Ready for New Software?

With new software comes change. With change comes anxiety. Thus is the perpetual cycle of software updates. But, if you’re willing to embrace change and tolerate the anxiety (with our assistance), here’s a rundown of new software the OIT Help Desk is currently offering for installation, and the pros and cons of upgrading:

Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows

For at least 14 years, the many iterations of Microsoft Office to date have used familiar menus to access tools and features. Microsoft decided to shake things up a bit with Office 2007, replacing the beloved menus with a new feature called the Ribbon Menu. It’s not that big a deal, but it does take some getting used to, and frankly it’s not a bad idea when you consider the number of menu categories and subcategories added to the program over time; things were getting a bit difficult to find under the old system.

Why should you upgrade?

• New context-sensitive Ribbon menus replace familiar menus
• New default xml-based extensions update document flexibility and decrease file size

Why should you not upgrade?

• New context-sensitive Ribbon menus replace familiar menus
• New default xml-based extensions aren’t immediately compatible with previous versions of Office, which can be problematic in a mixed-version environment
• Not supported with PeopleSoft

How to get it?

Our Microsoft Site License allows upgrade and installation of Office 2007 on University computers at no cost to departments. Contact the Help Desk at 426-4357, or consult your college or area net admin.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

Office 2008 is not the radical visual upgrade Office 2007 for Windows was, but it’s much less prone to crashing (especially on Intel Macs) than Office 2004 for Mac, and much more responsive. Plus, the native file formats are now compatible with the new formats introduced in Office 2007, which makes for seamless Office file swapping between Windows and Mac users.

Why should you upgrade?

• Native software build for Intel Mac provides faster and more stable performance
• Native file formats identical to new formats introduced in Office 2007 for Windows

Why should you not upgrade?

• Performance may be poor on non-Intel Macs
• Upgrade is relatively minor in terms of look and feel
• Macros are no longer available

How to get it?

Our Microsoft Site License allows upgrade and installation of Office 2008 on University computers at no cost to departments. Contact the Help Desk at 426-4357, or consult your college or area net admin.

Microsoft Windows Vista

Windows Vista had a few problems out of the gate. It was immediately incompatible with our desktop management software, as well as several of our University software applications. Also, many major vendors were slow to release hardware drivers for Vista, making some upgrades difficult.

OIT is happy to finally announce support for Windows Vista, either as an upgrade from Windows XP (depending on your computer), or as an installation on new computers. OIT will evaluate all requests for Windows Vista based on your computer’s hardware specifications and the software you use for your job.

Vista is, in essence, a visually-dynamic upgrade of Windows XP. Other than a few key features placed in different locations, the most noticeable difference between Vista and XP is the increased amount of interaction Vista requires. Whether browsing the web, downloading files or installing software, you’ll see a lot more “Are you sure you want to do this?” pop-up windows in Vista.

Certain features of Vista (primarily the pretty new Aero graphics) are only available with a new machine or a recently purchased computer with a spiffy graphics card.

Why should you upgrade?

• Improved search features
• Better security
• Visual improvements may improve your workflow

Why should you not upgrade?

• Still not fully supported with some University applications
• Performance may be abysmal on older equipment

How to get it?

Our Microsoft Site License allows upgrade and installation of Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise Edition on University computers at no cost to department, provided your computer hardware is deemed compatible. Contact the Help Desk at 426-4357, or consult your college or area net admin.

Apple Macintosh OS X 10.5 “Leopard”

Apple Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) visually enhances the Macintosh operating system environment. New folder views allow easier access to large amounts of files, the Spaces feature provides up to four separate screen workspaces, Time Machine automates file backups to an external hard drive and finally makes it simple to restore a deleted or modified file, and (if you have a fast computer with a decent graphics card) Cover Flow makes it easier than ever to help determine (and preview) the contents of your files.

Why should you upgrade?

• Improved visual workflow
• Ability to use multiple desktop views
• Time Machine backup is easy as pie

Why should you not upgrade?

• Anything less than a G5 Mac will experience performance problems
• You’re perfectly happy with OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and don’t want the visual eye candy
• Some older OS X applications may not be compatible

How to get it?

Contact the Help Desk at 426-4357, or consult your college or area net admin to make sure your computer hardware can run Leopard productively. Purchase a license through the University Bookstore, and then the Help Desk, or your college or area net admin, will install the software.

Training Resources

• If you need assistance viewing Office 2007 and 2008 files in previous versions of Microsoft Office, we can install the Office Compatibility Pack on your computer to translate the files. Contact the Help Desk or your college or area net admin for assistance.
• To help you become familiar with these new programs, the office of Employee Learning and Development offers training classes on Microsoft Office from time to time. Check their training schedule for further information.
• Also, Microsoft has some good Office 2007 tutorials online.
• Learn about Windows Vista on Microsoft’s Windows Help site.