Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society

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  • Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) [19-04-2003]

    Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) [19-04-2003]

    TTCS Official FAQ

    Last updated : April 19th, 2003

    Introduction

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS)

    How old is the Computer Society?

    The Society began operations in August 1997.

    Are there any fees to join the Society?

    There are no membership fees at this time.

    There is a fee of TT$20 (a contribution to the food bill) if you eat at one of our “Pizza Limes”™.

    The Computer Society Management reserves the right to charge fees for any and all present and future services of the society.

    Note: Any and all fees, including the pizza lime “contribution”, are subject to change without further notice.

    How often do you have meetings?

    We try to have at least 2 meetings per month. One Pizza Lime™ (usually the second Wednesday of the month) and one tech meeting (usually the third Saturday of the month).

    What is a Pizza Lime™?

    Pizza lime™ is the name given to our monthly discussion forum which is held at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout, Port of Spain. We eat (pizza of course) and talk/exchange ideas on a variety of issues. Take a look at the Past Meetings pages for where you will find summaries of the topics covered at previous “limes”. Meetings begin at 6:00 PM and can end as late as 10:30 PM! For those who may be wondering, “lime”, in this context, does not refer to the citrus fruit. It is a Trini slang term for an informal social gathering.

    What is a tech meeting?

    The tech meeting is usually held once a month and at these meetings, we have computers on site to demonstrate a particular type of software, show a system tweak, play games etc. At these meetings, members can distribute/talk about shareware, freeware and open source software which may of use to others. Take a look at the Past Meetings pages for summaries of the topics covered at previous meetings. Meetings begin at 1:00 PM and end between 4:30 and 5:00 PM.

    Is there a dress code for meetings?

    Officially, the dress code is informal so casual to “business wear” is acceptable for most meetings. For example, the pizza limes are held on a weekday so it is not unusual to see attendees wearing anything from T-shirts and jeans to long-sleeves and ties and even suits since they just finished work and decided to drop by. Our tech meetings are normally held on weekends so members usually dress casual. Of course, if we were to have a more formal event we would expect a certain level of formal wear 🙂

    What can I expect at one of your meetings?

    • Pizza Lime™: An informal gathering of folks who: work in local IT, are associated with IT or are simply interested in computers and modern technology. We discuss the details of what is going on at home and abroad and what impact those actions and new technologies would have on local computing and the local economy. Of course we also eat pizza! The meeting begins a 6:00 PM and food is ordered at 6:30 PM. We talk until the food arrives and then there is a pause as we eat. The official end of a meeting is usually between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Most attendees usually stay back and chat amongst themselves, sometimes as late as 10:30 PM!
    • Tech meeting: Once again, the people in attendance come from all walks of life: business professionals, high school students, folks who either work in local IT or are associated with IT, people who are interested in computers and modern technology. The discussion at this type of meeting is naturally more technical that at a pizza lime, but if you don’t understand something, just ask. Meetings begin at 1:00 PM and end between 4:30 and 5:00 PM.

    Actual content varies from meeting to meeting, so take a look at the Past Meetings pages for summaries of the topics covered at previous tech meetings and pizza limes.

    We strive to make these meetings as friendly and non-intimidating as possible for all attendees therefore in order that a pleasant experience can be had by all, we ask you to follow these simple rules:

