2008 Woodie Awards
Installfest gives CIS students free software
By Will Underhill
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: News
Originally published: 9/13/07 at 3:21 PM CSTLast update: 9/14/07 at 5:39 AM CST
- Page 1 of 1
The computer information systems department started the term with Installfest Saturday to help new students set up their personal computers with the software they need for their course work.
Installfest started as a way to help CIS students install freely available software on their machines, as an alternative to buying expensive software packages.
At Installfest, CIS faculty and members of the San Antonio Linux Users Group volunteered their time and expertise to walk students through the process of installing Linux.
The event is not only to help students save money. It's also an educational experience for those who have never set up a virtual machine or set their computers to boot both Linux or Windows.
"Most kids can't afford Microsoft; Linux is free," CIS Professor Glenn Boswell said. "Providing this, students benefit from education and affordability."
Daniel Sanchez, network administration major, is one student who came to receive help with setting up his Toshiba laptop to dual boot Windows Vista and Fedora operating system, a version of Linux.
"Ideally, I would like to have Windows and Fedora," Sanchez said. "It would really help me to have it on my computer so I could practice, as opposed to only practicing in the classroom."
The alternative to setting a computer to dual boot is to run the second operating system in a virtual machine or VM. This means running an operating system like Fedora in a simulated program on Windows.
"In a learning environment, a VM protects students from error," CIS Professor Rodger Wein said. "A virus in a VM doesn't affect the real machine."
The sixth year of the event drew 28 students, a much smaller turnout than previous years. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Installfest started as a way to help CIS students install freely available software on their machines, as an alternative to buying expensive software packages.
At Installfest, CIS faculty and members of the San Antonio Linux Users Group volunteered their time and expertise to walk students through the process of installing Linux.
The event is not only to help students save money. It's also an educational experience for those who have never set up a virtual machine or set their computers to boot both Linux or Windows.
"Most kids can't afford Microsoft; Linux is free," CIS Professor Glenn Boswell said. "Providing this, students benefit from education and affordability."
Daniel Sanchez, network administration major, is one student who came to receive help with setting up his Toshiba laptop to dual boot Windows Vista and Fedora operating system, a version of Linux.
"Ideally, I would like to have Windows and Fedora," Sanchez said. "It would really help me to have it on my computer so I could practice, as opposed to only practicing in the classroom."
The alternative to setting a computer to dual boot is to run the second operating system in a virtual machine or VM. This means running an operating system like Fedora in a simulated program on Windows.
"In a learning environment, a VM protects students from error," CIS Professor Rodger Wein said. "A virus in a VM doesn't affect the real machine."
The sixth year of the event drew 28 students, a much smaller turnout than previous years. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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