A Word from the President - coreldownunder.org.au 96... · The second option is that CDU...

David Mutch

Fred Jones

[email protected]

Corelunder Editor:

0418 382 965

President:

03) 9876 9161

[email protected]

Secretary:

Richard Crompton

Treasurer:

[email protected]

03 9720 2913

Vice President:

Darryl Howman

Library:

03) 9729 5419

[email protected]

Geoff [email protected]

03) 9008 8218

[email protected]

Membership:Lance Fishman

Jenette Youngman

03) 9893 [email protected]

No. 96 June 2017

CDU Meetings 2016

Tuesday – March 21

Tuesday – February 21

Tuesday – April 18

Tuesday – May 16

Tuesday – June 20

Tuesday – September 19

Tuesday – July 18 (AGM)

Tuesday – August 15

Tuesday – November 21

Tuesday – October 17

This Month’s Cover Lance Fishman& Member’s Gallery Geoff George

Postal Address: Corel Down UnderPO Box 627, Heathmont 3135

10-11 Our Gallery

Phone: 03 9876 9161

CorelDRAW 20174

Pacprint 20178

15 Using the Twirl Tool in CorelDRAW

16 Google Announces ad Blocker

18 Online Subscribers Beware

12 Managing fonts with New Corel Font Manager

21 Networking

Corelunder, No.96, June 2017, 3

Here we are in the depths of winter. It iscold and wet and getting dark so early inthe evenings. Partly due to this we aretrying two daytime meetings, the first beingthis month and the second will be in

August on the 15th starting time at10.00am. Hopefully we will see some moremembers and visitors along to these meet-ings.

It is also vital that we have a good turnoutfor our July AGM, (which is an eveningmeeting as normal). Like all groups todayCorel Down Under is struggling to maintainmembership and more importantly partici-pation at our monthly meetings. Themembers of the present committee havebeen in place now for many years and it isa real struggle to attract new people ontothe committee.

It is for these reasons that the committeefeels that we need to confirm the future ofthe group. This must be done before theNovember meeting this year. A motion forthis will be put forward at the AGM.

The following points need to be consideredby all members:

1. Are you as a member of CDUprepared to join the managementcommittee?

2. All members are asked to contact thecurrent committee with their viewsand opinions to the continuation ofthe group

3. Return of Proxy forms are vital forthis year’s AGM

4. A quorum is required at the AGM orCorel Down Under is in danger offolding without any further actionfrom the members.

Providing a new committee can be voted inat the AGM the group will run until the endof the year with a Special General Meetingto be held at the October the 17th meetingto decide if the group is to run beyond that.

So what does all this mean? This year hasbeen particularly difficult with fairly serioushealth problems hitting over half thecommittee. I suppose this is to be expectedin an aging group.

Many of the committee have come to theend of being able to contribute, and if noone new is able to step up to the plate thenthe group will fold. I’ve requested every yearto members, please consider joining thecommittee, but this year is more importantthan ever if we are to continue.

We need to know what our members think.Maybe the daytime meetings will make iteasier for members to attend? But we doneed to know your thoughts on the matter.

If we can’t navigate our way forward fromthis situation and the group does fold,there are two different scenarios for thegroup and the group’s assets.

Firstly, we simply fold and all assets will begiven to a similar group as per the Corpora-tions law. The second option is that CDUamalgamates with another communitygroup. This would at least mean that themembers will still belong to a group andhopefully still be able to receive informationand learning on Corel products.

Please make a special effort to attend thisyear’s AGM and if you can’t then please letus know what your thoughts are on thematter. I would love to see the groupcontinue and thrive into the future but forthis to happen WE NEED YOU!

Until next time…

Darryl HowmanJune 2017

A Word from the President

4 Corelunder, No.96 June 2017

Using the power of a neural network,Corel’s new LiveSketch™ tool intelli-gently interprets artists’ hand-drawnstrokes; technology disappears tounleash creativity like never before

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired -April 11, 2017) -

Introducing CorelDRAW® GraphicsSuite 2017, the latest version of Corel’sflagship graphics software that offersdesigners a new, hands-on creativeexperience that's unlike any othervector application. With LiveSketch™,hand-drawn strokes are intelligentlyinterpreted, adjusted, and combinedwith existing vector curves, making itsimple to sketch and draw directly on apen-enabled device. The industry’smost powerful graphics solution builtspecifically for Windows, CorelDRAWGraphics Suite 2017 also offers newworkflow enhancements, plus support

for the latest technologies includingadvanced stylus and touch-enableddevices, the Microsoft Surface Dial, andUltra HD 5K monitors.

