i/s Back Issues

Volume 12

No. 6  July/August 1997

This column presents news and tips from the consultants who staff the Computing Help Desk, x3-1104. Check out their Web home page at

http://web.mit.edu/helpdesk/
         
         
         Q:  Can I use Microsoft Internet Explorer instead of Netscape 
Navigator to get Web certificates for secure MIT services? 
 
A: No! While Internet Explorer provides access to the World Wide 
Web, it doesn't currently support the certificate technology used at 
MIT to provide secure access to many MIT-specific Web services. 
Netscape Navigator 3.0 or higher does support this technology. For 
more information on obtaining certificates, or to download Netscape 
Navigator 3.0, go to 
         
         http://web.mit.edu/ist/help/cert/
         
         
         Q:  Does Information Systems support and recommend the Windows 
NT operating system?
         
A:  As of July 1997, IS provides partial support for MIT users 
running Windows NT, including connecting to MITnet with the built-
in TCP/IP network protocol. In general, programs supported by IS in 
earlier versions of Windows will receive the same level of support 
under NT.
         
However, support does not imply a recommendation that you move 
to Windows NT now. While most commercial applications have 
Windows NT versions, several of MIT's business applications do not 
work well under NT. For specifics, see
         
         http://web.mit.edu/winnt/
          
You should also consider hardware requirements before upgrading. 
Windows NT requires a lot of power, memory, and hard disk space. 
IS recommends a 100MHz or higher Pentium processor, with at least 
32MB of RAM and between 80 and 120MB of free hard disk space.
For more information about Windows NT at MIT, see
         
         http://web.mit.edu/winnt/ 
 
If you still have questions, call the Computing Help Desk at x3-1102 
or send email to <pc-help@mit.edu>.
         

i/s Home |  i/s Back Issues |  Volume 12 |  No. 6