Hunter College -- Department of Sociology
Spring 2007 Classes -- Kuechler

Check your Computer -- and be ready for Class

Last update:  28 December 2006
Recommended monitor resolution: 1280 x 1024  (how to)

Thanks to Devra Golbe for many helpful suggestions on earlier versions of this document.
This document is primarily written for students in my spring 2007 courses. I make very extensive use of Blackboard (Bb) course sites in my classes and many assignments require students to find, retrieve, and document information via the Internet using both generally accessible web sites and restricted access (literature) databases. Permission is granted to use all or parts of this document  for non-profit educational purposes. In return, I would appreciate hearing about any errors, ambiguities, or inconsistencies  you may find and/or suggestions for additional topics or better solutions.

This documents assumes that you are using a Windows computer as more than 95% of the students in my classes do (as previous surveys have shown).  Unfortunately, I know little about Mac computers (and the college won't give me one so that I could learn).  However, it is possible to run a Mac computer in dual mode -- switching between the Windows and the Mac operating system. The details depend on the kind of Mac computer you have. For the new generation of Intel (processor) based Mac computers (like MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro), Apple offers "Boot Camp"  to allow running Windows "natively" and the new Mac OS (named Leopard) to be released in spring 2007 will have Boot Camp integrated.  The loan notebooks available in the Hunter library (coming some time in 2007) will also feature dual operating systems.



In order to avoid problems with visiting either the course web site itself or following links to other sites later on, e.g., when you are pressed for time completing a homework assignment, I strongly urge you to give your (home) computer a quick check and -- if necessary -- to perform some maintenance now. Unless you discover a serious problem with your computer which needs fixing, none of the steps described below cost any money. All required software upgrades or updates are FREE; but some additional suggestions may include a purchase.

Overview


Browser

For the most part, you can use any of the major browsers. However, Blackboard, Inc. has "certified" only two browsers:
Other browsers may work, but they may not work with all features or they may not work consistently.  In particular, avoid using the AOL browser as it is most frequent source of problems (see below).

The most widely used browser is still MS Internet Explorer (MSIE). In fall 2006, a long overdue new version 7 was released and by now  -- provided you have "Windows Updates" enabled -- it has been pushed out to most users. So, you should use either MS IE 7 or Firefox 2. Check the "about" item on your browsers' "Help" menu, if you are not sure about the version. Also, make sure that your browser performs regular updates (you don't really have to do anything, as this is the default, but firewall settings may prevent those automatic update checks).  Click the links above if you need to download one of these browsers.  If you have "add ons" installed with an older version of your browser, they may or may not work with the current version. There is no general rule. Firefox will automatically check for a current version  of an add-on which no longer works, but  -- since these are third party products -- there is no way of telling whether this search will be successful.  Also, it is a good idea to check out the new and/or improved features of the latest version of your browser so that you can take full advantage. You will be directed to appropriate sources after you have done an upgrade.

Find IE help menu about itemNote that the MS IE icon for version 7 is slightly different from the one used with version 6, now featuring what looks like a golden orbit. Also, by default the Help menu is somewhat hidden. Use the >> icon on the far right.

To see the "menu bar" (familiar from version 6), you have to enable it from the (new) Tool menu on the right hand side: Just click the item "menu bar" and you get it back -- as shown in the screen shot.




Find Firefox help menu about item Firefox about window

Basic Browser Configuration

Select "Options" from the "Tools" menu, then the "Content" tab. Make sure that both "JavaScript" and "Java" are enabled and that images are loaded automatically. These are the default settings, so you probably do not have to change anything. Whether or not you want to block pop-up windows is a matter of personal preference. For the most part, tpopu-up windows are simply annoying just pushing unwanted ads on your screen. But some sites -- including some parts of Bb including the "Virtual Classroom" -- do not work properly if pop-ups are blocked. So, if you block, then also enter an exception for "hc.bbprod.cuny.edu" or "*.bbprod.cuny.edu" .

Firefox basic configuration
To enable "java", you need to have it installed in the first place. Check your "Control Panel" (via the "Start" button in the lower left corner of your screen):

Java control panel



If you find an older version of java, use the "Update" tab to
If you don't have java installed at all or if you don't have a "Java Control Panel" (as shown above), simply visit the java download site.  Note that terminology and version numbering are a bit confusing. What you need for your browser to work with java applets is the JRE (java runtime environment) and -- on the download site -- the current version is referred as "version 5 -- update 10" whereas your control panel will subsequently show that you have version 1.5.0_10 installed.

IE popup blocker checkIE check on java and image loading

If you don't see a "Java" item, check the control panel (see Firefox section above) whether java is installed on your computer and download if necessary.

Exempting *.bbprod.cuny.edu from pop-up blocking is necessary for the Bb "Virtual Classroom" to run properly.

In contrast to Firefox, IE does not have a separate check box for enabling "javascript". They are treated as one form of "active content" (other forms include VBscripts and Active-X controls) and though can allow all active content to run (via the "Advanced" tab shown in the screen shot above), this is a security risk and not recommended.

