The deployment timeline for Windows Vista, Mac OS X Leopard, Office 2007, and Office 2008 for Mac.

Summer 2008

• The Lafayette "Recommended Bundle" available for purchase by students and employees through the Dell University Program will be configured with Windows Vista Business and Office 2007.
• Windows users whose campus office systems are due for renewal will have the option to select Windows Vista Enterprise or Windows XP.
• Mac users whose campus office systems are due for renewal will receive systems with Mac OS X Leopard installed.

Spring 2009

• Training and documentation for Office 2007 and Office 2008 for Mac will be available in the early part of the term.
• All smart classroom and lab computers will be upgraded to Office 2007 or Office 2008 for Mac.
• All new Windows computers purchased and imaged by ITS will come with Office 2007 installed.
• All new Mac computers purchased and imaged by ITS will come with Office 2008 for Mac installed.
• A schedule will be determined to upgrade existing employee office systems to either Office 2007 or Office 2008 for Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are there plans to install Windows Vista or Mac OS X Leopard on faculty and staff computers that are currently running Windows XP or Mac OS X Panther?
A: No. Retroactive operating system upgrades to faculty and staff computers are not planned at this time.

Q: I noticed that smart classrooms and labs are not upgrading to Windows Vista. Why is that?
A: Windows XP is still likely to be installed and used throughout campus for at least the next year, so it's important that labs and smart classrooms remain accessible and usable to all those who need them.

Q: I'm an incoming student and don't want to purchase a Dell Recommended Bundle. What version of Vista should I buy?
A: ITS recommends Windows Vista Business.

Q: Are there any compatibility issues with Vista and software currently available on campus?
A: There are only a few minor things to consider:

• NetStorage - To access NetStorage in Internet Explorer 7 you must enable SSL 2.0.
• Stata 9 - Software updates must be run by right-clicking on the program executable file and choosing "Run as administrator."

Q: What if I have Office 2007 installed on my personal computer and need to edit files on a lab or smart classroom computer before Spring 2009?
A: ITS recommends you save your files so they will be compatible with Office 2003, but the lab and smart classroom computers have the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack installed on them. The Compatibility Pack allows Office XP/2003 to deal with Office 2007 files.

Q: Why is ITS waiting so long to upgrade to Office 2007?
A: Migrating the campus to a new version of Office requires a coordinated effort from all areas of ITS as well as the community. In addition to feature and compatibility testing, we also need to prepare documentation (the new version is quite different for PCs), training options, and a deployment schedule that fits within the schedules of each department and division on campus. Since everyone shares documents as well as takes advantage of public labs and smart classrooms, ITS must ensure a smooth and timely transition to the new version to avoid compatibility issues, especially in the highly collaborative environment on campus. In addition, Outlook 2007 does not support integration with Communigate, the College's email system. However, ITS is planning a migration to a new email system in Fall 2008, and we expect the new system will resolve the Outlook 2007 compatibility issues. A schedule to upgrade to Office 2007 will be determined by Spring 2009.