|
Peter Kiewit Computing Services currently provides support for Macintosh
operating systems (Mac OS X) versions 10.3.9 and higher. If you are running a
computer with a version of the Macintosh operating system prior to version
10.3.9, contact the Computing
Help Desk at 646-2999 or your department's
computing support office to determine if your computer can be upgraded to a
supported version. To find out what hardware and software is supported by
Computing Services, see Supported
Hardware and Software.
For the past several years Mac OS X has been the operating system
shipping on all Macintosh computers purchased from Apple Computer. It is a
UNIX-based system that provides improved stability for your
computer. Note: New Apple computers will no longer
start up in any operating system prior to Mac OS X.
Mac OS X is very different from earlier versions of the operating
system. Most software applications, as well as the software needed to run
peripherals such as printers, zip drives, and external drives, have been
updated by the vendor of that software in order to be compatible with Mac OS X
computers. Please contact the Computing Help Desk at 646-2999 or your department's
computing support office before upgrading to the latest
operating system to ensure applications or devices you rely on will work with
the upgraded operating system.
In addition, the Computing Help Desk or your department's
computing support office can tell you about other software that is
available for the Macintosh operating system. For example, Dartmouth has
an agreement with Microsoft that allows Dartmouth faculty, staff, and students
to purchase some Microsoft products at a significantly reduced price. This
includes software that Microsoft has developed for the Macintosh. If you
are interested in obtaining the Microsoft Office suite of software
(Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for your Macintosh
computer, please contact Computer Sales
and Service at 646-3249 for pricing information.
Apple Computer is constantly updating their operating systems. We do
not recommend upgrading to the latest version as soon as it is released, as
there may be programs or peripherals you require that do not run correctly with
the new version. Usually, waiting a few months gives third-party
software vendors a chance to update their products.
The most recent release of the Macintosh operating system is version 10.5
(Leopard). Most of the software applications in general use at Dartmouth now
work correctly with this latest operating system release. After upgrading to
version 10.5, be sure to download the latest versions of the software
applications you use from the Software
Downloads Web pages. We have published a Compatibility
Matrix that gives information on new operating systems and the
compatibility of applications.
Note: In January 2006, Apple began shipping computers that
have the new Intel Core Duo processor. The SideCar software does not work on
these new computers. The recommended authentication method is to use a PKI
Secure Certificate, which is used to identify you to systems on the Dartmouth
network. For more information on using PKI certificates, see
Using PKI Secure Certificates at Dartmouth. If you have questions on
getting or using a PKI certificate, contact your department's
computing support office.
As part of version 10.5, Apple released Boot Camp, which allows you to
install and boot into Windows XP on new Macintosh computers that have the Intel
Core Duo processor. Two alternatives to Boot Camp are virtual machine
applications. One is called Parallels, the second is VMWare Fusion. Both Parallels
and VMWare allow you to run Windows from the Macintosh desktop. When using
Boot Camp, you must close down the Macintosh desktop and boot into
Windows; Parallels allows you to switch to Windows with the press of a key.
Both Parallels and VMWare Fusion can be purchased through Computer Sales
and Service. For pricing information, please contact them at 646-3249.
If you have questions about purchasing one of these computers or questions
about updating your current operating system, contact the Computing Help Desk
at 646-2999 and select from the options provided, send electronic mail to help@dartmouth.edu, or call your
department's
computing support office.
|
