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In a remarkable stride towards technological advancement in West Africa, the ingenious collaboration between Professor Dr. Edward Danso Ansong and research assistant, Dominic Damoah has birthed an epoch-making breakthrough – Trend OS, a pioneering Linux distribution.
With the potential to usher in an era of fortified cybersecurity, this state-of-the-art operating system stands poised to revolutionize digital defense measures and reshape the region's technology landscape.
Driven by an unyielding passion for Linux and a relentless desire to secure West Africa's digital future, Dr. Edward Danso Ansong embarked on an audacious mission after recognizing the region's pressing need for an ultra-secure Linux distribution.
He envisioned Trend OS as a robust solution that would empower individuals, businesses, and governments to fortify their digital assets like never before.
With a keen eye for innovation and an in-depth understanding of cybersecurity challenges, Dr. Ansong laid the groundwork for Trend OS - an OS designed to address the unique threats faced in West Africa's digital landscape.
But behind every groundbreaking project stands a brilliant engineer, and Dominic proved to be the driving force behind Trend OS. As the research assistant to Dr. Ansong, Dominic brought exceptional talent and expertise to the table, shaping the OS from conception to reality.
“I was in college with Doc who is now a PhD holder from KNUST. I was 16 and the first time I had an encounter with Linux was reading the Linux Bible. I had tried Ubuntu 12.04 and I had fallen in love with it. I also successfully went through Linux from scratch.
“For those who have no idea, Linux from scratch is an online resource that enables you to build a Linux distribution completely from an empty folder to a fully functional ISO that you can run in virtual machine or on a physical machine.
“It is the year 2015 and I am a level 300 student at Valley View University. It was there that I met Prof or Doc. He basically identified that I have a skill with Linux. This was because I was able to help as a Undergraduate TA for the course that he was taking with us on Linux.
“He decided to rope me in on the project. The name of the project was Trend OS and the whole purpose for Trend OS was to create a secure Linux server environment using a convoluted kernel architecture for Linux,” Dominic explained.
Drawing from his profound knowledge of Linux architecture and kernel customization, Dominic meticulously crafted Trend OS with an emphasis on security. He collaborated with Dr. Ansong to integrate the state-of-the-art GR Security module into the kernel; forging an OS that stands as a formidable fortress against potential cyber threats.
“Now in every operating system, every major operating system, I'm referring to Mac OS, Linux and Windows, there is that separation of powers and the separation of powers has to do with the two classes of software that exist. There's a software that controls the hardware and there's a software that controls the software. So your computer isn't just a virtual item, it's a physical item, you have a physical display with a physical keyboard with a physical mouse with physical microphones and speaker attached to it. All of these physical devices need to communicate with the user in one way or the other and the layer of the operating system that handles that is called the kernel layer.
“Usually, it's at the bottom of the diagram if you've never seen a diagram like that. On top of that is the user space, or the area that is designated for a software like your internet browser, and so many other things.
“This is the same model for phones and just about any other electronic device that has a user in the face that you can interact with. Most smart TVs, or Android TVs have Linux under the hood.
“So the goal was to create this Linux operating system and most importantly, we were to build the Linux kernel with specific modifications to the GR Security module. GR security is one of the LSMs and it means Linux security modules. There are many Linux security modules today that you can install on your Linux kernel. At the time, the major modification that we were making to the Linux operating system, or the kernel was that GR security modification,” Dominic added.
According to him, Trend OS is more than just an operating system. It represents a quantum leap for West Africa's tech landscape.
He says this groundbreaking Linux distribution is tailor-made to safeguard digital environments against the ever-evolving threats in cyberspace.
With Trend OS, individuals and businesses in the region gained an unparalleled advantage in digital security. Its sophisticated architecture, carefully engineered by Dr. Ansong, empowers users to navigate the digital realm with newfound confidence.
“This is something that took about a year to complete. We started in 2015 and eventually ended in 2016, about a year. And from there, everything else was basically updates. But I do not take credit for the work itself.
“I am very grateful and thankful that Dr. Among guided and supported me to create one of the only Linux distributions that have ever been created by a Ghanaian research team.
“The only other one that I know of is Anansi OS, but that was a long time ago. This is like an upgrade to that and just to top things off, we had a graphical user interface. So you could go in and run a browser. We had WPS installed on it. We also had the office suite installed on it. We had all the server management tools installed on it and the best part is that we had the local language (Akan) as the default language, so you could have it a little bit more personalized with an African touch.”
It is therefore not out of place to say that Trend OS's introduction to the tech world marked a turning point for West Africa's cybersecurity capabilities.
In short, Dr. Edward Danso Ansong’s brilliance has laid the groundwork for a new era of innovation in the region.
However, as Trend OS finds its footing in the market, it must ignite a spark of hope for aspiring tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. The groundbreaking achievements of Dr. Ansong demonstrate the untapped potential of West Africa's tech landscape.
“I think if we're given the right resources and we're given the right attention, the universities in collaboration with the private sector or even the government can really do big things.
“We can create our own hardware and have our own operating systems running on it with our own platforms because Linux is an open source, we can do it. Clearly, I demonstrated that it's possible with the execution of Trend OS Linux,” Dominic stressed.
Pioneering a new era in cybersecurity, Dr. Edward Danso Ansong and Dominic have etched their names in the annals of West Africa's tech history with the creation of Trend OS. Their collective brilliance has birthed an extraordinary Linux distribution that promises to transform digital security in the region.
As Trend OS garners attention and acclaim, it serves as a beacon of hope, inspiring the next generation of tech innovators in West Africa and beyond. We celebrate the indomitable spirit of this dynamic duo and the promise of a secure digital future they have kindled for the region.
Currently, Trend OS is more than just an OS; it is a testament to the limitless possibilities for West Africa's tech pioneers.
Trend OS is currently available for download here: https://trendoslinux.com
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