me that I began to appreciate the graphs and (unconsciously most of the time) that this program will work, numbers and tables that appear every time I press Ctrl that we can debug more efficiently because we understand + Alt + Del. I began to enjoy designing circuits by hand the limits and constraints of a programming language, more than testing the circuit on the breadboard by trial and that we can define newer methods in solving a problem error. I began to appreciate the math, with long and tedious because we have explored beyond limitations and defied all calculations that takes me to values reaching n times ten boundaries, and that, more importantly, we appreciate the raised to the hundred fifty, or the Laplace equations and the simplicity and beauty of the code which has now become graphing and the matrix reduction. I began to realize the an art. Of course, we still want to have practical applications. importance of O(n) or O(log(log n)), and the significance of design before implementation. My mistake was in failing to What makes Computer Science here in UP-Diliman different appreciate the theory and thus I misunderstood the lessons is the balance between theory and practice. Appreciate the theory because you will be finding and facing it in practice. put to practice. Indeed, there is more to computers than just staring They say with age comes wisdom. I ain’t a philosopher but in front of the PC and coding. That’s just the easy part; I here’s one lesson I’ve learned and that is to enjoy what mean any encoder can do that. What sets us, UP Computer you do no matter how boring, corny, shameful or even Science students, apart from other computer schools is that downright degrading it may seem. Behind everything we we design right. We have logically proven in our minds do, there is always a lesson to be learned and appreciated. Enjoy life, enjoy CS. It’s still a lot of fun. B – Yung C di pang matagalan. Wala na nyan sa future (discs). > [DUH?!] > [I think 50 years fr now d na gets yan ng cs students] > [Persistence = DB = Disc.] > [really, gets mo ba kung ano yung C.] > [oo masyado technology dependent cs should be concepts] > [no. cs should be about innovation.] > [no: where in the cs dept. profile is that word? read the bscs and mscs part.]
create a logo for the dept. Baka kc may mas astig pa. 01-01445 C. Ngaun ko lang nakita ah. Astig. 02-22327
C: 19 votes
Send your answers now! Text: 09156232163 E-mail: upparser@yahoo.com Website: http://www.engg.upd.edu.ph/~parser
C! coolness, 02-25338 EPAL AKO! C! C. Astig na. Pero baka pwde magpacontest CS dept to
NEXT ISSUE! 1. Rate the latest CRS Pre-enlistment. (1.0highest, 5.0-lowest) 2. Gusto nyo ba ang “bagong look” ng CS Dept.?
Parser // Opinion Parser. There’s more than one way to write it.
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The UP Parser interviews a group of students from the University of the Philippines Linux Users’ Group, namely Waldemar Bautista, Jofell Gallardo, and Diwa del Mundo, about their latest project, dubbed “Halalan.” Parser: Would you kindly give us a background on what the Halalan project is?
can also visit the Halalan website to gather more information about a particular candidate, party, or election. Parser: Is it true that the USC halalan is an Open Source Project? What does “Open Source Project” exactly mean? Jofell: Open Sourcing a software project means allowing the public to view the constructs or building blocks of that
Automation of University Elections:
The Halalan Project
Waldemar: Halalan is an open-source web-based voting system designed for student elections. It aims to automate the manual processes of elections such as counting, archiving and voting. Diwa: The idea of Halalan started when Ms. Olivette of the Office of Student Activities told some of the members of UnPLUG of their difficulties in administrating the USC elections. Parser: Can you state all the technologies employed in making the project? Diwa: Halalan uses the most cutting-edge Open Source technologies. It is implemented in PHP and PostgreSQL. The project also uses the Concurrent Versioning System for source code management. Parser: What are the benefits that the University will gain if the Halalan Project were to deploy? Diwa: One of the main problems in old-fashioned elections is the counting process. Since it is electronic, the UP community can know instantly the winners once the voting period is over. Electronic elections also saves a lot of money since the University doesn’t need to pay for paper and printing costs and manpower for the counting. Waldemar: Consider that USC is spending P40,000P50,000 for a year’s election! Jofell: Each student securely casts their votes. Students
particular software application, without the hassles of dealing with patents or end-user licensing. Just think of any software that is “free” (free as in malaya, and not necessarily free as in libre). Parser: Is it true you are not receiving anything from the University for the project? If it is true, why do such a task? Jofell: We are very thankful for their support and trust that we, the UnPLUG, could make this project happen, and that our proposed system will be adopted by the University. That alone is rewarding. Parser: Would you kindly enumerate who the main developers of the Halalan project are? Jofell: Of course, the entire UnPLUG members and officers were part of this project. Development is led by me, along with four daring and talented students. Mr. Diwa del Mundo takes the lead of organization of modules and test cases. Mr. Waldemar Bautista is assigned to manage the development of the Candidates, Party, and Candidate Position modules. Mr. Ardee Aram, on the other hand takes lead of the Jalalan Project (pronounced as Yalalan), the Java port of the Halalan functionalities. Mr. Kyle Domingo is the lead Graphic Artist for Halalan. It is crucial for us developers to “sell” Halalan to non-programmers, thus the need for an “approachable” look of Halalan.