    • Leave your ego at the door.
    • Our membership consists of a wide cross section of people who will certainly have opinions (on any number of topics) that are different to your own. Diversity of opinion is one of the strong points of these meetings. You can learn a lot from listening to an opinion that is different to your own but if your way is the only way then you may be better off elsewhere/not attending in the first place.
    • Attendees of our meetings come from different social/financial/educational backgrounds so if you are one of those persons who feel they must only associate with people of similar status to themselves then do not waste your time or our time, feed your insecuity elsewhere.
    • These meetings are about the exchange of information and ideas/solutions about computers and modern technology and the social issues surrounding them. This is not the forum for discussing controversial topics such as politics, religion, etc.
    • Criticise the concept/idea/solution NOT the person!
    • If you feel angry about something that has been said and your temper is at the point where you want to be verbally and/or physically abusive, do the wise thing: excuse yourself and leave the meeting (make sure you pay the $20 before you do!). Do not suffer needlessly.
    • Constructive criticism is welcome. When you grumble about something, support your viewpoint with relevant facts and counterpoints.
    • Respect the health of others. We do not advocate smoking at any of our meetings. The majority of members who attend the pizza lime do not smoke and the few smokers who do attend avoid smoking inside the building. If you attend the pizza lime and really need to smoke, please step outside. Alcohol and smoking are not permitted at any tech meeting.
    • Having strong opinions about a given matter is not an excuse to throw a temper tantrum or to be verbally and/or physically abusive to anyone who offers/supports a different view at any meeting.
    • Remember, you are in a public place and any type of abusive or disorderly behaviour can and will land you in trouble with the law.
    • This is not the forum for raw commercial promotion of goods and services. By all means talk about it but do not give us the hard sell. Remember: anyone (not just at these meetings but from the general public as well) who feels exploited or talked-down-to is someone who will most likely avoid purchasing the very same goods and services being promoted.

    Do I have to use computers to be a TTCS member? Do I have to be an IT professional to attend one of your meetings? Do I have to be a computer science student to be a member of TTCS/attend one of your meetings? Do I have to have any special academic qualifications to be a member of your group? Do I have to be employed with an IT company to be a TTCS member?

    No. The Computer Society welcomes everyone interested in computers and related technologies: from the non-user now looking to get involved with computers to the person who just bought their first machine; from the novice to the hard-core power user; from the high-school student now doing computer related courses for O and A levels to the IT professional with the university degree; from the person now starting a basic computer literacy course to the office worker who is experienced with productivity suites. All we ask is that you are familiar with technology and are willing to converse with the rest of us.

    Can I attend your meetings even though I am a member of another IT group?

    Yes. We welcome attendees from all aspects of the local IT arena. Just remember, our business may be conducte
    d in a manner that is different to the way your group conducts its business.

    Do I have to eat pizza at the Pizza Lime™?

    No. You can order any other food offered by Pizza Hut. Please note that what ever alternative food you order is billed separately and you will be required to pay Pizza Hut directly.

    The Society will not pay the bill for you

    Can I get a beer at a pizza lime? Can I smoke at a pizza lime or tech meeting?

    If you order beer at a pizza lime you will be billed separately and you will be required to pay Pizza Hut directly.

    The Society will not pay the bill for you.

    We do not advocate smoking at any of our meetings. The majority of members who attend the pizza lime do not smoke and the few smokers who do attend avoid smoking inside the building. If you attend the pizza lime and really need to smoke, please step outside.

    Alcohol and smoking are not permitted at any tech meeting.

    Can I bring my computer to a tech meeting?

    Yes. We would appreciate it if you tell us of your intention a few days in advance so that arrangements can be made to accommodate your machine.

    Can I bring my computer to a Pizza Lime™?

    Only if it is a laptop. We would appreciate it if you tell us of your intention a few days in advance. There simply is no space to accommodate/time to set up a full-fledged desktop system in the eating area that we use at Pizza Hut.

    What sort of storage media do you support?

    We support: 1.44Mb floppy disks, 100MB Zip disks, CD-ROM, DVD-R and CD-R.

    Are you a windows-only computer group?

    No. We only focus on windows because most members use one or more of its many flavours (e.g. Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP), however we have done meetings which focused on other operating systems (e.g. BeOS, DOS, Linux and Mac OS X).

    Can I make a presentation at a tech meeting?

    Yes. Please email ttcs@opus.co.tt with the relevant details. You should be well-versed in the topic of your choice and will be expected to answer non-standard questions.

    Can my company promote a tech related product or service at one of your meetings?

    Yes. contact us with the relevant details. We encourage companies to provide more than just the usual “public relations”/”press kit” package. Our members want real information not just a sales pitch. Your company representative should be well versed in the product line or service and will be expected to answer non-standard questions.

    Can you give me a copy of your e-mail list so my company can promote products/services to your members?

    NO. We do not sell/lease/give-away or in any other way disclose members’ personal information to any third party. If you really want to promote your products/services, email ttcs@opus.co.tt with the relevant details. We can then arrange for you to make your presentation at either a pizza lime or a tech meeting (whichever is more appropriate). REMEMBER: Our members want real information not just a sales pitch. Your company representative should be well versed in the product line or service and will be expected to answer non-standard questions.

