Alright, $10 added to your all campus card wasn't as exciting as I originally thought.

So let's get to the meat of my request... What technology do you want from the university? Do we need computer labs on campus? Do you care if wireless is available?

Let your opinion be heard. Help us find out what matters. Attend our focus group about student technology needs.

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/signup

Details:
Tuesday, April 11
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
*Snacks will be provided*

4/10/2006 9:04:38 AM

Campus is long overdue to have 100% of buildings covered with wireless.

I mean like 5 years overdue. It's ridiculous that a top engineering school is behind fucking UNC on this.

4/10/2006 9:08:13 AM

ad.aspx

4/10/2006 9:11:22 AM

Wireless.

Fiber to the desk.

Getting HR off of peoplesoft. Actually this is the biggest one. GET NCSU OFF PEOPLESOFT.

4/10/2006 9:11:36 AM

^^ i work at state.

4/10/2006 9:17:09 AM

^^ fiber to the desk?

Why do you think that's viable, esp. with gig over copper?

4/10/2006 9:18:45 AM

^It's not, it's just a e-penis dream. The other suggestions are legit though

Oh and here's another BIG one.

We NEED ITD to start offering FREE, REAL hosting to students.

Currently it costs 4 to 10x market price to get a damn MySQL database on a university server. It's also a royal pain in the ass to get PHP enabled.

This is resulting in nearly every student organization moving to private, off-campus hosting solutions. Which, for a tech-university, is really stupid.

It's the same reason many Colleges within the University have moved to private hosting solutions. None of them want to, but the University is so damn apathetic about it, they have no choice.

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 9:21 AM. Reason : .]

4/10/2006 9:20:43 AM

I've never been in an area that I couldn't get wireless on NCSU's campus when I needed it.

And I use the computer stations in Nelson basement at least 3-4 times per week, so yes keep them

4/10/2006 9:22:59 AM

I've only been in a couple of areas of campus that I *could* get reliable access in.

They just this semester brought Brooks hall into the nomad system

4/10/2006 9:29:25 AM

The Business school has actually paid for wireless for its buildings, but there are a shit ton of them still without wireless (at least as of last spring, things may have changed some now).

EVERY building on campus should have 100% coverage, including dorms. ITD needs to fund and support this, not individual departments.

4/10/2006 9:29:38 AM

DO YOU NEED TO POST THIS THREAD MULITPLE TIMES?

4/10/2006 9:30:04 AM

^ nope. won't happen again.

4/10/2006 9:30:57 AM

Maybe because I'm in Nelson all day is why I always get wireless

Never even been TO Brooks Hall, let alone inside it.

4/10/2006 9:31:55 AM

Yea well, pretty much every building outside the Business School, or Engineering, is up wireless shit creek.

But I'd really like a few AP's OUTSIDE. It would be nice to be able to sit in the CotC on a sunny day and work.

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 9:36 AM. Reason : .]

4/10/2006 9:35:21 AM

Quote :

"Do we need computer labs on campus?"

Yes. You don't want to have to walk back to your dorm or worse yet, go home (for commuters) to have access to a computer/e-mail. Didn't they start the program where all incoming freshmen must own a laptop? It will be another 4 years or so before this new rule has been in place long enough to reach every undergrad student. I'd still vote for yes even when the time comes where every student on campus has a laptop. I'm thinking along the lines of labs that give students access to special software like AutoCAD, etc. and people that won't be bothered with dragging a laptop around with them all day.

Quote :

"Do you care if wireless is available?"

Ha! Of course. Might as well ask if the university should have installed telephones back in the day. If everyone coming in as freshmen are expected to own a laptop I don't see how you can't make providing wireless network access a priority.

Quote :

"But I'd really like a few AP's OUTSIDE. It would be nice to be able to sit in the CotC on a sunny day and work."

Agreed.

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 9:59 AM. Reason : -]

4/10/2006 9:58:51 AM

I always go to the labs to use expensive software that I can't afford and that my laptop probably couldn't run anyway.

Solid Works, Auto CAD, MATLAB, ect

I can't imagine this campus without computer labs. That really really suck.

4/10/2006 10:05:28 AM

The labs aren't going away anytime soon, at least not in Engineering. I can say that with a good degree of authority.

