Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society

Author: ttcsadmin

  • The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008 was introduced in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate on January 15, 2008.

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2008 can be downloaded from the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament’s website :

    According to the introduction :

    The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2007 seeks to amend the Copyright Act, 1997 (Act No. 8 of
    1997) (hereinafter called “the Act”) to facilitate Trinidad and Tobago’s accession to the World
    Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (hereinafter called “the WCT”) and to the
    World Intellectual Property Organization Performances and Phonograms Treaty (hereinafter called
    “the WPPT”) and to strengthen the enforcement provisions of the Act.

    (Update : 17 Jan 2008 – Here is a link to the Trinidad and Tobago Copyright Act, 1997)

  • Updated events on TTCS calendar for January 2008

    Updated events on TTCS calendar for January 2008

    The TTCS online calendar of TTCS meetings/activities at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar has been updated with several events in January 2008 :

    – Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards meeting re: ISO IT standards that TTBS is obligated to vote on, including the Microsoft Open XML standard. If there are any comments re: ISO IT standards (see past posts on the TTCS blog and on the TTCS announce mailing list ), please email admin at ttcsweb . org

    – TTCS tech meeting on Saturday January 28th, 2008 – demonstration of OLPC and Asus EEE PC laptops

    – Comments due on ICANN GNSO initial report on domain tasting. See http://ttcsweb.pbwiki.com/DomainTasting for more background details.

    You can view the TTCS calendar online at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar/ . You can also subscribe to/add the TTCS calendar to your calendar software/website via these links : iCal | XML | Google Calendar

  • BBC News : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean

    BBC News : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean

    BBC News article : Trinidad’s music pirates of the Caribbean.

  • Network Solutions accused of Domain Name Front Running

    Network Solutions accused of Domain Name Front Running

    Via /. is the story that Network Solutions Registers Every Domain Checked at their website. Any domain that is searched on Network Solutions’s website for availability is preemptively registered by Network Solutions if the domain is available. Network Solutions also hosts a webpage at the queried domain, thus forcing you to purchase the domain from Network Solutions instead of another registrar.

    The recent ICANN Los Angles meeting of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) had a discussion on this (the video is still up) and had issued an advisory (PDF ; 197K) seeking comments from the public on whether domain name front running takes place.

    I’ve recorded a video today (January 8th, 2008) in real-time, showing that the process occurs less than 2 minutes after querying Network Solutions for a domain.

     

    The domain in the video queried at Network Solutions is http://ttcs-domain-testing-test-from-trinidad-and-tobago.com/

    Network Solutions has responded to the accusations of domain name front running, calling the pre-emptive domain registeration “a security measure to protect our customers” and that the domain is released just before the end of the 5 day grace period.

    (Edit Jan 9th, 2008 – minor edit to 1st paragraph and added more details on Network Solutions response)

  • TTCS pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008

    TTCS pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008

    The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society will be having a pizzalime on Wednesday January 9th, 2008 from 6pm to 9pm at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout.

    Come join us as we eat and chat about various computing related topics including TTCS planning for 2008. Hardware from the past two meetings should make an appearance.

    Contribution of $30 towards refreshments is expected.  Copies of the TTCS OSSWIN CD are available for $40TT.

    See you there!

  • T&TEC plans to deploy broadband over power lines

    T&TEC plans to deploy broadband over power lines

    More details about the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) planning to become a broadband internet provider in an article in Thursday January 3rd, 2008 Newsday newspaper :

    …Carol Balkaran, Tariff Analyst at the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) said TTEC plans to deploy the service utilising a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) Technology Platform which also has regulatory implications for RIC [Regulated Industries Commission] and TATT [Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago].

    “BPL is a technology that offers exciting possibilities for TTEC. It can provide a host of internal benefits that can improve the performance of the service provider. If the service is to be offered commercially then it can possibly enhance the competitiveness of the broadband market in Trinidad and Tobago, “ Balkaran said.

