MSDNAA Information

The CS/CIS Area has a subscription that should become active in the next week or so.  This subscripion will allow students in the CS or CIS degree programs to download Microsoft development software for free. You purchase it at the department store front, but the cost is $0 unless you want to order disks.

You can access the store by clicking on the following link. MSDNAA Store Click Here

Here is some information on how the process works, from the beginning of the semester till you get your software.

Beginning of the semester:

1. I receive a list of the students. Specifically, I get a list of your email addresses.
2. I use this list to create the accounts for all CS/CIS area students.
3. Microsoft will email you with your login information. This will basically be your userid, which is the email address I got from your instructor, and a password. In the past, this email has tended to get caught by the spam filter, so remember to check you spam folders.  If it still slips by, don’t worry.    You can go to the site, enter your userid (email address from blackboard) and hit the “Forgot Password” option.  They will resend the welcome email to that address.

* Be sure to have an up-to-date email address in BlackBoard!!
Accessing the Store Front

When you login and you will be presented with the software packages that the faculty have selected to feature.  Basically, this is the stuff you need for class.  At present we have Windows XP SP2, MS Project 2003 Pro, MS Visual Studio 2003, SQLServer 2000 Developer edition, Visio 2003 Professional, and OneNote. I’ll be setting the store up to offer Visual Studio 2005 in the coming weeks.

Select the software package(s) you want. With selections made, go to the Checkout function.  You can choose from several delivery methods for the software. The download and burn in lab options are FREE.  You can also purchase disks for a nominal fee. If the package has an activation code, that code will appear on their receipt.

The download option doesn’t work as a delivery method. I’ve never met anyone that can get it to work on a broad scale. However, it doesn’t matter which of the free options you choose, the main thing is to have MS issue you an activation licence (that crazy 16 character code you get with software).

To get the actual software,  go to the Admin 3-50 lab with blank CD-R disks to burn copies. The machines against the far wall (East side of building) have copies of the disk images (.iso files) and you can burn copies of the software.

Simply logon to the machine, put your blank CD-R disk in the burner, and select the disk image from the MSDNAA folder on the C drive. When you double click on the .iso file, Roxio comes up and begins the burning process. Most applications take one disk, Visual Studio Pro takes 6 (Visual Studio 2005 takes 5).

At home, simply install the software like you would any other application they’ve ever inistalled.  Viola! You are now fully equiped to develop your projects.

Well, thats all I know, and now you know too.

Dr. Barnett

Scheduling Classes

The Spring 2007 semester is barely off the gound, and class schedules for Summer and Fall 2007 are already coming due. I thought that I’d give everyone a heads-up on the process. Nothing is official until it goes into the Official Schedule of Classes!!

The CIS area will be offering the standard fair of classes in Fall 2007, CINS306, 302, 350, 430. We are looking at offering two (2) electives: CINS344 Information System Security and CINS492 (letter to be determined) Special Topics. At the moment, we are thinking E-commerce for this special topics course.

The CIS area policy is to offer 2 electives in the Fall semester, and one in the Spring. We’ve been doing that and we will continue. Come Spring 2008, we will offer CINS 435. You will need to have completed CINS306, CINS 302 and CINS 430 to take this course. If you are going to need an elective in Spring 2008 to graduate, be sure to get those prerequisites out of the way.

CIS faculty will be telling you the same thing during advising.

Well that’s what I know, and now you know too.

Dr. Barnett

Open Source Software

With the semester starting back up, lots of you will be heading off to classes that will require word processors, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, and maybe the odd database. You may also find yourself wondering how you will be able to afford a copy of Microsoft Office for your home computer. With the budget cuts that came after Katrina and Rita, the ULM labs aren’t always open when you need to get at an office productivity suite. An alternative to MS Office that could help those of you that don’t have Office (not all computers come preloaded with it) is OpenOffice. OpenOffice is availible from OpenOffice.org.

OpenOffice is an open source product and more importantly its free for you to download from the website and use. This is the most well known open source application suite and is generally compatible with MS Office formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt, .mdb). For those of you with Macs, don’t feel left out. OpenOffice is a multiplatform application (it runs on lots of operating systems). Also, NeoOffice offers an open source alternative to MS Office for the Mac. Again its totally free and is supposed to be compatible with Office formats. If you’re strapped for cash and in need of an Office compatible suite of tools to do your homework, this might be the time to checkout open source software.

Now the big question: “Dr. B” how do these programs work?” I haven’t used either one. NeoOffice was featured in a list of free software in a recent issue of MacAddict and the comments were pretty promising. I intend to get a copy for my Mac and check it out. As far as OpenOffice, this is where I’m going to get you involved. If you’ve used OpenOffice, or NeoOffice for that matter, leave a comment telling everyone about how they worked. The $150 (academic price for MS Office) you save, could be your own.

Well, thats what I know, and now you know.

Dr. B

CIS@ULM Moving?

Hello and welcome to what will probably be the new home of CIS@ULM. If you never read the old blog that was hosted on Blogger, well then you won’t really notice anything. I’ve included a link to our old blog in the BlogRoll section on this page so you can see what we’ve been doing. If this move becomes permanent, that older blog will go away.

By way of introduction to those that are just finding out about this blog, this is the quasi-official online home for the Computer Information Systems program. Sort of unofficial official site so to speak. I and the other CIS faculty will be posting information here that pertains to the goings on in our program, the industry, and items to help/inform our students. We’re doing this to provide a place, even virtually, for all of us to rally around in the absense of a department and department office.

I’ve provided some backgound on this blog and listed the rules that we’ll be following. Hopefully, this will provide a way for all of us to come together as a discipline or major. As things progress, we may move this blog on campus, or we may not. I do want this to be “our” space, so comments and suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and Welcome Back

Dr. Barnett