If you run into problems with active content you will get a notification like the one shown below and you can take corrective action at this point.

IE inforbar messageIf you get frequent such messages with routine use of the Bb course site, you may want to move this site ("hc.bbprod.cuny.edu") into your "Trusted Zone" and set the security level at "medium-low" or "low" for the Trusted Zone.

IE trusted zone sites

Finally, when using the IE browser, users have a choice between the "regular text box editor" and a "visual text box editor". A text box editor is used when posting to the Bb Discussion Board or entering comments with an assignment submitted online (students) and  when creating announcements and other items (faculty). The "visual text box editor" can be made "available" or "unavailable" using any browser, but the setting is only effective when the IE browser is used. By default (at Hunter), the visual text box editor is "available":

IE visual text box editor
This visual editor provides many more editing tools than the standard version.  However, a special component ("Active-X control") must be installed first  or you will not even see any box to enter your text. If this happens, watch for a message in the "Information Bar" (discussed above) and follow the directions given there. You will be prompted to allow the installation of this component.

Subsequently, you will see the text box, but you have to activate this control every time you use it -- by simply pressing the spacebar or the ENTER key. No big deal, just a slight nuisance.
























Bb regular text box editor


This fancy editor, however, may interfere with screen reader software (used by people with visual impairments). So, here is how you make this fancy editor "unavailable":

Bb editor settings 



Important note for AOL  users

The AOL browser is notorious for creating problems with Bb course sites (and a lot of other sites). You may not notice a problem right away, but chances are high that sooner or later something will not work right when you use the AOL browser. Problems include getting an outdated version of a document -- and you may not even notice that something is wrong -- due to AOL's standard procedure to use its own "server caches" rather than always checking with the site specified in the URL. So, do not take chances and get in the habit of using another browser -- either MS IE  or Firefox.  You can use an AOL connection to the Internet (no need to switch your Internet Service Provider or ISP -- though dumping AOL is an excellent idea). Just make sure to minimize the AOL browser and use another browser for all your course work. It may be necessary to fake some ongoing use of the AOL browser (e.g., by visiting some chat room and just lurking there); otherwise, AOL may shut down your connection prematurely.  If you have a Windows computer, MS IE is already installed. However, make sure that you have a recent version of MS IE (see above).


Acrobat/Adobe Reader (AR)

There are many documents on the web using the "pdf" format and the free Acrobat Reader is needed to deal with such documents (though they are displayed in a browser window). Most likely, you will have some version of AR already installed. However, you may not be able to view a document completely or to use all of  its feature if your reader is not recent. So -- if necessary -- upgrade to the latest version of AR which your computer supports:
When you follow the link to the download site, the most recent version for your computer will be displayed automatically!  It is really easy, and you don't have to be a computer wizard to do this. How do you check which version you have currently?  Same as above (this works for all Windows "applications" or programs): Go to "Help"/"About".

Some pdf document are set up as "forms", i.e., using AR you can actually add to the content (fill in the blank areas). Some homework assignment may require filling out such pdf forms, so you need a current version of AR which will allow you to do this.

Full Acrobat

While the Adobe Reader lets you display, save, and print (contingent upon limitations imposed by the author of a pdf document), it does not let you create pdf documents. This is extremely useful -- especially when you are doing scholarly research on the web and want to document your sources. Last year, Hunter obtained a limited site license for  Acrobat Professional and this software is available in the Hunter College computer labs. (Hopefully, the license will be amended to cover the current version 8; as of December 2006 only version 7 is available.)  A wider site license covering all CUNY colleges is under consideration, but little progress has been made. It is unlikely, that such a site license will be in place for the spring 2007 semester.

Graduate students (and undergraduate students doing serious web based research) should consider buying a copy of the software so that they can work on their research projects from home -- at a highly discounted (but still quite high) educational price. These versions (both "Standard" with a more limited set of features and  "Professional" -- feature comparison) are available online form either the Adobe Education Store ($99 Standard/$159 Professional) and authorized educational retailers like CampusTech ($90/150) -- prices vary.

Freeware Alternatives

Given the high cost of Acrobat (even with the education discount), it is tempting to look for cheaper -- and possibly -- free alternatives. And, indeed, there are several such options. However, all these provide basic pdf conversion only which does not preserve any links. Links in the original document may appear in blue and underlined in the resulting pdf document, but they will only look like links without functioning as such. In contrast, Acrobat lets you create pdf documents from web sites with all links intact. Actually, the last three products all use Ghostscript, but only PDFCreator provides an integrated installation file.  Installation and use of PDFCreator is very easy and problem free. You can create a pdf document from any application (which allows you to print) by going to "File"/"Print" and selecting  "PDFCreator" as your (virtual) printer. There is no physical printer involved, rather a file (in pdf format) is saved on your computer:

PDF Creator use
If you want to learn some more how this pdf conversion works, check a document I wrote almost five years ago (in February 2002) on the subject.  PDFCreator simplifies what I described in this document considerably. So, if you don't have WordPerfect and you don' t want to shell out the money for the full Acrobat, do install the PDFCreator.






























