DESKTOP RECOMMENDATIONS

(DRAFT)

 

 

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

This document provides descriptions of recommended "standard" student, faculty, and staff personal computer systems to be used across the California State University (CSU). Our primary goal is to recommend the best possible systems that meet the end-user requirements for students, faculty, and staff and at the same time keep the total cost of ownership of these systems low. Together with these recommended systems we specify a standard set of productivity and communication client software tools. By implementing hardware and software standards the CSU will enable its students, faculty, and staff to communicate and collaborate easily and will also reduce its support and training costs. We will provide specifications for

  1. operating systems
  2. application software
  3. personal desktop computers
  4. laptop (notebook) computers
  5. personal printers.

The partnership will negotiate with vendors for the best price/performance value for the recommended personal computer systems in this document. Support and training will be bundled with these systems. To keep pace with technology, the hardware and software specifications will be updated by spring 1998 and on a regular basis thereafter.

  1. SOFTWARE
  2. The client application software installed on all place-bound and mobile personal computers used in the CSU should support the end-user requirements identified in the companion document "End-User Requirements for Student, Faculty, and Staff Computing." In this section we provide specifications for such software on the Windows/Intel platform and on the Macintosh platform. In particular, we provide recommendations for operating systems and for cross-platform application software to support the productivity and communication end-user requirements of CSU students, faculty, and staff. In later sections we'll recommend the computer hardware on which this software will run.

    In order to meet end-user requirements, the CSU messaging infrastructure will support multimedia mail, directories, and other related applications using several international standard messaging protocols. We list them in the table below.

    Standard Messaging Protocols

  4.  
    5.

    5. Protocol

    Name

  6.  
    7.

    7. Service
    MIME

    Multimedia Internet

  8. Mail Extensions

    9.

    9. Multimedia mail support

  10. for a variety of media types

    11.
    11. SMTP

    Simple Mail

  12. Transport Protocol

    13.

    13. Outgoing mail
    POP 3

    Post Office Protocol

    Incoming mail; mail stored on the client;

  14. difficult to use with more than one client

    15. IMAP 4

    Internet Message

  16. Access Protocol

    17.

    17. Incoming mail; mail can be stored on the network; easy to use with many clients
    LDAP 3

    Lightweight Directory

  18. Access Protocol

    19.

    19. Integrated people (and other)

  20. directory database

    21.
    21. HTTP

    HyperText Transport Protocol

    Primary World Wide Web protocol
    NNTP

    Network News

  22. Transport Protocol

    23.

    23. Group discussions
    iCalendar

    Internet Calendaring

  24. (due in late 1998)

    25.

    25. Personal and Group

  26. Scheduling and Calendaring

    27.

    27. The client desktop/laptop software that we recommend below will take advantage of all of the standard protocols in the table above to enhance productivity and collaboration between CSU end-users. Many campuses already support most of these protocols with their existing messaging infrastructures.

    For operating system software we recommend that Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 be used for Intel PC-based desktop computers because it is more powerful and robust and supports more features than Microsoft Windows 95. On the other hand, we recommend Microsoft Windows 95 for Intel-based laptop and home-based computers because Windows 95 has better support for mobile and modem users than Windows NT 4.0. Microsoft (MS) has announced that both of these operating systems will eventually be upgraded to a future unifying version of Windows NT. Mac OS 8 is recommended for the Macintosh platform including desktop and laptop computers. See Section 6 for Unix systems and workstation provisions.

    For application software we recommend that all Windows/Intel and Macintosh personal computers used in the CSU include installations of the latest versions of MS Office for basic productivity tools, and the latest versions of both MS Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator for communication and groupware access. Office is a very good product that is the predominant productivity suite on both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Office 97, which includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, is the latest release for Windows. Office 4.21, which includes earlier versions of the same three programs, is the latest release for the Macintosh. We expect that MS Office will be upgraded for the Macintosh platform by mid-1998. Office 97 Pro, which includes the MS Access database, is only available for Windows.

    MS Internet Explorer and Outlook/Outlook Express support our standard messaging protocols and integrate well with the other recommended MS software. Netscape Communicator/Navigator also supports these protocols and is currently the most popular application in the CSU and in the world. Since Communicator is so popular, useful, and free for education (except for the "Pro" version), we recommend its inclusion. Thus end-users will be able to use either the Microsoft or Netscape clients for e-mail, web, discussion group, and other communications.

    The table below provides a detailed list of recommended software for all desktop and laptop computers for both the Windows/Intel and Macintosh platforms. We use the April 1998 time frame since that is when we expect purchases through the partnership to begin (this could change).

    Recommended Software for the

  28. Windows/Intel and Macintosh Platforms

    (April 1998)

    Installed on all desktop and laptop personal computers.

