Category: Software

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Software, Students

Mathematica 8 Now Available

Andrew Ruether

Last month, Wolfram Research released Mathematica 8.  Swarthmore ITS has the new edition available for download for faculty, staff, and students here:Download Mathematica 8 (Swarthmore username and password required).  We have versions for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. From Wolfram’s website, here are the top 8 reasons to upgrade: Enter your queries in plain English using new free-form linguistic input Access more than 10 trillion sets of curated, up-to-date, and ready-to-use data Import all your data using a wider array of import/export formats Use the broadest statistics and data visualization capabilities on the market Choose from a full suite of engineering … Continue reading Mathematica 8 Now Available

Security, Software

Freshen up your Java!

Nick

Ok, I’m not talking about coffee but rather the software that permeates most of our computers.  Sun’s (now Oracle’s) Java is ubiquitous in today’s computing environment.  Unfortunately, as is often the case with widely installed software, it is a major target for attackers and malware writers.  Add to this the fact that Java often has numerous security holes and you’ve got a formula for mass infection.  (Frankly, Java makes it very difficult to keep a computer secure.) What can you do to help the situation? 1) Make sure you’re always running the latest version.  You can find what version you’re … Continue reading Freshen up your Java!

Academic Technology, Mobile Devices, Software, Web Projects

Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

MK

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2010 Academic Technology Fair.  For those of you who are looking for more information on some of the great topics presented this year, or for those who were unable to attend, all of our materials are now available for download: DimDim is a web-based, real-time, collaboration solution that allows for easy, cross-platform (Windows, Mac and Linux, equally) conferencing.  Only presenters who want to share their screens—not attendees—need to install anything.  If you need to present somewhere when it would be inconvenient to go in person, DimDim can help you get there “virtually.” DimDim … Continue reading Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

Security, Software

Give Your Computer a Fighting Chance

Nick

Regardless of the type of computer you use, someone somewhere is always trying to infect it or break in.  One of the best defenses you have is keeping your operating system and applications up to date.  Today, like it or not, patching is a necessity although many treat it as optional. When software vendors announce patches, miscreants immediately begin reverse engineering (if they weren’t already) the changes to determine where the security holes exist in the software.  They then write code designed to exploit these holes and gain access to your computer.  The number one way to deliver this malicious … Continue reading Give Your Computer a Fighting Chance

Software, Swatfiles

SwatFiles Drive

Andrew Ruether

Have you tried SwatFiles – the system that lets you store and share your files online?  You can upload your files and access them from any computer with an Internet connection – no VPN needed.  In addition, you can share your files with selected colleagues whether at Swarthmore or not.  You can also use SwatFiles as a drop box, simple wiki system, and a web server .  All faculty, staff, and students have space on the system.  You can access SwatFiles at swatfiles.swarthmore.edu. For the folks that are already using SwatFiles, one common question is how to easily edit files. … Continue reading SwatFiles Drive