Quote :

"Yes. You don't want to have to walk back to your dorm or worse yet, go home (for commuters) to have access to a computer/e-mail. Didn't they start the program where all incoming freshmen must own a laptop? It will be another 4 years or so before this new rule has been in place long enough to reach every undergrad student. I'd still vote for yes even when the time comes where every student on campus has a laptop. I'm thinking along the lines of labs that give students access to special software like AutoCAD, etc. and people that won't be bothered with dragging a laptop around with them all day."

Engineering is "strongly recommending" that all incoming freshmen bring a laptop starting in Fall '06. I don't think the rest of campus has a policy on it yet (Design is probably an exception). That's a good summary of my position though--even when everyone owns a laptop, many folks aren't going to want to run SolidWorks, Ansys, etc. on a machine with a mobile processor and a 12" - 15" screen. Some students aren't going to carry the laptop with them everywhere they go. Some students are going to find collaborating in a lab much easier than huddled up with laptops. Some people would rather go to a Linux or Solaris box to run apps natively than run them over VCL, especially if they don't have a particularly fast connection at home. I could go on, but you get the picture.

4/10/2006 10:12:11 AM

I think there needs to be some sort of instance based licensing for NCSU students.

AKA, if you are on campus, and logged in as yourself to FooBar service, you can get the same software access as in labs. This should definitely only work while on campus and online, but it would make people's personal machines viable for engineering and design schoolwork, without the need or desire to use pirated or grey area software.

4/10/2006 10:27:17 AM

I think requiring a laptop is a bit unwarranted based on what ^^ said.

Any lengthy assignment that I have I will do on a desktop so I can utilize my larger screen, more RAM, faster CPU desktop system.

4/10/2006 10:49:46 AM

Yeah, I don't approve of the "must own laptop" rule either. Especially when you consider that they urge students to buy a certain kind of laptop to "ensure it will integrate with NCSU computer systems" or some nonsense. The whole thing smaks of someone somewhere getting kickbacks.

I'd much rather buy a desktop - you get more computing power for your buck.

4/10/2006 11:01:38 AM

"Do we need computer labs on campus?"

Yes

4/10/2006 11:04:36 AM

DISBAND ALL COMPUTER LABS

TECHNOLOGY IS THE WORK OF THE DEVIL

4/10/2006 11:09:56 AM

Quote :

"Currently it costs 4 to 10x market price to get a damn MySQL database on a university server. It's also a royal pain in the ass to get PHP enabled. This is resulting in nearly every student organization moving to private, off-campus hosting solutions. Which, for a tech-university, is really stupid. "

In the CoE, student groups can apply for hosting under the http://students.engr.ncsu.edu name. Those areas have PHP and might be able to get MySQL (I don't know if anyone's tried).

I don't know exactly who you need to contact about it, but I can find out if anyone is interested.

4/10/2006 11:40:49 AM

wireless would be good for everyone else (no use to me) and get the gum out from under the desks!!

4/10/2006 11:41:46 AM

^^OH I know, I used to work for ECE remember? And it's only open to Engineering student groups and Engineering students. Which makes it even more fucking retarded that one PART of the University does it, is able to manage it, yet the University as a whole still has their thumbs stuck up their ass about it.

4/10/2006 11:43:32 AM

I like how when i lived in Bowen, they had all this hoopla about "SIGN UP FOR WIRELESS!" and that if we voted we would get wireless throughout Bowen. So of course all of us voted, i mean who wouldnt? So we get it and its for the first three fucking floors? What the hell? You cover 1/3 of the building? I'm sure Bowen's not the only place. Fix shit like that.

4/10/2006 11:45:17 AM

Quote :

"We NEED ITD to start offering FREE, REAL hosting to students. This is resulting in nearly every student organization moving to private, off-campus hosting solutions. Which, for a tech-university, is really stupid. "

A-fucking-men. It's easier to get MySQL access at UNC-CH for christ's sake! (ibiblio handles it, and couldn't be nicer folks to deal with)

4/10/2006 12:25:24 PM

Quote :

"Engineering is "strongly recommending" that all incoming freshmen bring a laptop starting in Fall '06. I don't think the rest of campus has a policy on it yet (Design is probably an exception)."

Virginia Tech COE is requiring tablets of all 2006 incoming freshman. But I agree, laptops aren't for everybody. Besides a "requirement" isn't a requirement until faculty make it happen. I think I got by 75% of my college career with a computer that didn't meet NCSU's "recommended" specifications.

Grok, are these suggestions being suggested for ETF spending?

