Apple Macs

Macs are versatile computers and for doing things like: typing papers, working with Microsoft Excel and Power Point, reading email, surfing the web, or other general tasks you won't see any functional difference between a Mac and a Windows PC. However, a Mac will not run Windows-only software without some help, and a number of software packages used in the Engineering cirriculum will only run under Windows. There are three common options available to students with Macs when they need access to Windows-only software.

• Use one of the Student Computer Sevices labs or departmenal computer labs for running software used in a particular course. Most, if not all, of the software used in your classes will be available in one of these labs. These software packages tend to be complex and expensive, so you will likely be using these labs to run this software whether you purchase a Mac or a Windows PC.

For software that you find yourself using a lot, and want to purchase a student version of, you have two choices if there is not a Mac version of the software available.

• Use Apple's Boot Camp to turn your Intel-based Mac into a dual boot computer. You will have the option of booting up under Windows (sold separately) or MacOS when you start your computer. The disadvantage to this method is that a reboot is required to use the other operating system, and sharing files between the two OS's may require extra steps. The advantage is that your programs should run faster, because they are running directly on the Mac's hardware instead of simulated hardware. Boot Camp is included on the MacOS disk you receive when you purchase your computer.
• Purchase a program like Parallel's Desktop for Mac or VMWare Fusion that allows you to run a virtual Windows computer on your Mac. This does not require a reboot to switch between operating systems, and files created under one OS are easily shared with the other OS. This is a very convenient solution, but being a virtual computer it may not handle 3D graphics well.

Note to Civil Engineering Students

Civil Engineering is increasingly using a software suite developed by Bentley Systems in their courses. This software provides civil engieners with a comprehensive design tool covering virtually the entire spectrum of the CE profession. Depending on your course, you may have the opportunity to use parts of this software suite on your personal computer. This software is resource intensive and is only available for Windows, you will need to run it using Boot Camp.

Running Linux on a Mac

MacOS is based on a cousin of Linux known as FreeBSD, and a number of the tools and open-source software packages available for Linux are also available for MacOS. If you need to run Linux on your Mac, Boot camp and virtual machines will allow you to do this.

Other Software

As with Windows-based desktops and laptops, students using Macs can download McAfee anti-virus, and Endnotes (a MS Word add-in for doing bibliographies). However, none of the MSDNAA software that the College licenses will run under the Mac OS. To use this software on your personal system, you will need to use one of the methods above for running Windows on your Mac.