    Are there any other computer groups in the country?

    Yes. This URL provides a list of the computer groups that are currently in operation:

    http://community.wow.net/presario/list

    Do you have a Discussion List?

    Yes we do. It is used to discuss any TTCS matters and activities and computer related material/issues in Trinidad and Tobago.

    • To join the TTCS discussion list: send a email to ttcs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
    • You can view the public message archive of this discussion list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ttcs

    CAUTION: This is an unmoderated list that is open to the public for two-way email (when someone posts to the list, every subscribed to the list receives it) thus there is the potential to be spammed.

    Is your Announce List the same as your Discussion List?Will I be spammed if I subscribe to your e-mail Announce List?

    No. Our Announce list is one-way: from us to you. It is used to inform members of upcoming Society events as well as other topics we feel may be of interest to them.

    What is the purpose of this group?

    • To be an informal forum where technology and related social issues can be discussed.
    • To share information about computers and related technologies.
    • To keep current with the events in the local IT industry.
    • To bring together people from diverse backgrounds in order to foster a community where home users, business people, the general public and all classes of IT workers can share experiences and generally improve the quality of the experience they have while using modern technology.

    Why should I join your group?What’s in it for me?

    This is a difficult question to answer since everyone has their own reasons for joining any sort of group. The best way to answer this would be to use this phrase: “you reap what you sow”. Take a look at the Past Meetings pages. Would you like to be involved in these sorts of activities and events? Would you like to share your experiances and knowledge with fellow computer users and technology enthusiasts? If you are willing to give your time and the occasional financial contribution (i.e. money, when necessary) to help a dynamic local group, then the TTCS extends a welcome to you. We hope that you will be an active participant in our various endevours and will appreciate all that we have to offer. However, if you are one of those leech types who only do things for fame and the almighty dollar then you are out of luck: this is definitely not the group for you.

    Who manages the TTCS?

    There is no formal management structure to the TTCS, that is, we do not have an elected president, vice president, secretary, treasurer etc. Everyone who assists in the regular operations is a volunteer and has equal responsibility for both success and failure of all Society activities. You can think of it as an “Open Source” approach: people from diverse backgrounds coming together for a common cause with an informal command and control structure to oversee all activities.

    How do I join the TTCS?

    It is a 2 step process:

    • First, sign up on our TTCS Announce mailing list. This list is used to inform members about upcoming meetings and other Society activities. The list archive is located at: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ttcs_announce
      • To subscribe, send a blank email message to: ttcs_announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
      • Unsubscribe: ttcs_announce-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
      • This is a 1 way list (only the list-owner can send messsages).
    • Second, attend as many meetings as possible and help the Society in whatever way you can.

    Refer to these links for further information:

    Does the Society require assistance/help with anything?

    YES. We need peop
    le to: assist management, to make presentations at tech meetings, to organise additional venues for tech meetings, to contribute material to the “Tech Articles”, to help with website maintainence/design, etc. Please email us: ttcs@opus.co.tt if you feel you have a special skill/service which you think maybe of use to us. Have an idea that may help the TTCS? then don’t be shy, contact us with the relevant details! Please remember: if your skill/service/idea etc is accepted, you will be expected to follow through and actually “deliver the goods”. If you volunteer to do something, we expect you to pull your share of the workload and when necessary, accept responsibility for your screw-ups.

    Is there an age limit/age restriction for members?

    No, however:

    • If you are under 18 years old and wish to sign-up on our mailing list(s): Let your parent(s), guardian or other responsible adult know that you want to subscribe to them. Parents: The TTCS Announce List is used to inform members about upcoming meetings and other Society activities. It is a one way list (from TTCS management to the subscriber) thus it should be relatively “safe” that is, no “mature content”. The TTCS Discussion List is an unmoderated list that is open to the public for two-way email (when someone posts to the list, every subscribed to the list receives it) to discuss any TTCS matters and activities and computer related material/issues in Trinidad and Tobago. Because it is not moderated, your child(ren) could be/maybe exposed to “mature content”.
    • If you are under 18 years old and wish to attend a meeting: Let your parent(s), guardian or other responsible adult know that you want to go to a meeting and get them to accompany you to these meetings. Parents: The majority of members/people who attend our meetings (both the Pizza Lime™ and the tech meetings) are over the age of 18 thus if your child(ren) attend these meetings they could be/maybe exposed to “mature content”.

