Archive for the 'Software' Category

Open an Unanticipated PDF File, Infect Your PC!

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Most everyone knows not to open executables (e.g., .exe, .bat, etc.) and documents (e.g., .doc, .xls, .ppt, .html, etc.) received via email when they’re not expected. However, did you know that Adobe Acrobat documents (.pdf) fall into the same category?? It’s quite straightforward for an attacker to invisibly modify a pdf document in [...]

Don’t Ignore the Windows Update Shield!!

Friday, October 24th, 2008

If you’re a Windows user, did you ever wonder what the periodic appearance of a yellow shield on your task bar means? When you have Windows Automatic Update enabled (and you definitely should!), your PC will regularly check with Microsoft to see if any new software fixes or patches are available to download and install.
Generally, [...]

Google Chrome - a nice complement for browsing

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

ITS tested Google Chrome on several of our swat online services, and found that many swat services function properly. Chrome is packed with many features that are easy to use including navigation and search history. If you are interested in road testing Google Chrome, feel free to download it; but keep in mind, Chrome is [...]

Eudora Migration Continues

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

EUDORA MIGRATION CONTINUES
During the summer over 170 faculty and staff members have transitioned from Eudora to another email client. Thunderbird is the most popular email client selected. Beginning in October, ITS will be scheduling a time to migrate current Eudora users.
We understand that changing e-mail software can be inconvenient so please consider the following [...]

Faculty and staff are encouraged to upgrade to Office 2007

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Office 2007
Starting this summer, ITS began transitioning the campus from Microsoft Office 2003 (Windows) to Microsoft Office 2007. Starting this semester, all classroom computers, all public and managed departmental labs, and all new machines and setups will have the 2007 versions of Office installed on them. ITS has been working closely with faculty and staff [...]

Office 2007 Line spacing tip

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Members of the Swarthmore community have shared valuable feedback about ITS’ Microsoft Office 2007 implementation as noted in this blog from our colleague, Cathy.
During a recent overview session, we discussed line spacing options and modifications.
By default, Microsoft Word 2007 applies a line space of 1.5, however, our colleague, Cathy found that we can reduce the [...]

Thunderbird Features

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

As Thunderbird is being introduced to the community, ITS would like to point out some features available in the program. Thunderbird is capable of the following:

Creating and using mailing lists
Applying filters and rules for message handling
Tagging, color coding messages
Dragging/dropping messages to/from folders
Creating subfolders
Customizing the interface (move fields)
Sorting by fields
Creating and using signatures

To find out more, [...]

Mathematica Unlimited

Friday, June 20th, 2008

New passwords for 2008-2009 are available on the data-software server, including a new unlimited, network-independent license for students to install on their own computers. Detailed instructions on updating your system can be found for Mac and PC on the data-software server.
For faculty and staff, when you launch Mathematica, you may be prompted to enter a [...]

Thunderbird Overview Sessions

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Join us on Thursdays to learn about Swarthmore’s new email system, Thunderbird. ITS will offer Thunderbird Overview sessions for our PC and Mac users. We will alternate each week, for example, the first session on June 19th will focus on Thunderbird on PCs, the following session will focus on Thunderbird on Macs. We look forward [...]

Microsoft Office Overview

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

ITS is offering an overview of Microsoft Office 2007 to individuals or offices ready to upgrade. The overview will be held each Wednesday at 1:30 PM in Trotter 201 through August 8th. This summer, Office 2007 will be installed on all Windows Systems being upgraded, all computer classrooms and public area systems used by students. [...]