    29.

  30. Application

    31.

  32. Software

    33.
    33. Intel Operating Systems
  34. Desktop (campus-based)

    Desktop (home-based)

    Laptop

    Macintosh OS (Desktop and Laptop)

    35.
  36. MS Windows NT Workstation 4.0

    MS Windows 95

    MS Windows 95

    Mac OS 8

    37.
    37. Word Processing MS Word (Office)
    Spreadsheet MS Excel (Office)
    Presentation Graphics MS PowerPoint (Office)
    Database MS Access (Windows - Office Pro)
  38. Claris FileMaker Pro (Macintosh)
    39.
    39. Electronic Messaging (email) MS Outlook/Express (latest)
  40. Netscape Messenger (latest)
    41.
    41. World Wide Web Access and Support
  42. Discussion Groups

    Scheduling/Calendaring

    43.
    		43. MS Internet Explorer (latest)
  44. Netscape Communicator Pro (latest)

    Acrobat 3.0 (portable document format)

    QuickTime 3.0 (video player)

    Real Player 5.0 (streaming video)

    Other common plug-ins

    45.
    45. Virus Detection Best available deal
    Management Software Desktop Management Interface (DMI) compliant tools (hardware vendor specific)

    Most of the software in this table either is bundled with the operating system, or can be downloaded for free via the internet. The exceptions are Office, Communicator Pro, and virus protection software. Each Office 97 license currently costs the CSU about $50.00 through the Wareforce distributor. Netscape’s Communicator 4.0 standard edition, which includes Navigator, Messenger and other clients, is free for education. However, Communicator Pro, which adds calendaring and 3270 emulation clients to Communicator, costs very little per client. Finally, we recommend that the CSU attempt to purchase a statewide site license for virus protection software. As new versions of these and other software packages are released, they will be considered for inclusion in the standard set of recommended software to be installed on all personal computers used in the CSU.

    Clearly, end-users reserve the right to install any free or licensed software they like on their personal computers. However, we highly recommend that end-users utilize the software in the table above to enhance their productivity and collaboration with others in the CSU.

  45. INTEL COMPUTER HARDWARE
  46. In this section we provide desktop and laptop hardware recommendations for Intel-based computers for students, faculty, and staff. These recommendations are intended to identify appropriate systems given the end-user requirements and the need to control the total cost of ownership.
    1. Intel Desktop Computers
    2. The table below contains recommended Intel-based desktop computer systems for both campus (LAN) and home (modem) environments.

      Recommended Desktop Computer Hardware

    6. (April 1998)

      7.
      7. CPU

      233 MHz Pentium MMX
      Memory (RAM)

      64 MB (Windows NT 4.0)

    10. 32 MB (Windows 95)

      11.
      11. Hard Drive

      3.5 GB
      Floppy Drive

      1.44 MB
      CD-ROM Drive

      24X
      Video RAM

      4 MB
      Monitor

      15 inch, 800 x 600 resolution,

    14. built-in speakers, microphone

      15.
      15. Keyboard

      Standard
      Mouse

      Standard
      Network Interface (campus)
    18. Or Modem (home)
      19.

      19. 10/100Base-T

    22. 56KB

      23.

      23. To reduce noise pollution in computer labs and some campus offices we recommend that headphones be substituted for the speakers. The table below contains recommended desktop computer options.

      Recommended Desktop Computer Options

    26. (April 1998)

      27.
      27. Faster CPU

      266 MHz Pentium II
      Extra Memory

      32 MB
      Larger Hard Drive

      5.4 GB
      Bigger Monitor

      17 inch, 1024 x 768 resolution
      Backup Device

      Internal ZIP Drive
    27. Intel Laptop Computers

    To promote learning and instruction, the partnership-supported telecommunications infrastructure build-out specifies that network-accessible jacks be installed in all CSU faculty offices, throughout libraries and labs, and in 15% of classrooms. Therefore, we encourage faculty to use mobile (laptop) computers with network interfaces and modems for portability between office, library/lab, classroom, and home environments. Similarly, students are encouraged to use laptop computers for mobility between campus and home environments. Place-bound staff should be provided with desktop personal computers.

    The table below contains a recommended Intel-based laptop (notebook) system that could be used in both campus (LAN) and home (modem) environments.

    Recommended Laptop Hardware

  48. (April 1998)

    49.
    49. CPU

    166 MHz Pentium/MMX
    Memory (RAM)

    32 MB
    Hard Drive

    3.5 GB
    Floppy Drive

    1.44 MB
    CD ROM Drive

    20X
    Display

    12.1 inch, 800 x 600 resolution
    Modem

    56 KB
    Network Interface

    10Base-T

    Options for laptops including faster CPUs, more memory, more disk space, and docking stations will be provided in the review of this document scheduled in spring 1998.