“Right from the start, vector designsoftware has forced artists to work in aworld dominated by mathematics.When you train yourself to think interms of geometric shapes, polylines,and Bezier curves, the design processcan feel removed from where your crea-tivity began - the simple joy ofdrawing,” explains Gérard Métrailler,Vice President of Global Products atCorel. “Taking advantage of the latestadvancements in Windows hardwareand the power of machine learning, thenew LiveSketch tool in CorelDRAW2017 brings the fun and creative expe-rience of pen and paper to vector illus-tration for the first time. In this new

Industry's First Articial Intelligence-BasedVector Drawing Experience Now Availablein CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017


➢ Next Page

creative environment, technology ineffect, disappears.”

The next major release following theintroduction of X8, CorelDRAWGraphics Suite 2017 boosts produc-tivity with customer-requested work-flow enhancements and sparkscreativity with a focus on rapidlyevolving technologies:

Revolutionary new LiveSketch™tool: LiveSketch uses the power of aneural network to understand anddeliver a natural vector drawing experi-ence that replicates the feel of pen andpaper. For the first time, users canfree-form sketch vector curves directlyon a pen-enabled device thanks to an

intelligent tool that interprets andunderstands sketching styles,including overlapping strokes, foldedlines, and even chicken scratches. Not

just a creativity boost, LiveSketch alsoeliminates the time-consuming task ofsketching on paper, scanning, andtracing to vector by enabling you tostart your designs directly on screen.

Enhanced nodes, handles and vectorpreview: Get faster, intuitive nodemanipulation thanks to redesignednodes and handles. Now, each nodetype is assigned a unique shape, so youcan quickly identify cusp, smooth, andsymmetrical nodes. Vector previews fornodes and curves have been enhancedto stand out against background colorsin your design. Interactive sliders forobject fills and transparencies havealso been enhanced to be more visible.

New touch-friendly user interface:Use Tablet Mode to sketch on the flyand make quick adjustments usingtouch or a stylus. The new Touch work-


� Previous Page –

space streamlines the UI to maximizethe size of your drawing window. Workfaster by panning and zooming in asingle gesture. Automatically switchback to the desktop workspace whenyou re-connect the keyboard, andchoose the UI configuration that worksbest for you in Tablet Mode.

Powerful stylus enhancements: Enjoya more natural drawing experience andachieve expressive results with nativesupport for the Surface Studio, SurfacePen, and Surface Dial, plus advancedsupport for Wacom styluses andtablets. Get instant access to relevantcontrols and quickly choose stylusproperties. Take advantage of pressure,

bearing, tilt, and rotation of your RTS-compatible stylus when using a varietyof tools and effects.

Import legacy workspaces: Bring yourearlier environments directly into thenew CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017and continue designing right where youleft off. Reuse CorelDRAW and Corel®PHOTO-PAINT® workspaces that werecreated in versions X6, X7, and X8.

Ideal for projects of any size - from logodesign, to web graphics, to billboards -CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017includes:


●CorelDRAW® 2017: Intuitivevector-illustration and page-layout application.

●Corel® PHOTO-PAINT® 2017:Professional image-editing appli-cation.

●Corel Font Manager™ 2017:Powerful font management.

●Corel® PowerTRACE® 2017:Bitmap-to-vector tracing utility(included in CorelDRAW 2017).

●Corel® CONNECT™ 2017: Accessdigital content in the ContentExchange and on a localcomputer.

●Corel® Website Creator™:Website-design application.

●Corel® CAPTURE™ 2017: One-click screen capture utility.

●PhotoZoom Pro 4: Plug-in toexport and enlarge digital imagesfrom Corel PHOTO-PAINT.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017 alsoincludes: 10,000 clipart and digitalimages; 2,000 high-resolution digitalphotos; over 1,000 fonts; 350 profes-sionally designed templates; 2,000vehicle templates; over 500 interactiveframes and photo frames; over 600fountain, vector and bitmap fills; expertinsights, product hints, over 5 hours oftraining videos and more.