Parser: There are people/institutions that belittle the project since it is “merely a student project.” What can you say about them? Diwa: Have they heard of UVLE, DEERS and CRS? Those are student projects which gave the University pride and recognition. Because of those projects, we have automation in our enrollment and classes. We challenge those people that instead of criticizing Halalan, help it develop to be a better software. Parser: Is the Halalan project already an official project, that is, already has the seal of the University? Diwa: Demonstrations and mock elections are planned to be held in December and January. UnPLUG and USC is preparing for the approval of the UP Diliman Chancellor for the implemented in the USC 2005 elections. Parser: Any final words to our readers? Jofell: We need people dedicated to serving the University in any ways that they can find. Waldemar: Have a dip in the open source world especially for those who have a passion in software development. Passion is the only requirement. Diwa: Halalan is in need of developers, graphic artists, documenters and beta testers. If you have the talent, passion and dedication in helping the University, please contact us halalan@uplug.org. Send an email of your interest of helping the project and your talents and skills. We are encouraging organizations like the UP Cursor, UP Compsoc and the Engineering Student Council in the development of this project. The UP CS community has a lot of talent, it just takes a little time and sacrifice to help. Lastly, to all CS students: Dive into the world of Open Source. It is fun developing software for free. Help us in shaping in making Philippines an Open Source software development power. If you have the guts, talents and passion, create an Open Source project or join us. Let’s make the Philippine IT world a better place. This is a heavily condensed version. The full transcript of this interview is available at the Parser website, http://www.engg. upd.edu.ph/~parser. For more details, visit UnPLUG’s website at http://www.uplug.org.
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Parser // Tech Parser. Connecting CS People.
Jonas Roque
Love Failed CS
O
Love failed CS11. It cast no data types. It also failed CS 12. It handled no exception. It is for everyone. Love is in all walks of life. Love always seeks the bestNo matter who you are, it doesn’t question. case. Love is unlimited, no upper Love does not take CS21 nor CS133 and lower bounds. It’s not a low-level language nor a regular expression. It runs in any pace in an Love is achieved in heights. It is extraordinary. endless phase, Else, it isn’t love at all but an infatuation. In any season, it springs all year round. Love exhibits no mutual exclusion. Love never thrashes. Love never demands. Love has no artificial Genuine love doesn’t have a burst length. intelligence thus failed Thus, the chance to pass CS140 is gone. CS 180. It will never be artificial. Love dropped CS 32. It has no time-space tradeoff. Love never resides in the Love needs time. Love needs space. brain. Love dropped CS 131 for one method; Pure love in a material Successive substitution should not be a case. world failed CS 150. It is not object-oriented; Love failed CS135 for it has no algorithm. hence real love is gain. It is not greedy else that would be an obsession. Love follows what is your heart’s rhythm. Perhaps love does not take The reason is love and one should love for that reason. CS courses at all. Yet, CS entails our love, for For love, divide and conquer can never be true. us not to fall. Love unites two hearts then conquers all. Genuine love failed the correctness proof. Initialized, maintained, it’s chance to terminate is small.
Phillip Kimpo, Jr. She knew the Meaning of Life, This girl weaving her way Amongst cars and buses, Selling white beads of innocence Necklaces of fragrance
S ampaguita Girl
With each day of peering into windows Hands stamped upon tinted glass, The more she knew — A lady giving birth inside a van (swollen tummy turns up a baby), Son and father shouting at each other (can’t hear her sales-talk plea), Boy and girl kissing, kissing (kissing ‘til the light turns green), Windows sliding open (hands dropping coins on her palm), Windows staying closed (hands glued to steering wheels), Car doors calling her to enter (play-time with kind foreigners).
One day, as rain fell on asphalt She wasn’t there anymore To peer into windows — White beads lay trampled A small body lay shredded A few coins rolled to the sidewalk Along with a little head Blood washed by rain Along with skid marks of wheels. Traffic slowed as it passed by, People peered out of their windows And they learned The Meaning of Life.
p10 Parser // Literary
nce there was a little puff, born by a little geyser atop a little island. It knew nothing of the world above, for it had been sleeping before the earth sneezed it out. The North wind happened to be passing by and saw the little puff abruptly expelled into the air. He gently caught the little puff lest it fall to the ground. “Come with me,” said the North wind . “And we shall play with the forest.” The North wind and the little puff went to the woods, played with the elves and danced with the faeries there. “Hold my hand,” said the North wind. “And we shall play with the humans.” The North wind and the little puff flew to the cities, blew sheets of paper and held kites airborne. “Ride on my back,” said the North wind. “And we shall play with the ocean.” The North wind and the little puff blew across the waters, bathed in spray and stirred the waves. “Hold on tight,” said the North wind. “And we shall play with the gods.” The North wind and the little puff soared higher, past the sea, past the trees and past the kites. “Are we there yet?” said the little puff. “No, not yet,” said the North wind. They climbed onwards, past the birds, past the mountains and past the clouds. “Are we there yet?” said the little puff. “No, not yet,” said the North wind.