  49. MACINTOSH HARDWARE
  50. Many end-users in the CSU system use Apple Macintosh computers as their primary information technology tools. The percentage of Macintosh end-users on most campuses is at least 20% and exceeds 50% on some of the smaller campuses. The Macintosh platform has provided an easy-to-use productive environment for thousands of CSU end-users for over a decade, and more than half of the new media educational content in the CSU has been developed on it. Many Macintosh users are devoted to their favored platform because over the years it has contributed greatly to their productivity in a humanistic manner. With this kind of loyalty, the platform must continue to be supported in the CSU.

    The table below contains recommended Macintosh desktop computer systems for both campus (LAN) and home (modem) environments. We previously recommended software to run on these platforms.

    Recommended Macintosh Desktop Hardware

  52. (April 1998)

    53.
    53. CPU

    233MHz G3
    Memory (RAM)

    64 MB
    Hard Drive

    4.0 GB
    Floppy Drive

    1.44 MB
    CD ROM Drive

    24X
    Video RAM

    4 MB
    Monitor

    15 inch, 800 x 600 resolution,

  54. built-in speakers, microphone

    55.
    55. Keyboard

    Standard
    Mouse

    Standard
    Network Interface (campus)
  56. Or Modem (home)
    57.

    57. 10/100Base-T

  58. 56KB

    59.

    59. The table below contains recommended Macintosh desktop options.

    Recommended Macintosh Desktop Options

  60. (April 1998)

    61.
    61. Faster CPU

    266 MHz G3
    Extra Memory

    32 MB
    Larger Hard Drive

    5.4 GB
    Bigger Monitor

    17 inch, 1024 x 768 resolution
    Backup Device

    Internal ZIP Drive

    Recall that we recommend laptops for most students and faculty since they tend to be mobile users. The table below contains our recommendations for the Macintosh mobile platform. Upgrade options will be provided in the review of this document scheduled for spring 1998.

    Recommended PowerBook Hardware

  62. (April 1998)

    63.
    63. CPU

    PowerBook 250Mhz G3
    Memory (RAM)

    32 MB
    Hard Drive

    5 GB
    Floppy Drive

    1.44 MB
    CD ROM Drive

    20X
    Display

    12.1 inch, 800 x 600 resolution
    Modem

    33.6 KB
    Network Interface

    10Base-T
  63. PERSONAL PRINTERS
  64. We recommend standard black & white and color printers for our recommended desktop systems. By incorporating a printer the partnership will be able to offer desktop systems that are pre-configured and fully functional on installation.

    Recommended Personal Printers

  66. (April 1998)

    67.

    67. Feature

    Black and White Printer

    Color Printer

  68.  
    69.
    69. Print technology Laser/LED Inkjet, four color CMYK
    Print resolution 600 x 600 dpi 720 x 720 dpi
    Ink delivery Replaceable cartridge Separate black/color cartridges
    Paper size (max.) Legal, 8.5" x 14" Legal, 8.5" x 14"
    Paper capacity (min.) 100 sheets, letter size 100 sheets, letter size
    Standard compatibility Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Mac OS 8.0 Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95,
  70. Mac OS 8.0
    71.
    71. Interface 8-bit bi-directional parallel interface (IEEE-1284);
  72. Mac serial interface (RS-422)
    73.
    		73. 8-bit bi-directional parallel interface (IEEE-1284);
  74. Mac serial interface (RS-422)
    75.
    75. Input buffer 16 KB 32KB

    In the review of this document in spring 1998 we will recommend other peripherals such as scanners, cameras, network printers, departmental servers, and assistive/adaptive devices.

  75. UNIX DESKTOP WORKSTATIONS
  76. Desktop Unix workstations are powerful computers that are usually used to execute resource-hungry discipline-specific applications such as computer-aided design (CAD). Most of these disciplines are in engineering and the sciences. Usage of desktop Unix workstations in the CSU is split between Sun, HP, IBM, SGI, Digital and others, with no dominant vendor. For these reasons, we do not recommend any Unix desktop standards at this time. However, if the demand for any single vendor's Unix system grows large enough, then the partnership will attempt to arrange to sell a standard Unix desktop system with options. We do not discuss Unix (or any other) server platforms in this document.
  77. WEB SITES OF POSSIBLE VENDORS

http://www.gte.com

http://www.microsoft.com

http://www.fujitsu.com

http://www.netscape.com

http://www.apple.com

http://www.wareforce.com/wareforce/clients/csu.htm (Microsoft and Claris Software)