Escape to the New Netscape

We recently converted from Netscape 4.77 to Netscape 7.0. We skipped version 6.0 because our tests indicated too many problems. After several months of testing this new version, we found the added features and benefits to be worth the conversion frustration!

Netscape 7.0 is based on Netscape Gecko. This engine is compliant with the newest layout standards. The layout engine is the software that determines how the web page displays on your screen. You’ll find that Web pages will look better, and you can view all the latest special effects, graphics, and styles that web developers put into their sites.

One of the new features in 7.0 is Netscape Radio. It’s included in your personal toolbar. Radio@Netscape is an easy-to-use player that allows you to choose from over 150 stations.

Size Matters

Are you keeping EVERYTHING? E-mail folders are intended for temporary storage of your mail. You can think of it as the post office. Once you have sent or received something you should then file it away for permanent storage if you wish to keep it. You may use the e-mail storage for short term storage for referral but long term storage should be moved to disk. Think of that as your file cabinet at home where you keep copies of your bills.

Disk space is not actually the problem. However, having a large e-mail folder increases the likelihood of corruption and slows down your response time. This also increases the time it takes to backup your system and impacts the University’s overall system performance.

-In Outlook, you can insert a size field by right clicking on the sort bar above the preview pane and selecting field chooser. You can then drag the "Size" field to your sort bar.
-You can see the size of your Exchange mailbox by right clicking on "Outlook Today," choosing "Properties" and clicking folder size. It will give you the total size along with the size for each folder.

Spend the Time

Reminder: If you are transferring a call back to the operator, please do not just say "transfer call" and hang up. We don’t want to frustrate the caller by making them repeat what they need. Stay on the line long enough to give the operator the scoop.

Or---even better, eliminate the extra step to the operator. If you can locate the number, please just transfer the call yourself. Hit the transfer button, dial the 5-digit extension. and hit the transfer button again. Then tell the person you’re transferring the call to what the caller is interested in. This will get our callers to their destination that much quicker.

If you’d like for your department members to have a brief visit regarding tips for improved telephone customer service, just give Betty Brewer a call at 43777.

2000 and XP

Do you ever wonder if Bill Gates deliberately tries to make us crazy? There's been lots of confusion regarding Office and Windows XP and 2000.

• Several months ago, we added Office XP as the primary office suite, but left Office 2000 on the system during the transition. Office 2000 has now officially been removed.
• Windows XP is now available upon request only (contact the Helpdesk if you're ready to convert). Otherwise, your University PC will continue running Windows 2000 this spring. At the end of the spring semester, we will convert all the PCs on the network to the XP operating system. Therefore, the lab PCs will be running Windows 2000 during the spring, and will be switched to Windows XP by Summer I.

Blackboard Conventioneers

Last month’s Update offered one faculty member an opportunity to go to Blackboard’s convention in February. Due to the large number of entries, Computer Services decided to send two faculty members and the VP for Academic Affairs agreed to send two also. So… on December 11th, Dr. David Payne drew the four winning tickets. The recipients are Gene Young (English), Randy Garner (CJ), Hadley Leavell (Finance), and Mary Ann Bell (Library Science).

Point and Click instead of Paper and Pen

For some time now, undergraduates have been able to apply to Sam with the online Texas Common Application. This past summer, we added the option for graduate students. In the calendar year 2002, we received 7,047 applications via the State online app.

On November 11th, Dr. Eglsaer and the associate deans recommended that we proceed with an online common application for scholarships here at Sam. Fortunately, the State is integrating an online scholarship application with the online application system. The University of Texas is testing this now. We will input all the scholarship descriptions into the system based on the online information. If your department offers a University scholarship, please review this site, and ensure your information is included, complete, and current. Once the State has the system fully operational, we will schedule a meeting to discuss the logistics of actually getting your applications to each of you. Then we’ll go live!

Spring is Here!

If you’re providing flyers to each student mailbox, we currently have 2,508 student boxes being used for the Spring 2003 semester.

Researching the Institution

Did you know that we had 18% more transfer students in the Fall of 2002 than in Fall of 1998? Did you know that our beginning freshman’s average SAT has increased 27 points in the past five years? If you’d like to know about our student population, check out the Mini Profiles.

New Faces and Spaces

Dustin Thornton has joined Computer Services as a Computer Systems Technician. Dustin is a December 2002 graduate with a major in History and a minor in Computer Science. Dustin will be working with the Database Conversion Team. His office number is 125 in AB1 and his phone number is 294-3650.

The AB4 building will have a new general access computer lab, room 203. This lab will have 77 Dell PCs. They are 2.4ghz; 256mb RAM with a 15" Flat Panel. Half will have zip drives, and half will have DVD/CDRW’s. The new workstations in this lab will NOT have floppy drives. We’ll have four Power Mac G4’s with CDRW and zip drives.

Our Lab Manager, Bill Thomas, will be housed in this area in room 203D. Additionally, our Web/Training staff members Garett Gowens and Jacob Spradlin (and their student assistants) have moved from the Helpdesk to 203B, AB4.

In Touch Always

Students will now be allowed to maintain their e-mail accounts after they graduate. The accounts will be deactivated only if unused in a six-month timeframe. Another change planned for the student computer accounts: new accounts will be issued with the student's three initials and a three-digit number. As soon as the programming is completed, the STD prefix will not be a part of the new usernames created.

New Year’s Resolution

Make computer security one of your 2003 resolutions. Change your SHSU passwords. It’s fine for the Nell and PC password to be the same. But if you use them remotely, be sure to change them when you return to campus.

Also, if you have a home PC, download the security patches for Windows. Microsoft released a number of patches during the last few weeks, and our systems team spent the holidays fixing the problems for our network. Take the time to protect your system. If you have a University laptop and have questions, contact the Helpdesk at 41950.