The Council on Computing -- a group that act as an advisory forum for computing issues on campus -- is currently investigating the pros and cons of shifting to an entirely Macintosh-based or Windows/Intel-based environment.
The Council has been investigating the effects of a homogenous computing environment. An all-Mac or all-Wintel campus can give students and faculty great advantages, said Psychology Professor Chris Jernstedt, who chairs the Council on Computing.
However, this desired environment is currently difficult to implement at Dartmouth, because of the varied requirements of the different schools and departments, Jernstedt said.
While the majority of undergraduates use Macs, students at the Amos Tuck School of Business and members of the College administration rely heavily on Wintel machines.
Of approximately 9,000 computers on campus, only about 1,000 of those machines are Wintel, but the number has been increasing for many years.
Many faculty and students praise the Mac Operating System as powerful and easy to use. The power of Mac hardware is also seen as a positive attribute for the system.
Kiewit has a large administrative system to handle problems that students and faculty may have with their Macs, but has only recently hired a full time person to handle glitches with Wintel systems.
The high cost of replacing the Mac-based staff and equipment with Wintel staff and equipment would also serve as a deterrent for switching to an entirely Wintel environment, Jernstedt said.
But since Wintel machines already exist on campus, it would be difficult for the College to revert to a solely Mac-based environment as well, Jernstedt said.
Currently databases such as Public, where students and faculty can gain access to many different computer programs, are limited solely to Macs -- a drawback for Wintel users.
"I think that it is good to be open and to allow people to at least have the option" to purchase whatever computer they desire, said Mark Zanatta '98, the student representative on the Council. "That said, I personally am leaning extremely towards Macs."
The Council's final decision on what operating platform will be most beneficial to the College will affect the computer package offered to incoming freshmen.
One of the issues which influences the decision is the cost of performance. Administrators try to keep the system costs low to make it easier for all students to purchase a computer. However, the desire for low cost must also be balanced with the desire to put together a package that will serve the students effectively.
"What will best serve students' needs through the years" is at the forefront of Council decisions, Zanatta said. It is important that "in [students'] senior year that they will still be able to use their computer effectively."