Media Players 

You probably have some version of Windows Media Player (WMP) already installed. But to be able to play/view all media files you need to have a current version installed. As with Acrobat, "current" means different versions depending on the operating system:
So, again, check first what you have and -- if you don't have the most recent version for your OS (operating system)  -- follow the appropriate link above to download the current version.

WMP plays almost all video and audio files you find on the web (and -- by now -- so do most other major players like Real or Quicktime), but  you will need a current version of the WMP to play "screen movies" I offer on the Bb course site -- e.g., partial recordings of class sessions like demonstrations on how to use specific (interactive) web sites. These screen movies use a special "codec" not available for other players (and also not available for the Mac version of WMP).

Recently, CUNY started "podcasting". So far, I don't see much content useful for class, but this may change. To access and play these podcast, install iTunes (the free player) on your computer.  When you do this, the Quicktime player will be installed as well.  Alternatively, you can use Juice -- an "open source" product -- to manage and play podcasts. Note that you don't need an iPod or any other portable MP3 player to access "podcasts", you can just play them on your computer.
Also, once you know the URL for a particular "episode" (audio/video file), you can play it in WMP or any other media player. Example: Faculty Lecture Series -- open in your browser and click a link below the brief descriptions of the lectures like "Tax Dollars, Private Coffers, and Running for Office".

Thumb/USB Drives

Screen movies tend  to be quite large (5-10 MB and sometimes more) so downloading via a telephone modem connection from home is possible but very time consuming. (There is no problem if you have cable or DSL Internet access -- also jointly referred to as a "broadband" connection.)  If you have a telephone modem connection to the Internet only, you may want to use a "thumb drive" (aka as pen drive or USB drive) to download screen movies in a Hunter lab and take them home on your thumb drive. These drives are made by different manufacturers and come in different storage sizes; for the purpose of this class a 512MB (or even 256MB) device should be sufficient. Prices have come down and such drives now cost as little as $10 (one possible vendor).

Flash

Many web site use Flash for multimedia and video files. A free player is available to enable your web browser to display such content. For MS IE, you need a "ActiveX control", for Firefox -- and most other other browser -- you need the Flash "plugin". Make sure to upgrade to the recent version 9.  To check whether you have the Flash plugin installed, and, if  so, which version, do the following:
Firefox plugin listScroll down to see whether the Flash plugin is already installed.
Firefox plugins checkIf you can't find the Flash plugin or an older version only, click the link at the top of the "Installed plug-ins" page.
Downlaod Flash pluginFollow the direction on the ensuing web page.


Note that you use exactly the same process to check on and install any other "plugin".
Internet Options Programs Make sure to select the "Programs" tab

ActiveX window

Select the (shorter) list of Active-X control first, then look for Flash. If you don't find it or an older version only, go to the Flash download site.  The Active-X control will be install directly (without saving a file on your computer first) and there is no need to close the IE browser first. You may be asked for your permission to proceed with the installation.

SnagIt

SnagIt is an extremely useful utility to capture parts of or whole web pages in various formats. You can also capture "scrolling pages", i.e., pages which do not fit fully on your screen. While there are a number of similar utilities (some of them freeware or shareware), this is by far the most developed one -- offering a host of features. Such a utility is necessary to document web pages which have protections interfering with the usual save/print  operation. It is an dispensable tool for serious web based research and a "must have" for graduate students. SnagIt is available from TechSmith at an educational discount (currently $29.95 for the current version 8.2). Older version are available for less at education retail stores (example); CampusTech also offers bundle sales of the current version at a great discount (e.g., a minimum of 10 copies reduces the price to $17.65). So, if students in a class get together and place one order, they can all save quite a bit of money.

EndNote and WriteNote

Both products fall into the category of "bibliographic software", i.e. software to collect, store, and manage bibliographic references from literature searches in databases like EBSCO, JSTOR, and many more (see separate document on these databases). They are available for both home and office use via a Hunter site license covering both students and faculty.  Check the Hunter library site for more details on download and installation. EndNote is the more sophisticated program, so there is no need to install both -- especially now that EndNote offers a web option (meaning that you can store your references on a web site which is available from any computer with an Internet connection).  The web option was added in fall 2006 only, so make sure that you have installed the latest version of Endnote (X.0.2) if you want to switch between the full version of EndNote installed on your computer and the web version.

EN version check and update itemEN Tools menu with transfer item

The "Transfer References" item is new to version X.0.2. It allows you to move references ("libraries") between your computer and the "MyEndNote" web site. A one time registration is required for this features to work.  Check separate document for information on using EndNote (at Hunter).












WriteNote is web based only and offers fewer features and thus is easier to learn. Suitable for undergraduate students with limited interest in writing research papers. In my graduate courses, use of EndNote is required.

Using the Hunter Proxy Server

Due to changes in the way the Hunter proxy server operates (which became effective on Sep 1, 2005), this section has been removed. It is no longer necessary to make any changes to the configuration of your browser. However, this convenience comes at a price. For more information on this issue check the document on "Finding Information on (Published) Research Online".


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