    Is the TTCS related to the SCU (Society of Computer Users)?

    Indirectly. The TTCS is an independant, new organisation created by ex-members of the defunct SCU. It is not a “recylced”, “rehashed”, “re-branded” version of the Society of Computer Users. For anyone who maybe wondering, the Society of Computer Users (SCU) ceased operations in early 1996. Further information about the SCU can be found at our Society of Computer Users

    Does membership in the Computer Society entitle me to discounts at local retailers?

    No.

    What is your privacy policy?

    We do not sell/lease/give-away or in any other way disclose members’ personal information to any third party.

    Need more information about the TTCS?

    There are several pages on this site that can provide you with even more info about the TTCS:

    Do you have questions/comments/suggestions about the TTCS?

    If you have questions/comments/suggestions about the operation, structure, etc of the TTCS, here are your options for contacting the TTCS management:

  • Summary of TTCS Meetings held in 2002

    Summary of TTCS Meetings held in 2002

    The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society held two types of meetings : Pizza Limes and Tech Meetings. A Pizza Lime is the name given to our monthly discussion forum which is usually held at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout, Port of Spain on the second Wednesday of the month. The tech meeting is when we have computers on site to demonstrate a particular type of hardware or software.

    This year, there was only one tech meeting due to a lack of a suitable venue. As a result, there were two pizza limes each month

    (more…)
  • Summary of TTCS Meetings held in 2001

    Summary of TTCS Meetings held in 2001

    Summary of TTCS Meetings held in 2001

    We held two types of meetings : Pizza Limes and Tech Meetings. A Pizza Lime is the name given to our monthly discussion forum which was usually held at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout, Port of Spain.

    The tech meeting is when we have computers on site to demonstrate a particular type of hardware or software. Tech Meetings were held at the Cyberstate Cybercafe in Tacarigua courtesy of Shiva Maharaj. (Note: Cyberstate has since moved from this location).

    The computers used for the tech meetings were provided by Pcw and/or Dave.

    (more…)
  • Summary of TTCS meetings held in 2000

    Summary of TTCS meetings held in 2000

    We hold two types of meetings: Pizza Limes and Tech Meetings. A Pizza Lime™ is the name given to our monthly discussion forum which is usually held at Pizza Hut, Roxy Roundabout, Port of Spain. At the tech meeting, we have computers on site to demonstrate a particular type of hardware or software.

    Meetings were held at the Brass Institute at 117A Henry Street, Port of Spain (next to Spectacula Forum), courtesy of Francis Pau.

    The computers used for the meetings were provided by Pcw and/or Dev while refreshments were provided by Francis Pau and Raul Bermudez.

    Thursday 24th February 2000

    As one might guess, we ate lots of pizza and “ole talked” about computer technology.

    Mr David John, director of Information Systems for Bayerische Landesbank, New York, NY, (visit his website at www.caribone.com), was in Trinidad at the time but was unable to attend. However, he arranged to have several copies of a report documenting global Y2K problems which occured within the first week of this year delivered to those members who attended the “meeting”.

    The TTCS thanks Mr. David John for his valuable contribution.

    Sunday 9th April 2000, 1pm – Installing GNU/Linux on a Win 98 machine

    The meeting was a demonstration of how to install a second operating system on an existing Windows 9x machine using only freeware tools. The demonstration machine had:

    • A 4Gb hard drive
    • Windows 98 installed as the only operating system as one primary partition
    • A fragmented file system

    Dev did the following procedures:

    • Defragged the hard drive (using the Windows 98 defrag software).
    • Allocated space on the hard drive for Linux using the freeware tool

      Partition Resizer.       This allowed the existing Win98 partition to be re-sized without destroying the data stored on it.
    • Installed Caldera’s OpenLinux 2.3.
    • Configured LILO (the LInux LOader included with Linux) to enable the user to decide which OS to use when the machine is switched on (in this installation, Linux was the default boot OS).