For a full list of everything included inCorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017 andto download a free 15-day trial, pleasevisit www.coreldraw.com.

Customers can choose from two flexiblepurchase options:

Perpetual License: Make a one-timepayment and license the product

permanently; available as a box ordownload version

Subscription: Pay a monthly or annualfee to use the product; upgrades to thelatest version are included as long asyour subscription is active

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2017 alsogives perpetual license customers theoption to sign up for the UpgradeProgram, enabling them to pay oneaffordable yearly fee and be assured ofworking with the latest design tools, filecompatibility, and most current tech-nology. As long as your account isactive, you'll automatically receive thelatest version when it's released.

Enterprise clients can take advantageof volume licensing options and main-tenance, which offers benefits includingnetwork deployment and virtualization.

Built on the power of our new Corel-DRAW Graphics Suite 2017, Corel-DRAW Technical Suite 2017 will delivernew enhancements to power the tech-nical illustration workflow. CorelDRAWTechnical Suite 2017 will be availablein summer 2017.


Melbourne has just hosted Australia’spremium printers trade show, Pacprint2017, which this year was incorpo-rating Visual Impact. I went along tosee the exhibition and also attendedseveral of the industry workshops andforums.

Our own Richard Windeyer gave thelast workshop of the show. Richardwent through CorelDraw 2017 andexplained many of the new features. Hewas especially excited about the newLive sketch feature, and Richard, inonly the way Richard can do, made itlook incredibly easy. In fact, playingwith it myself afterwards, it is a verynice tool and may even improve mydrawing. Another very nice tool that

Richard demonstrated was the virtualsegment delete tool. I can see this beingvery useful in instances where typeneeds to be converted to objects butthen cut out of a background as youwould do with a Roland cutter forinstance. I think sign writers in partic-ular are going to love this new tool.

The one thing that there was very littleof at the show was offset printingmachinery. Pacprint like other printingexhibitions nowadays, have gonealmost completely digital. Even a lot ofthe finishing equipment is specificallybuilt to handle digital printed paperand boards. Neopost were showingtheir Duplo DC – 646 finisher. Thismachine did all the normal things like

Pacprint 2017with Darryl Howman


➢ Page 16

cutting business cards. Unlike a guillo-tine where you take a sheet of businesscards that are produced 20 up on anSRA3 sheet, (an oversized A3 whichallows for bleed), this machine allowsyou to feed through a full sheet and itslits the cards length ways and cutsthem sideways, feeding the finishedcards out into a hopper and all thewaste down into a waste bin. It is somuch quicker than standing at a guil-lotine making multiple cuts. The otherreally nice feature was the 646 whichcould also perforate a job and produce‘stop perfs’, which is a perforation thatonly partly goes through a job. This isvery useful for cards with multiplecoupons for instance.

The show stealer hadto be the giant 3Dprinter. There was ahuge Coke bottle,about three metrestall that had a holo-graphic projector init and running 3Dvideos every littlewhile. Certainlydifferent from themachinery shows ofold.

I also attended aworkshop run by theUniversity ofNewcastle. TheUniversity havenearly perfected amethod of printingsolar panels. It is quite amazing really.Led by Professor Paul Dastoor theUniversity has perfected an ink whichhas all the solar energy properties tocollect solar energy. The ink is usingchemistry to perform its task. Thepanels themselves are being printedonto a plastic base on an old label

printer. They are a fraction of the costof glass panels but not yet as efficientor long lasting. However, as waspointed out, these panels are incrediblyeasy to replace, can be printed invarious colours, and are cheap enoughto be a real competitor to glass panels.This is definitely and area to watch inthe near future.

The other exciting workshop I attendedwas a talk on 3D printing by AdamTaylor from the University of Wollon-gong. This is an area that is fastchanging the way we do things andthink. New ideas are happening in thisarea at a very fast pace. Apart from thenormal things that 3D, or additivefabrication, are doing, as in printing

bespoke jewellery, including in goldand other precious metals, plumbingfixtures and even surfboard fins, one ofthe most exciting areas is in medicaladvances.

Adam showed us the Biopen which theuniversity has developed in conjunction


CorelDRAW X8 comes with a stan-dalone application called the Corel FontManager, a very convenient way tomanage fonts in a system.

Corel Font Manager has replaced thethird party font manager that wasincluded with previous versions ofCDGS. Considering the needs of Corel-DRAW users, a new font manager isnow included with CDGSX8.

