About open source sofware

The sofware, which is installed on your PC are compiled programs, containing the instructions for the microprocessors. These programs are not readable but are compiled source programs. These source programs are easy to read and are the start for every programmer. Open source software means that not only the program is free of charge but also the source is public domain. It is allowed to everybody to change the source and to develop new programs. BELGLASCZ uses only this type of programs to reduce the cost of its IT-budget.

About the website

We have choosen for a mixed form of pages and a blog. The pages will contain the information about the company, the products we offer, a description of the production method, the history of cellular glass and the open source software we use. New ideas and insights, waiting for reaction and discussion will be put in the blog under home. More pictures and movies will be found in the media.

We use WORDPRESS because it has an easy layout, has an ANDROID app and is programmed in PHP and uses the MySQL database, both open source. Thanks to the MySQL database, WORDPRESS has an efficient search function.

About operating systems, compilers, CAD and office programs

BELGLAS works always with LINUX if possible. This operating system is very stable, free of charge and easy to handle for engineers with a UNIX background like Hans. On top of that the popular LibreOffice programs are available on this platform, allowing us to communicate perfectly with our Windows customers in an open source way.

For the calculations, we use GNU FORTRAN which is an up to date open source compiler of the best computer language for scientific calculations. This FORTRAN language together with LINUX will remain for the next century, keeping our programs in full shape.

For adapting and re-sizing of  images and drawings, we are using GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation Program.

But there is also free 2D CAD software available to view and edit .DWG files. DraftSight is a wonderful packet where Dassault seduces you for SOLIDWORKS, a 3D software. This free software is available under Ubuntu Linux.

In future, all open source programs successfully used by BELGLASCZ will be mentioned on this page. BELGLASCZ can also advice you for a minor fee in the use of these programs, reducing your IT budget considerably.