INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
April 2007
return
to Information Technology Services
Announcements from the Bulletin, Today, Notification-L
04/27/07, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office
The Vista and Office Workgroup (VOW) has been formed to look at our
eventual migration from Windows XP to the Windows Vista operating
system, as well as the campus-wide rollout of the latest version of
Microsoft Office. The workgroup is still in the process of investigating
options. If you'd like to ask questions or share your thoughts on the
subject you can let us know in our new VOW Group Forum in 1600grand.
To join our 1600grand group, go to http://1600grand.macalester.edu and log
in. Click on the Groups button. Click on the Groups Index tab. Search
for "VOW" and then click on the group to join. If you need assistance,
please contact the Help Desk (x6525, helpdesk@macalester.edu).
Here are answers to some of the most common questions we've heard about
Vista and Office:
When are we moving to Vista?
Tentatively, mid-2008. Many important applications do not work with
Vista yet. This date may change depending on when critical applications
are patched by their manufacturers. There will be an announcement when
the date is finalized.
What doesn't work with Vista?
Right now, Banner, PCard, the Novell Client and Novell Native File
Access (on some versions) don't work with Vista. We expect this to
change as vendors update their software. There may also be problems with
other applications we have not yet tested.
Which version of Vista will be used on College-owned computers?
Vista Enterprise, which is an upgraded version of Vista Business.
Should I buy a computer with Vista?
While Vista may be fine for home use, we have identified several issues
that may prevent it from working with important systems on campus. If
you intend on using your personally-owned computer with our campus
software and systems, we strongly recommend that you stick with Windows
XP for now. If you have already purchased a computer with Vista we will
try our best to get it working with our systems, but some things just
may not work. You can contact the Help Desk (x6525,
helpdesk@macalester.edu) for more information.
When can I get the latest version of Office on my college-owned computer?
We will begin making Office 2007 available in midsummer 2007 once we have
finalized documentation and training procedures. Office 2007 runs under
Windows XP and Vista. Office 2008 for Mac OS X is not yet available.
I received an Office 2007 file and I can't open it. What do I do?
Office 2007 uses new file formats named with the extensions .docx, .xlsx
and .pptx. These extensions are not readable by older versions of Office
unless you have the Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility Pack installed.
You can get it from http://macalester.edu/its/software/#office. The
Compatibility Pack is not yet available for Macs. If you have a Mac,
please contact the Help Desk (x6525,
helpdesk@macalester.edu) for
assistance converting the document. Office 2007 also has the ability to
save documents in the older 2003/2004-compatible file formats. This
behavior will be turned on by default on College-owned computers, but
when exchanging documents with students or non-Macalester contacts you
may wish to remind them to save in the 2003/2004-compatible formats.
Should I get Office 2007 for my personal computer?
We don't recommend upgrading until you have a specific need to do so.
Remember that people with older versions of Office will probably not be
able to read your documents unless you save them in the Office 2003/2004
compatible formats. [Bulletin, also 5/1]
04/20/07, Tom Browne '72 Celebration - April 25
Please join Information Services in celebrating Tom Browne's 35 years of
service to the college! Tom will be retiring at the end of this academic
year. We welcome you to an all-campus reception in his honor from 3-4:30
PM Wednesday, April 25, in the Humanities Art Gallery. Tom, a proud
Macalester graduate, has provided a wealth of service and leadership to
Macalester. He has brought the Humanities Resource Center through many
changes in teaching modes and technology. He has mastered everything
from reel-to-reel tapes to computers to satellite TV to meet the needs
of a changing curriculum. Again, please join all of us in thanking Tom
for his service to Macalester. [Bulletin, also 4/24]
04/20/07, Campus Events Calendar
The Arts and Events calendar that appears both on the campus Web site
and in 1600grand allows you to post upcoming events as soon as you know
a date. If you are:
04/20/07, Media Services Closed for Two Hours Tuesday
Media Services will be closed from 4:30-6:45 PM Tuesday, April 24, for a
student employee event.
Thank you,
Brian Longley [Bulletin, also 4/24]
04/20/07, Bandwidth Increase
On Monday April 16, we increased our Internet connection speed -
"bandwidth" - from 25 Megabits per second to 35 Mbps. Because of this 40
percent increase in bandwidth, you should notice faster download times
and better Internet performance. We hope this increase will benefit
everyone at Macalester through final exams, Senior Week and
Commencement. [Bulletin, also 4/24; Today, 4/19, 4/20 and 4/23]
04/16/07, Banner, 1600grand Maintenance Tonight
Attention all 1600grand and Banner users:
Both 1600grand and Banner will be taken offline this evening, Monday April 16
2007, at 8:00 PM for approximately one hour in order to perform preventative maintenance.
1600grand and Banner are scheduled to be available again at 9:00 PM this
evening.
Please contact Tim Friemann (x.6879 or friemann@macalester.edu) if you
have any questions pertaining to this notice. Thank you. [Notification-L]
04/13/07, Check Out 1600grand
1600grand connects its users to the online resources they use most from one
convenient location. All of the main online services you rely on are
"under one roof."
1600grand also is a great way to send out last-minute reminders for
events, lectures and other fun things happening around campus. This also
insures that Bulletin-Flash, an e-mail alert, is reserved for emergency
news only.
To request that an item be posted in 1600grand, e-mail Cheryl Doucette
at doucette@macalester.edu.
Log in every day to get the latest news around campus and keep an eye on
"My Announcements" for last-minute reminders. [Bulletin]
04/12/07, Banner and 1600grand Glitch Corrected
As of 3:35 PM Thursday, April 12, we have identified and corrected the
problem that was temporarily affecting access to Banner and 1600grand.
Some server settings have been changed, so that we should not see a
recurrence of this error. We apologize for the inconvenience this brief
outage may have caused you.
If you would like more information, please contact Tim Friemann,
friemann@macalester.edu or x.6879.
[Notification-L]
04/12/07, Banner and 1600grand Glitch
As of about 2:40 PM on Thursday, April 12, 1600grand and Banner are
experiencing intermittent connection failures. We ask for your patience
while Information Technology Services staff investigate the source of
this issue and find a resolution. We will send out a followup message
when we determine that 1600grand and Banner are performing correctly.
If you have any questions please contact Patrick Leder at
leder@macalester.edu or x6708.
[Notification-L]
[return to Information Technology Services current announcements ] [ITS homepage]