Font files are shared files and areshared by many applications installedon a system. The greater the number offonts installed, the slower the systemperformance. For optimum perform-ance, it is recommended to have nomore than 300-400 fonts installed on asystem. If over 1000 fonts are installedon a system, the performance will beconsiderably lower.

Managing fonts with NewCorel Font Manager

By Anand Dixit

How helpful is it for a CorelDRAW user?

1. No need to install fonts. CorelFont Manager (CFM), allows theuse of available fonts in CDGSX8applications, even if the fonts arenot installed on system.

2. Corel Font Manager’s easy-to-useinterface, makes it simple toinstall or uninstall fonts.

3. Fonts can be filtered by Status (forexample, Installed or Uninstalledfonts), font weight, font style etc.Font filters are integrated in theFont list in CorelDRAW andPHOTO-PAINT.

4. CFM can also find duplicate fonts.

5. Filters are provided to displaycategorized Glyphs (normallyreferred to as 'Character' from afont). e.g. Mathematical,Currency, Punctuation separatorsetc.


Font list in CorelDRAW

All folders and collections added by theuser in CFM are integrated in Corel-DRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Thefont list in CorelDRAW and CorelPHOTO-PAINT gives you access to thesettings. Setting up preferences to filterthe fonts makes it easier for the user to

manage the fonts while working on thejob. At the same time Font Collectionsand Favorite fonts (Favorites), collectedin the Corel Font Manager, are nowavailable within the application.

Realtime integration of font database with DRAW and PhotoPaint

➢ Next Page


� Page 13 – CorelDraw Font Manager

How does it work?

Corel Font Manager (CFM) creates a database library of fonts on a system,whether the fonts are installed or not. Metadata from every font is saved and usedwhile working with the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

The Main Features of Corel Font Manager

Adding folders containing font files

CFM will automatically collectmetadata of installed fonts.Any other folder containingfont files (fonts which may ormay not be installed), can beadded by clicking on the 'Add

Folders' button. Multiplefolders can be added. CFMwill automatically check thefolder for changes and updatethe font database automati-cally.

A Collection is a virtualgrouping of fonts. A Collectioncan contain fonts with asimilar style or weight forexample. CFM will keep thedata of every font added to acollection. Any font can beadded to multiple collections.Users can create a font collec-tion and add specific fonts tothe collection. This will be

very useful when a clientneeds specific fonts to be usedin their designs. CFM will usethe collections when the useractivates the filters (discussedlater). Fonts can be added toor removed from a collectionby dragging them out of theCollection

Previously added folders orcreated collections can beremoved. Note that removing afolder or collection will onlyremove it from CFM database.No fonts will be deleted oruninstalled. To remove a

Collection, right-click on itand select “Remove”. Note:Clicking “Uninstall” will unin-stall the fonts that were addedto the Collection

Adding Font Collections

Deleting folders or collections


This setting shows or hides duplicate fonts (if any exist).

A font, whether installed or not, can be deleted. Caution: Thiswill delete the font file from the system.

Corel Font Manager makes installingand uninstalling fonts simple. Fontfolders or Collections can be removedfrom the list, without deleting the fontsfrom the system however. To install a

font, select a font from the Font list(fonts on the system not yet installedwill be color-coded yellow, fonts in thecloud that have not yet been down-loaded will be color-coded white). Theneither click on the Install Font icon, orright-click the font and select “Install”.To uninstall a font (installed fonts arecolor-coded green), right-click the fontand choose “Uninstall”, or click on theUninstall icon. (Note: Fonts color-codedgreen and with a padlock, are systemfonts and cannot be uninstalled).

A system may have few installed andthousands of uninstalled fonts. Theavailable font filters categories are:Font status; Content exchange; weight;

width; OpenType etc. Over 50 catego-rized filters are available to manage thefonts to be displayed and used.

With the newOpenType fonts,a font maycontain multiplescripts forexample, Latin,Devnagari or

more. Each script may containhundreds of glyphs. Corel Font Managerhas a Docker-type display with fivecommon filters, which allows thepreview of glyphs from the selected font.Script filters will automatically populatethe scripts in a font

➢ next page

Installing and Uninstalling Fonts

Show / Hide Duplicate fonts

Glyph filters

Font filters

Deleting a font


Font information

Displays complete font information including Font family, sub-family, font filepath, font embedding and much more.