U
the little
Karl Diaz
puff
They climbed as high as the eye can reach, then higher than that, then higher than both of those. “Are we there yet?” said the little puff. “No, not yet,” said the North wind. The little puff was getting impatient at the way the North wind lumbered about. He loosened his grasp and began to fly on his own. He was, no doubt, much lighter and much faster than the North wind. As he flew higher, he felt his light and agile body beginning to dissipate. As he flew higher still, he felt his feathers thinning. As he flew his highest, he could hold his body no more and he floated back down to earth in a million wisps, cold and lifeless. For he was, after all, just a little puff.
ntitled Frank Tan, Jr.
In ev’ry sunrise, a new beginning For ev’ry full moon, lovers romancing In times of rain, someone is crying And in a rage, thunder and lightning
You sneeze or you trip, she’s thinking of you Then you get a gift, this means that it’s true Ev’ry motion, done for “you know who” With ev’ry smile, she said, “I Love You”
para sa sumasargo
para sa magtatahong nakasumbrero
Scribblets. ...para sa lahat.
But like the quickest of all summer rains She leaves with another, leaves you with pain
50 pesos for the first 50 characters. 1 peso for each succeeding character. (spaces not counted.)
What was not there, you kept on seeing You didn’t see that there was nothing.
Contact: Ia at 09202974104 Email: upparser@yahoo.com
TJ Roque mata’y animo instik namumula tila nakadroga daliri’y animo luya namamaga tila niliha dila’y animo langib napapaso tila nakalaklak ng kapeng barako
DE DL AY N
Email us at upparser@yahoo. com to submit your own works. More literary pieces can be found at the UP Parser website: http://www. engg.upd.edu. ph/~parser
We don’t just write programs. We write.
Blast Metal Hoop from the Past By TJ Roque As anxiety transpires with regards to the outbreak of Engineering Week fever, let us turn back the hands of time and walk along the memory lane to know what to expect this year. CS orgs Compsoc and Cursor, which settled 2nd and 3rd in that order, will try to oust those in the Tau Alpha Basketball’s zenith, the Eng’g Faculty. ChE orgs KEM and Alchemes (for Men’s Volleyball), and MSS and CIEM (for Women’s Volleyball), who bagged 1st and 2nd place-finishes respectively in Volleybagan, will try to defend their pinnacle slots against the avenging 3rd placer Cursor. Likewise, the latter will also strive to seize the table tennis crown from the Aggregates in Smash. Eng’g Week Over-all Champion IE Club will aim to craft a dynasty and secure top spots in events like Swimmeng’g (Men’s and Women’s Swimming), Halo-Halong Palo (Tennis) and Relay. Sitting next to them are CIEM and Cursor, and these two are hoping for the best finish this time around. And this is where the thrill unfolds. In these events which are full of exhilaration, anticipation and apprehension, being the EWOC is the org’s sweetest Christmas gift. It is still everybody’s game.
NYUNGNYUNG AND FRIENDS hoy tingnan mo tong costume ko may tumatalsik pang dugo... hehe napadami nga yung stock mukha tuloy malaki tiyan ko hehe ahehe... parang totoo ah (yung tiyan)
2nd.Run
HOY NYUNG NYUNG!!! SAN KA PUPUNTA!
hinde, sideline.
ah eh, sa katips sama kami!! magtrtrick or treat ka?
from page 5
Take 9 (CS Dept) Naz: [Answers the phone] CS Dept, Good afternoon. CAPES: Hi! I’m from CAPES... One of the companies is asking if our CS students are proficient in Java... Buong CS: [Haler! Kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan!] Take 10 (CS Dept) Ma’m Joyce: Ayan! [Nagalak dahil puno na ang scratch paper bin for ice cream! Yum!] May pangice cream na tau! Naz: Yun pala ibig sabihin nun, Kimps [Sensya, slow] Buong CS: [Haler! Kelangan pa bang i-memorize yan!]
! s t e l b b Scri
Php50, 1st 50 char. Php1 per extra char. Spaces not counted. O, greet na!
Ang ganda ng 192 presentations nyo! Ang galing nyo! -- Ma’am Solamo
i take one step away nd i fnd myself cming bck to u, my one nd only u Hi PaGiBiG! MaHaL KiTa JepH! CuRsoR SexY! -- eGaY
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Parser // Halo-Halo Kapuso. Kapasko. Kaparser. Happy holidays sa inyong lahat!
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