ISTalk

Information Systems Technology

SPRING 2008

For the past seven years, the Technology Users Committee has conducted a survey of technology services among students. Starting today and until April 25, we solicit student suggestions for improvement, ideas, and feedback. The transition from audio tapes to digital streaming audio for authorized class recordings, the migration from an aging email system to Microsoft Exchange, and the internal student face book are the result of past student suggestions. To encourage participation, ten lucky participants will receive one $15 iTunes card, courtesy of Apple. Click on the link below and help the Law Center community use technology better. http://www.law.georgetown.edu/forms/form.cfm?FormID=269.

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We are pleased to announce the completion of audio-visual technology renovations in McDonough 200. The classroom now features 3 large plasma displays, data-projector, in-room computer and integrated controls at the lectern. In addition, state-of-the-art video-conferencing components have been incorporated within the room, enabling communication between Law Center audiences and remote speakers. If you are interested in learning more about the technology capabilities in McDonough 200, please contact Christopher Ballantyne at ballantc@law.georgetown.edu to schedule a demonstration.

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After a thorough examination of the options to improve the cable television infrastructure at the Law Center, the administration contracted with our existing cable television provider, RCN, to redo the cable TV infrastructure throughout the Law Center Campus this summer. The new service agreement includes an expanded lineup of channels, including some HDTV channels. The much-awaited upgrade of the aging telephone system of the Law Center to a new Voice-Over-IP system, which routes phone calls over the network system, is about to begin. After working hard with our colleagues on the Main Campus on the paperwork for several months, the administrative process is near completion and the upgrade is expected for the summer. Details regarding both upgrades will be sent to affected community members as soon as the work schedule is ready.

The IST department is pleased to announce that Microsoft SharePoint services will be available for Law Center student, faculty and staff members in the next academic year. SharePoint allows users to collaborate in document creation and information sharing over the web with the desired levels of confidentiality and information security. This is an ideal service for those community members who write books and journal articles with other authors or research assistants. If you are interested in being part of the testing phase, then please contact Adeel Hasan at amh83@law.georgetown.edu.

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Not sharing a password looks like a good idea but not everybody follows this advice.

Hackers are getting more and more ingenious at social engineering, that is, at having people volunteer their passwords or other confidential information. Some of their email and phone messages seem very authentic and urgent. It is for this reason that the IST department wants to assure community members that if you receive such a request from Georgetown University or another organization, it is most likely a phishing attempt. Also, it is the University practice to update passwords only at the request of a user.

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Microsoft and Apple have both released new operating systems and Office products. What’s new and different with these systems?

John Clyman of PC Magazine states that “many aspects of Vista are substantive improvements: stronger security, better built-in apps, networking enhancements, parental controls, and DirectX 10 graphics support, to name just a few. “ After testing, we have found that Vista is an extremely stable operating system, which means that it does not crash that often. We like its new security features. For example, Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode prevents the silent install of malicious code. It may seem burdensome to have to constantly tell the computer that you want to install something, but it really helps with security. It offers better WiFi support for laptop users and comes with some fun toys. There is the “Gadgets bar”, which can display the date, time and weather on screen. There are “live icons” that give users a preview of files before they open them. And of course, there is the glamorous “aero interface”, which provides glass-like, transparent windows. And, the search function is vastly improved.

The biggest change with Office 2007 is its new interface. Instead of the menu and tool bars, there is now the “ribbon,” which groups your tools by task. You can now save a Word document as a PDF file, without having the Adobe Acrobat Suite installed. Look for training on Office 2007 in the fall semester. We will have fun learning about this new version of Office together.

Edward Mendelson of PC Magazine said that he “found Leopard to be startlingly fast, brilliantly streamlined, and packed with conveniences and innovations.” After looking at it, we sort of agree. It offers an automated back-up system, which is very nice. The new “Finder” (the Mac equivalent of Windows Explorer) displays thumbnails or full-size previews of most standard file types. Like Vista, the Leopard search feature has been vastly improved. Insofar as new toys, Leopard offers "stacks," spring-loaded icons that pop-up to display thumbnail images of recent downloads. Leopard also works effortlessly and intuitively in today's world of networked computers and peripherals.

Apple’s Office 2008 is faster than the 2004 version. However, it’s not as robust as the Windows-based Office 2007. To quote Edward Mendelson, "Office 2008 is certainly faster than the old 2004 version when run on an Intel-based Mac, but it's a disappointingly clunky upgrade that won't tempt me away from the Windows-based version, Office 2007."

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