(News Straits Times; October 15, 2006)

KUCHING: Lai Chiong Ching, an undergraduate of Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, came out tops at the recent Sarawak Open Source Competition. For his feat, he took home RM6,000 in cash prize.

Lai's winning software, File Injection and Retrieval Application version 2, is a file stenography, an encryption application written in Java that compresses or hides text messages inside bitmap image files.

Curtin University also won the second prize through a team of three undergraduates comprising David Wong Liang Tai, Chan Chen Shyang and John Lau Kah Soon. They bagged RM3,000 in prize money with their software called Reprogrammable Intelligent Battery Charger. This software is a smart battery charger that takes advantage of embedded programming using a microcontroller to monitor a nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride battery charging condition without overcharging the battery, thus increasing the life span of rechargeable battery.

The third prize went to Aravinth K. Manogarn, an undergraduate from University Malaysia Sarawak. He took home a cash prize of RM1,000 for his interactive Kuching City Map software. This software provides travel plan suggestion for tourist according to their interest and demand, which makes it ideal for tourism-related companies to promote their products.

Other winning software are Bats Biodiversity Database with Google Maps, Food Stop Open Source Blog and Linux Printing System.

The prize were given away by chairman of Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri DR George Chan Hong Nam, who is also chairman of Sarawak State Information Technology Resources Council.

The competition, organised by Sarawak Information Systems in collaboration with the Information Communication Technology Unit of the Chief Minister's Department, is aimed at promoting the adoption or development of solutions using open source software.