4/10/2006 1:02:55 PM

Quote :

"Yeah, I don't approve of the "must own laptop" rule either. Especially when you consider that they urge students to buy a certain kind of laptop to "ensure it will integrate with NCSU computer systems" or some nonsense. The whole thing smaks of someone somewhere getting kickbacks."

The deal with the recommended systems, in a nutshell, is this--if you buy one of these, and shit breaks, the Help Desk(s) can help you get it taken care of because NCSU has manufacturer representatives to work with, and all that jazz. If you go on your own, they''ll do what they can (which is not a lot in many cases). Also, a recommended system is generally going to be a decent machine, not a pile of junk. And with laptops, much more than desktops, you get what you pay for in quality.

4/10/2006 1:17:19 PM

Whatever. IBM's(Lenova's now) are overpriced pieces of shit.

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 1:22 PM. Reason : pieces of shit may be a bit harsh, but they're no more reliable than Compaqs in my experience]

4/10/2006 1:21:27 PM

then you fucking suck.

IBM > *

4/10/2006 9:37:00 PM

the computers in poe fuck up printing my pdfs, it cuts off what its suppose to print sometimes

4/10/2006 10:07:10 PM

Quote :

"I always go to the labs to use expensive software that i couldn't get otherwise. formerly Solid Works, now Auto CAD, MATLAB, SAP, etc I can't imagine this campus without computer labs. That would really really suck."

hatcheted the quote a little bit to serve my purposes, but the point is made

4/10/2006 10:14:26 PM

Quote :

"Do we need computer labs on campus?"

Where are there not labs...every building I've ever been in has had a comp lab...

Also, the wireless works waaaay over in Jordan, Biltmore, and Robertson.

4/10/2006 10:36:51 PM

some areas of some of the older buildings block out reception and if they dont have the router on the wall you will get really weak to no signal. (harrelson) I havnt tried in many places out east but wireless has worked fine for me everywhere else.

like stated early, some computer labs will always be needed to run the more powerful specialized programs.

4/10/2006 10:46:04 PM

Quote :

"I mean like 5 years overdue. It's ridiculous that a top engineering school is behind fucking UNC on this."

4/10/2006 10:59:07 PM

Computer labs are really essential. This semester is the only semester (of my five years here), I've taken my laptop with me everywhere...and still it stays in the trunk or at home on rainy days. Likewise, computers break, you need special software, you just have to get stuff taken care of and being at home (whether off campus or in a dorm) just isn't conducive to work at the moment...yeah, we need computer labs.

Wireless is absolutely needed. Blanket this place with it. Such a high percentage of courses absolutely require that you access the internet daily, you should be able to do it while sitting in class. If Vista and WebCT continue to be cornerstones of the teaching at this University, anything less than wireless (aka, the ability to be productive by actually getting to what you need) is imperitive.

What do I want? I want more wireless coverage and more opportunities to learn how to do stuff. If you're not in CoE, you miss out on a lot of "how to work the University computer system to your greatest advantage". I'd like to see more workshops on getting the most out of things, or how to use specific programs (like the high-end programs on the lab computers - I had to be taught how to use Photoshop in the digital media lab today, would like to have been able to learn that sooner or take a workshop on it). I'm a fairly competent computer user, but half the stuff people talk about being able to do on the University system is just greek to me.

4/10/2006 11:03:57 PM

Quote :

"^^OH I know, I used to work for ECE remember?"

I know, I just wasn't sure how long that was possible, since like half of the Engineering student organizations are still through ncsu.edu/stud_orgs or whatever.

Either way though, it's definitely dumb that only CoE offers it.

4/11/2006 1:19:18 AM

it'll be fun one day 20 years from now when we discover the cancer rates skyrocketing from all the 2.4Ghz radiation that we spew from all over the place nowadays and go into an asbestos scale freakazoid.

that being said. "strongly recommending laptops" has been in place for 2 years now that I know of, and most juniors that I know have laptops too.

I always love the computer labs with the new up to date rediculously fast (for the time) computers. They make projects with anything cadence related beautiful.

Matlab and maple ran on my 266Mhz computer when I got here my freshmen year. But, not having a laptop, I deffinitly use the labs regularly.

And living directly beside campus... I would love to not have to subscribe to road runner

4/11/2006 7:34:38 AM

Quote :

"I always love the computer labs with the new up to date rediculously fast (for the time) computers. They make projects with anything cadence related beautiful. "

I sure hope this is sarcasm.

4/11/2006 8:19:07 AM