Campus posts student computer recommendations for 2010-11

Information and Educational Technology has released its recommended computer configurations for UC Davis students for 2010-11. Among the revisions: If you still use an Apple PowerMac G5 for campus work, you probably need to replace it.

The recommendations list Microsoft and Apple laptop and desktop configurations that work best in UC Davis' computing environment. IET, consulting with the campus tech community, adjusts the standards each spring.

Inevitably, equipment and specs which were innovative a half-dozen years ago, and adequate last year, have slid into obsolescence. The PowerMac G5, which Apple introduced in 2003 and retired in 2006, is an example. It does not accommodate Apple's latest operating system, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Meanwhile, Apple no longer sells OS X 10.5, and the company has stopped sending security updates for OS X 10.4. As a result, the campus is withdrawing its technical support for OS X 10.4 as of June 30, 2010.

The recommendations include two charts--one with the 2010-11 standards, and one that lists obsolete configurations. Other revisions for 2010-11 address hard drive size, the wireless card, Windows operating systems, and more.

Please direct any questions to the IT Express Computing Services Help Desk at (530) 754-HELP (4357).