    BPL, also called Power Line Communications or PLC combines the technological principles of radio, wireless networking, and modems to send data over power lines at speeds equivalent to those of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable.

    The Federal Communica-tions Commission (FCC) of the US defines two types of BPL. Access BPL deliver high speed Internet and other broadband services over utilities medium voltage (1000-40000 volts) power lines to homes and businesses and In-house BPL which facilitates the implementation of home networks.

    In terms of regulatory implications, Balkaran identified three issues that are likely to be of major concern in Trinidad and Tobago. These were technical, cost and revenue allocation as well as cross subsidy issues and Pole Attachment and Open Access, including safety issues.”

    Read the rest of the Newsday article : “Spotlights broadband internet service”. Also see the Wikipedia article on BPL.

  • TTCS online Calendar

    TTCS online Calendar

    An online calendar of TTCS meetings/activities can be found at http://www.ttcsweb.org/calendar/. It also shows the public holidays in Trinidad and Tobago.

    The TTCS first meeting for 2008 : TTCS pizzalime, January 9th, 2008 at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout.

  • Ordering an OLPC laptop from Trinidad

    Ordering an OLPC laptop from Trinidad

    Since the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) has access to a OLPC laptop, I’ve been tinkering with it, updating the firmware and the operating system image file. It has been shown at a TTCS meeting and you can see photos of the OLPC in action in Trinidad at the TTCS meeting.

    photo of the OLPC laptop at a Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society meeting

    Until December 31st, 2007, one can get the OLPC under the Give One Get One program . However, when I tried to order one online, I encountered the same problem as CFR : you’re required to create a Paypal account and the online web form is meant for US and Canada donors.

    Luckily, I did something yesterday that I should have done earlier : Read the OLPC Give One Get One FAQ . And behold :

    “If I live outside of the US or Canada, may I participate in Give One Get One?
    Yes, but only if you provide a shipping address within the US or Canada. To participate, please call 1-949-608-2865. International calling charges will apply.”

    So, I called today (December 31st, 2007), gave my credit card and my P.O Box address in Florida and placed an order. It will be useful to have two OLPCs at TTCS meetings to demonstrate the mesh capability of the OLPC laptops. The official OLPC wiki also has lots of information ,both news and technical details about the OLPC.

  • TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.84 released

    TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.84 released

    Season Greetings from the management of the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society!

    The TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.84 is available for download at Filefront. Other download mirrors will be updated soon.

    Changes from v1.83

    • updated GanttProject, Wikidpad, Maxima, Kobo Deluxe, Portable Puzzle Collection, Sokoban YASC, Freeciv, Paint.NET, XAMPP Lite, VirtualDub, PDFCreator, Launchy.

    Re-coded the installers for Kobo Deluxe v0.51 (which was released December 27th, 2007) and VirtualDub using NSIS and improved on the installers by using the actual program icons for the program shortcuts in the Windows’ Start Menu. Seemingly small detail, but it is the small details that can detract from using a program.

  • TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.83 released

    TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.83 released

    The TTCS OSSWIN CD v1.83 is available for download at Filefront. Other download mirrors (thank you all!) will be updated soon.

    • Date created : December 10th, 2007
    • File name : ttcs_osswin_cd_v1.83.iso
    • File size : 691 MB (725,065,728 bytes)
    • MD5 checksum : b997e23e90a60d4d5e407f5709742614 / b997e23e 90a60d4d 5e407f57 09742614
    • SHA-1 : bd08a8f4 5747c4f8 29dc0731 5a81e014 c7be0026
    • SHA-256 : 890e47b2 cfd86c5e 8b8b735c 72261297 4fc94965 56a040e0 bbe150bf 977163c2

    Changes from v1.82

    • removed Trackballs
    • updated OpenOffice.org, 7zip, Tux Paint, Sokoban YASC, Freeciv, Gimp, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, Filezilla, Thingamablog, HTTrack, Miranda IM, VideoLAN, InfraRecorder, Virtual Magnifying Glass, Folder Size, AutoHotkey