Font status color coding

Strip Color Font status

Green Installed font

Yellow Font not installed but available for useor installation

Green with lock icon System font

Pink/Red Bad font. Not to be installed and used.

with Professor Peter Choong from StVincent’s hospital. This amazing ‘pen’,printed on a 3D printer, allows theProfessor to literally paint backdamaged cartilage in knee injuries. Amixture of stem cells and a gelatinesubstance is used, producing a ‘tooth-paste like’ substance which is thenpainted into the affected area. So farsix sheep have had their knees repairedby this method. However, it is veryclose to being trialled in humans and Iwouldn’t be surprised if the first luckyrecipients aren’t some of our foot-ballers, as they often suffer from thesesorts of injuries.

The Herald Sun published an article onthe 25th May, which goes into moredetail about this remarkable new tech-nology. It was very exciting however toactually see and feel the Biopen formyself.

All in all, Pacprint was quite interestingthis year. Now we only have to waitfour more years for the next Pacprint.

Darryl Howman

� Page 15 – CorelDraw Font Manager

Pacprint 2017 Cont from page 9


The Twirl tool is part of the Shape Edit group of tools located inthe Toolbox. It is an easy tool to use, and it can createsome unique looks to your object(s).

The Twirl tool works either in a clockwise or coun-terclockwise direction. There are also options forsetting the pressure and size of the tool. You canalso apply a twirl to objects that have been modi-fied by other Shape tools.

The Twirl tool is easy to use. Select your object, then yourstarting point, then simply click, drag and hold themouse button until you reach the end of your stroke.

You can also use the Twirl tool to create an effect in onearea of your object. Select the area and hold down themouse button until you get the desired effect.

Using CorelDRAW

You can also stop while moving along a path to createdifferent effects within that path. Select your startingpoint, hold down the mouse button, and move alongyour desired path, stopping along the way to create adifferent effect before continuing to your end point.

By John W Mise

The Twirl Tool

Nib Size Rate Pen Pressure

Counterclockwise Clockwise

“““

‘ ‘

CorelDRAW Help Dec 2016


Recently, the advertising industry wasrattled at its core as Googleannounced they would be adding anad blocker to Chrome in 2018 that willrigorously block invasive (obtrusive)ads. Why would a company likeGoogle that makes millions off adstake such a step? All over the world,ad creators are frantically calling theirlawyers while comment sections areoverflowing with doom and gloom. IsGoogle taking the side of annoyedInternet users or are they simplyusing their market power to kill offrivals? Maybe both.

At first glance, Google’s decision todevelop an ad blocker may seem likeGodzilla attempting to becomehousing minister. For years, thecompany has woven an ever tighternetwork of ads that affects not onlythe search engine but also numerouspartner sites. If only there were no

users that persistently fight the joy ofads with ad blockers and similar soft-ware. It may have been disruptive adsthat forced users to wait, autoplayvideos or popups that broke thecamels back. If you've ever beenscreamed at by an ad on your cell-phone in the dead of night you knowwhat I’m talking about. Knowing that,in many cases, the traffic caused byads on mobile news sites faroutweighs the actual content doesn’thelp matters and justifiably outragesusers even more.

Not only have ads become a nuisancebut they can also pose a real threat.Many sites are now selling ad spacesthrough intermediaries that may occa-sionally turn a blind eye when dealingwith shady customers. Consequently,even reputable sites have unknow-ingly contributed to the distribution ofmalware in the past in the form of

Googleannouncesad blocker

- and shakes thefoundation of

the ad industrySven Krumrey


➢ Next Page

inconspicuous ads that surreptitiouslyredirected users to infected websites.Others suddenly found themselves withsuspicious cookies or personalized adsthat had the potential to cause maritaldisputes. If you were using an adblocker, you were safe from all this sothis is not only about freedom ofadvertising but also security.

As the number of frustrated users withad blockers increased, the advertisingindustry, including Google, took aconsiderable hit to their revenue.That’s why they came up withthe Coalition for Better Adsinitiative with the goal ofrendering ad blockers unneces-sary. They’re hoping to achievethis by embedding ads in a moreharmonious way into websitesinstead of forcing them downour throats. Have they had anysuccess so far? Nobody knowsas there are no official state-ments. Even though most usersare aware that many web offer-ings are financed through ads,25 to 40 percent (depending onthe country) already use adblocking tools. Reason enoughfor Google to take this matter moreseriously and to leverage the full poten-

tial of their market power. In thefuture, websites that fail to play by therules will trigger the new blockingmechanism and their Google Searchranking will go down. This would be anightmare for the affected sites.