    Dev and Pcw also used Partition Resizer to help a new member successfully install Red Hat Linux v 6.1 on a Windows 98 machine.

    Thursday 11th May 2000

    The pizza was delicious as usual but this time around we were there to discuss the various proposed computer laws for Trinidad and Tobago.

    Members and other interested persons were given brief overviews of the laws and their implications for citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. They were encouraged to obtain their own copies and let their comments be known on an email list that is collecting and forwarding comments about these bills.

    Information about these proposed computer law bills is on our Computer Bills page.

     

    Sunday 4th June 2000, 1pm – Internet security for home and business users

    PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

    This meeting focused on the various Internet security threats that may be encountered by both the home and business user.

    Razor described the ways in which:

    • viruses (email, macro, etc)
    • trojan horse programs
    • “spyware” and “adware” (programs that install themselves on your system and track your Internet activities without your knowledge and report to some central server/”homebase”)
    • vulnerabilities in the Win 95/98 networking components

    can compromise system security and even your privacy while your computer is connected to the Internet. The emphasis was on preventative measures that both home and business users can take to protect themselves from such breaches in security. Razor also gave demonstrations of:

    • how to uninstall the Windows Scripting Host in Windows 98;
    • what the Zone Alarm personal firewall software fromZone Labs looks like and how it works;
    • where to find the Windows 95/98 networking components and how to modify/uninstall them to improve the security of your Internet connection.
    • how the Shields Up web site at grc.com works and why everyone who uses the Internet should test their machine for security loopholes at this site.
    • a known spyware program

    The material presented in this meeting has been downloaded from our
    Internet Security page.

    Thursday 29th June 2000

    There was no formal agenda for this meeting (except, of course, to eat pizza!) so members in attendance discussed various issues such as:

    • The Napster vs RIAA issue; software and other intellectual property copyright issues;
    • New cellular telephone based web browsers, MP3 players and who would use them
    • The current state of international E-commerce and the lessons locals can learn (and in some cases the mistakes they should avoid) in order to benefit from it;
    • Microsoft’s network computing strategy (microsoft.NET)
    • The sudden closure of CECP (a veteran local computer company)
    • Various internet access strategies e.g. caridirec’s satellite download services, cable modems, efreenet and local ISPs
    • Gamecon 2000 – a Starcraft and Quake 3 multiplayer tournament organised by the Gaming Association of Trinindad and Tobago (GATT)
    • The popularity of “retro-computing” e.g. many people are reviving or emulating Commodore 64, Amigas, DOS and arcade games
    • The recent scandal in which Oracle hired private detectives to invesitigate lobby groups affiliated with Microsoft
    • TSTT’s proposed rate change (25 cents per minute anywhere/anytime in Trinidad)

     

    Sunday 23rd July 2000, 1 pm – LAN party

    The TTCS had its first official “LAN party” at this meeting held at the Brass Institute, Port of Spain. We had three networked PCs running Quake 3 Arena and members in attendance (some of whom never played Quake before) were able to play “deathmatches” against one another and with additional bots. Equipment for this meeting were as follows:

    • 3 PCs with 10/100Mb network cards (“NICS”) and AGP graphics cards
    • 1 Ethernet 4 port hub
    • 3 Cat-5 ethernet cables
    • Network protcol: TCP/IP

    The gaming was intense but in the end, Wayne emerged as the undefeated champ in the various death matches. Machines were provided by Dev, PCW and Wayne; hub and cabling provided by Dev.

    Thursday 10th August 2000

    Eating pizza and “ole talk” were on the agenda for the evening. Topics covered included:

    • Internet security.
    • The new breed of “spyware” based on the infamous Netzip Download Demon program.
    • C and JAVA programming.
    • The launch of linux.co.tt.

    Members in attendance were also told about the Java Consortium, a group of local university graduates who program in JAVA to create both open source and custom projects.

     

    Sunday 27th August 2000, 1:30 pm – BeOS Personal Edition v5

    The focus of this meeting was the BeOS Personal Edition v5operating system from Be, Inc which is free for personal, non-commercial use.