Many Internet-dependent companies(often publishers with powerful newsoutlets) already feel cornered and haverecently begun filing lawsuit after

lawsuit against the creators ofexisting ad blockers even calling forcountry-wide bans. They considerusing their offers without viewingtheir ads outright theft and nowGoogle has the audacity to integratead blocking technology directly intoChrome - it’s an existential threatand negates their business model.On top of that, there are those whobelieve Google will generouslyexclude their own ads from the newblocking mechanism. This wouldincrease the already substantialmarket power of the search giant

even further and companies that don'tcooperate, i.e. pay Google, or violateGoogle’s guidelines could be seriouslyharmed.


Skeptics are already foretelling the endof ad blocking technology as weknow it once the courts becomeinvolved. They argue that dampeningGoogle’s efforts in court could befollowed by a total ban if only becauseof the non-discrimination principle.Both legislature and judiciary oftenstruggle with Internet-related issuesand may set momentous precedents alltoo easily. Will we some day be forcedto watch ads?

The solution can only be applyingcommon sense which seems to bequite rare on the Internet these days.Google’s approach of making ads more

agreeable and alleviating the pain ofInternet users is certainly welcome butit's quite possible they will try to linetheir own pockets in the process. Still, Iknow many users that don’t grudgecompanies their ad revenue as longas this doesn’t entail long waitingperiods, nagging animations and auto-play videos. It’s like watching a busker.You gladly pay a little money for theperformance but only if the performerdoesn’t keep following you whereveryou go and doesn’t get louder everysecond. If content creators manage toharmoniously blend ads with contentwe might yet have pleasant webbrowsing experiences one day.

Online Subscribers Beware

For those who subscribe online towebsites and pay with recurring directdebits. Beware!

Recently I tried to login to a internetaviation image website and found thatmy password would no longer work.

After long web chat to the provider(unhelpful) and a telephone call to mybank (reasonably helpful). I eventuallyfound the problem.

Between the last successful paymentand one that was rejected, my debitcard expired and was reissued. Samenumbers but new expiry date threeyears later.

When my bank checked the declinedrequests, they found that they includedan expiry date, not the original but oneTWO years later. Hence the rejection.

It appears that some of those overseasproviders who require the expiry dateare in countries where the normalrenewal period is two years and somehave software which automaticallyadds this after the card is due forrenewal.

This would be a minor inconvenience ifthey emailed a message indicating thatthere was a problem and/or that yourservice would be, or had been, termi-nated.

In my case I was told that my vendordid not issue such emails, claimingthat it was my bank’s responsibility.My bank told me that they did notnotify of declined debit requests andthat it was the vendors responsibility.Catch 22.

So keep your eyes on your direct debitsand card replacement or renewaldetails.

Lance Fishman

� Page 17 – Google Announces Add Blocker


In 2012 New York was battered by awhopping great hurricane called Sandy.The Brooklyn neighbourhood of RedHook was hit particularly badly withtelephone and net services knocked out.The situation was potentially disastrous.With communications down, emergencyservice responders had at first little ideahow to prioritise deployment; theinjured, the sick and scared had no cluewhen help would arrive.

Red Hook's sudden isolation was agraphic example of how modern tele-communications infrastructure is inher-ently fragile - and how utterly dependenton it we have become. Thus, the killerquestion: whathappens when theinternet fails?

For the New Yorkers,the answer lay in thepresence of anothercommunicationsnetwork - a rough andready, quick anddirty, do-it-yourselfmongrel set-upknown generically asa “meshnet”. Meshnets are essentiallylocal area networks cobbled togetherfrom router-connected wireless devicessuch as smartphones and tablets,powered by batteries or generators. Thedevices constitute “nodes” in the system,and transmit information between them-selves over short distances. Someenabling software and a lot of tech savvyare required to establish a meshnet. Thesystem is inherently wonky, limited bybattery power and location. Fromanother perspective, however, it isremarkably strong. Data zips betweennodes autonomously, bypassing brokenbits, and is thus “self-healing” in thejargon.

It is also and this is an aspect attractiveto many independent of big outfits suchas Google. The people of Red Hook werefortunate that a mob of locals hadalready been busy building a meshnet.The system was sufficiently mature thatthe Federal Emergency ManagementAgency was able to hook it up to itssatellite system, linking itself, the resi-dents and the Red Cross into an effec-tive communication matrix.

There are quite a few bits of softwarethat can underpin meshnet formation.Some need to be hacked, and mostpresent significant challenges if theyhave to be downloaded post-disaster

when online stores areinaccessible.

The newest and perhapsmost promising meshnet-enabler on the market is aprogram called Commo-tion. Still in beta form, itis available free for devel-opers and end-users alike,and is the product of a USnon-profit group called theOpen Technology Institute

(OTI). Commotion catalyses the develop-ment of peer-to-peer networks runningoff wireless devices. Somewhere in themix there has to be an internet connec-tion, jacked into a Commotion-enabledrouter. The router then shares thebandwidth with all other nodes in themesh, allowing communication withoutthe need for data to pass through acentral hub.

Field trials of Commotion are under wayin many communities, from Google-shyhactivists in Manhattan, to towns incountries such as Tunisia, wherestandard internet is sometimes blockedby government. “Because mesh

NETWORKING by AndrewMasterton


networks are self-healing and able toroute around points of failure, one of theprimary-use cases we envision for meshtechnology is resilience and disasterresponse.” says Greta Byrum, OTI’sacting field operations director.

“But disasters can take many differentforms, from sudden catastrophicweather events to the kind of sloweconomic collapse that overtook Detroitat the end of the last century," she says.“Mesh is a technology that can givecommunities control over their owncommunications infrastructure, whichis useful whether you’re addressingentrenched poverty - one of the mostcommon reasons that people don’tsubscribe to broadband services - orresponding to a catastrophic weatherevent.”

Byrum stresses that mesh networks arenot easy solutions to either catastropheor repression. It is definitely not an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play option. Estab-lishing a mesh requires planning, know-how, and community co-operation.Maintaining a mesh requires frequenttweaking and tinkering. To work effec-tively, need and foresight must firstcombine. To this end, OTI is currentlyworking with residents in the town ofSayada, Tunisia, assisting them tocreate an autonomous meshnet that willcontinue to operate during government-led telecommunications crackdowns.

The SayadaNet, as it’s called, currentlyruns local versions of Open Street Maps,Wikipedia, a library and a chat server.OTI is well aware that independentcommunications networks aren'tpopular with many governments,ncluding that of the US. Greta Byrummakes no apologies. “Digital connectivityhas become absolutely central to partici-pation n government, culture and theeconomy,” she says. “We must challengeany interests that limit or restrict ourability to design communications tools

that truly meet our needs. That said, thelogic of creating distributed, open toolslike Commotion is that they can beadopted widely by dispersed groups ofstakeholders around the world, sothere's no single point of control to betargeted by opposition. Like a meshnetwork, the distributed community ofusers itself reflects a unique kind ofresilience.”

In Australia there are a few meshnetsup and running. They are mainly theprovince of enthusiasts rather thanactivists. The oldest is Air-Stream,based in South Australia. First startedin 2000 as a reaction to expensive,sporadic broadband services, Air-Streamis now “one of the largest contiguousmetro-area networks in the world”,according to Troy Vodopivec, the group’schairman.

Air-Stream depends on a more solid coreof hardware than a Commotion-stylemeshnet (a trade-off in the interests ofstability, Vodopivec says), but stillfeatures multiple autonomous routingand self-healing behaviour. Althoughprimarily a hobbyist organisation“comprised mainly of tech-enthusiasts,students and IT professionals who enjoylearning and experimenting with wire-less network communication”, Air-Stream is well aware of its potentialutility in the event of a natural disaster.

Vodopivec says the group has recentlystarted working with another Adelaide-based organisation, the Serval Project.Supported by Flinders University andothers, the Serval Project is seeking toestablish a disaster-relief meshnetbased solely on mobile phones. ForVodopivec, it's exciting. “By shifting thecontrol of the infrastructure into thehands of the community we are findingnew and creative ways to make low-costcommunications systems that havelong-term benefits for everyone.”

My Notes

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