    Dev gave a brief history of Be, from its origins as an alternative to the MacOS to its rejection by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and ultimately as a GUI for the x86 platform (there are versions for both Win 9.x and GNU/Linux).

    He then showed members how to install BeOS version 5 Personal edition on a Windows 98 machine (a Pentium II 266Mhz, 64MB RAM, 32X CDROM drive, 3Dfx Voodoo 3 video card, 100Mb Iomega IDE Zip drive) and demonstrated some applications.

    BeOS has been designed for multimedia work and Dev highlighted this capability by simultaneously playing 2 MP3 files and 2 Quicktime (.mov) files DIRECTLY from the CDROM drive. There were no pauses, skips or slow downs in the music or the video. There was a brief discussion afterwards about the availability of both robust applications for BeOS and development tools for those programmers who wished to create programs for this OS.

    Razor then provided an update for the 4th June internet security meeting. He recapped the topics covered at that meeting for those who were not there and then talked about the latest threat: the Netzip file download manager and its derivative spyware; the Java security flaw in Netscape Communicator (all platforms and all versions up to version 4.74); the new personal firewall product from Sybergen; the latest trojan/script based email threats.

    Other topics discussed at this meeting: the disappearance of local computer company American Computer Express (ACE), the newly formed Webmaster Association of Trinidad and Tobago and on a lighter note, alternative computer case design.

    Thursday 14th September 2000

    The meeting began minutes after 6pm after the various introductions. Members in attendance held a lively discussion on the following topics:

    • The advantages and disadvantages of computer networks and internet access in local primary schools.
    • Can computers really “make kids smarter”? or is the money better spent in a more traditional manner? e.g. better training and pay for teachers, school repairs, better school transport etc
    • The american court cases against both Napster andMP3.com
    • Local copyright issues
    • The disappearance of ACE (american computer express) and its impact (if any) on the local computer reseller market
    • The release of Windows Me (released on the same day in the U.S) and the beta of Mac OS X
    • Would the local telecom market benefit or suffer from the introduction of another telephone company?
    • The advantages and disadvantages of the free StarOffice v5.1 and how StarOffice v5.2 to be made available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
    • The reasons why so many american dot com companies have failed or have yet to turn a profit and what lessons can be learned by locals to avoid such failure.
    • The current and future possibilities for e-commerce in Trinidad and Tobago
    • Violence in both computer and console video games and how these M rated games are being marketed to children
    • The possible advantages of wireless communications in the local market
    • What are the best sci-fi movies ever made 🙂

    This meeting is certainly one for the record books: it ended at 9:30 pm!!

    Thursday 12th October 2000

    On the agenda for this meeting:

    • The Computer Misuse Bill 2000 (which is now before Parliament!).
    • The alleged “hacking” of a local bank.
    • An update about the Infoline Intranet server.

    The Computer Misuse Bill 2000 inspired the most discussion. See the Computer Bills page for the points/issues raised.

    The second most popular topic on the night’s agenda was the the alleged hacking of a local bank. Members in attendance debated the technical aspects of the claim and concluded that the incident was more likely an “inside job” rather than some one obtaining confidential information via a dial-up connection.

    Finally, members were updated on the status of the Infoline intranet server: the machine is up and running, content is being uploaded and the completed project will make its debut on at the next TTCS meeting on Sunday 22nd October 2000 at the Brass Institute.

    Sunday 22nd October 2000 – Freeware image tools, short films, GNU/Linux intranet server

    The first item on the agenda was a demonstration of the FREEWARE Windows 9x software used for the Trinbago Scenes section of the TTCS website.

    Dev demonstrated:

    • Irfanview, an image viewer/converter with basic editing facilities, free for personal use.
    • Digital Camera Enhancer, which easily enhances and clean digital images.
    • Pixaround, the stitching and VR creation program used to create the 360 VRs on the Trinbago Scenes page.
    • JPEG Wizard, a tool for compressing JPEG (and other image formats) without losing quality like traditional compressing prgrams.
    • Imageforge a freeware image editing program with features similar to the shareware Paint Shop Pro.

    There was a short pause for refreshments and during that time we showed the two short independent films

    • “Troops” (a Star Wars parody) and
    • “Killer Bean 2” (Note: KB2 was created by Jeff Lew).

    After the refreshments, it was time to debut the “new Infoline”. Dev and Pcw used a Windows PC to login over a null-modem cable and demonstrate the capabilities of Infoline, the new dial-in Intranet server which will replace the old BBS.

    The GNU/Linux-based server (powered by Red Hat Linux version 6.2) supports many Internet-style features:

    • web page server (using Apache)
    • DNS (using BIND) (so you can enter URLs like infoline.org , ftp.infoline.org, etc )
    • FTP (with resume capability so you can resume an aborted download)
    • e-mail (standard POP3 and SMTP protocols)
    • browser based public forums/message board (using PHP3, Postgres and Phorum)

     

    Thursday 9th November 2000

    This time around, members in attendance discussed the following topics:

    • Microsoft being “hacked”.
    • The First Citizen’s Bank (FCB) e-banking venture at https://www.fcb-e-bank.com which allows registered users to perform many traditional “counter” transactions online. A representative from FCB was present to answer questions.
    • Electronic commerce, credit card use/misuse, local bank credit card policies and the future of e-commerce in Trinidad and Tobago.
    • BMG’s parent company investing in Napster.
    • The “Starworx”satellite download service being offered by Opus Networx.
    • The Computer Misuse Bill issues which were raised at the ITPS breakfast seminar that was held on Tuesday 7th November 2000.
    • The release of the Sony Playstation 2 and the impact it would have on both the local and foreign game markets.
    • The recent closure of several popular “dot com” companies including Pets.com (remember the sock puppet??), mother nature.com and furniture.com.

     

    Sunday 3rd December 2000, 2 pm – second LAN party

    The second LAN party at the Brass Institute, Port of Spain. We had two networked PCs running Quake 3 Arena and members in attendance were able to play “deathmatches” against one another and with additional bots. The equipment used was the same used at the first LAN party.

    Thursday 14th December 2000

    This was the final Pizza Lime™ and the last official TTCS meeting for the year 2000.

    Members focused on the following topics:

    The TTCS was fortunate to have in attendance, Simone Penco, a commercial manager for the EScotia CardPoint Merchant Service to explain :

    • How the service works (from the time customers enter their credit card number on the secure website, to the processing and finally the acknowledgement that the credit card has been accepted).
    • The various security requirements that businesses must have in place to ensure that both the customer and the merchant can have secure transactions at all times.
    • Why Scotiabank decided to offer this service.

    The TTCS was also fortunate to have in attendance Kevin Stewart, an Economic Development Officer from the Tourism and Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) to discuss matters related to the local techpark project.

    He spoke about

    • the reasons for establishing the park;
    • what sort of investors TIDCO was hoping to attract to the project;
    • what sort of industries were best suited for the park;
    • what TIDCO and the government hope to achieve with the park (e.g. increased employment for citizens, transfer of technical knowledge; diversification of the economy).

    Both guests held impromptu question and answer sessions which allowed members at the meeting to ask about material not covered in the general discussions.

    It was yet another meeting for the records: it finished at 10 pm!

  • Electronic Transfer of Funds Crime Act 2000

    Electronic Transfer of Funds Crime Act 2000

    The Electronic Transfer of Funds Crime Bill 2000 was introduced in the Senate in October 2000 at the same time of the Computer Misuse Bill in the House of Representatives. The Bill was passed with modifications in October 2000.

    The main purpose of this Bill is to regulate the transfer of money through an electronic terminal by means of a card for the purpose of instructing or authorising a financial institution to debit or credit a cardholder’s account when anything of value is purchased.

    The application of the Bill is limited to bank cards, credit cards or smart cards or other similar type of cards used for purchasing anything of value.

    It doesn’t address the use of credit cards online.

  • Summary of pre-TTCS Meetings held between 1995 and 1997

    Summary of pre-TTCS Meetings held between 1995 and 1997

    Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society (TTCS) was officially launched in August 1997. Prior to that launch, the co-founders were members of the (now defunct) Society of Computer Users (SCU) and were in charge of organising meetings and maintaining the Infoline BBS.

    This page chronicles the efforts of those co-founders: from the final days of the SCU in 1995, through the official dissolution in January 1996 to the seven months in 1997 leading up to the the launch of the TTCS.

    (more…)