<p>Computer connection time was discussed in Juan's "Orientation" thread, but would current students fill us in on this? I understand you can use the school's computers in the libraries but are there time limits on those? Are those that are discussed in the other thread also UT computers? </p>
<p>Are there connections in the dorm rooms and if so do they have time limits? Or do you have to go wireless? </p>
<p>How much actual study time (not play time) is needed on a computer on average for the average student in an average class. I know some students study 24/7 and some barely know where their classes are located so I'm asking in generalities. Are there textbooks and labs that have to be downloaded?</p>
<p>Another thread said most any laptop would be sufficient.</p>
<p>The computers in the libraries do not have a time limit for students. For non-students, it is an hour a day. </p>
<p>I know nothing about the dorms since I’ve never lived in one. I’m sure someone else will answer this. </p>
<p>Study time for a class is going to vary widely. For a math class, next to nothing except to check work on cramster and maybe print out homework assignments from blackboard. For a philosophy course I took, I used computers for the short papers we had to turn in, to research information to use in those papers as well as supplement info given in lectures for exams. That averaged a couple hours for each. I think that is fairly typical of a class in which you need online access.</p>
<p>I’ve only had a handful of assignments which had to be completed online but they do exist. Again, that will vary by class enough that there is no real average. Overall, a couple hours a week will cut it most of the time.</p>
<p>As far as using the internet access in the library, they do have limits on the amount of bandwidth you can use. I didn’t realize that until I got an email about it from tech support. I had used my allotted amount for the month one afternoon while trying to watch online streaming video of an episode of Lost I missed the previous night. You still get access but it is slow after you reach that limit. Access to UT site or blackboard will still function as before.</p>
<p>Blackboard is the online system used each semester for classes. Depending on what the professor adds to it, it will have all your grades, assignments due and answers to previous assignments, class roster with a way to email classmates, the syllabus, office hours, and stuff like that. Try to log in if you want to check it out. From the main page, click current students, then on the left side half way down or so, there is a link which says blackboard.</p>
<p>There was a one-hour time limit on computers in the library during orientation, but I assume this was just to make room available for other students? In other words, if most computers were still unused, I would be able to use the library computer for as long as I like?</p>
<p>Also, is there a bandwidth limit for ResNet and which category (1, 2, or 3) is recommended?</p>
<p>You can reset the hour-timer as long as you want in the library.</p>
<p>I never ran out of bandwidth on Category II for ResNet, but I didn’t track how much I used so I don’t know if I could have taken the lower level and been fine or not.</p>
<p>WiFi is free everywhere except in your dorm room IIRC. Inside the dorms you have to buy the package to get internet access.</p>
<p>You cannot share your package with your roommate because it logs your UTEID. You could both log in under the same UTEID, but that would 1) be theft and 2) be inconvenient as only one of you could use the computer at a time.</p>
<p>on a related note, how does a student print from a computer on-campus? is there like a printing fee in libraries, or is there any place that offers unlimited printing?</p>
<p>You have to pay to print in the libraries with a card that you put money on. You have to pay one dollar to buy the card and then you add money. The machine in the nat science library only takes cash.</p>
<p>Texan 09, nerd855 is right unless you are in a program that has their own lab that offers free printing. I was in LAH and did my printing in their office where it is offered. That made things easier.
SprintUser, if you’re desperate, it is possible to get by without ResNet. You’ll just live in a library. But it’ll get really annoying when you’re in your room and want to check something online really quickly, but can’t. As for sharing with your roommate…it’s possible. You just buy a long ethernet cable that you keep plugged into only one of the two ethernet jacks in the room. You then pass it back and forth and only ever log in using the EID of the person who purchased the connection. As Loneranger stated, this is theft and it sounds like he’ll strangle both of us in our sleep at the meer suggestion. The real danger that may occur is that checking something on the UT site that requires YOUR UT EID while logged on using your roommate’s EID might set off a red flag somewhere. I don’t know, I never tried. My roommate would occassionally borrow my bandwidth when he ran out, though.</p>
<p>Paradox, the lowest ResNet category is fine for streaming the occasional video or music. No good for gaming or downloading movies, though, which will be tempting if you get THE HUB, which you will hear about once you become a student here. Don’t worry about it until then and you WILL hear about it. For avid HUB users, gamers, or people who stream things all day long when maybe they should be studying, the middle tier is probably a better choice if you don’t want to risk the inconvenience of running your limit every now and then (which isn’t THAT bad).
Nunya, your kid will figure out all this stuff at orientation. Don’t worry so much. They’re really good at answering all the questions you have and giving you answers to the questions you might forget to ask before you even think of them. As for “any laptop being sufficient,” that’s not entirely true. Laptops have been around a good while now and those 90s/early 2000s 10 lb. piles of plastic aren’t going to do anyone any good. If you need to cut costs, a good, modern “netbook” would probably be just fine…those new mini-laptops that cost under $500 easily. Just make sure to get a good external hard drive because those things aren’t designed for storage. Also, watching HULU on a netbook could get frustrating, so if you have or can get a big-old cheapo monitor, that might help.</p>
<p>You can print in the PCL with Bevo Bucks from the right place. You can print at the printer in the lobby area back around and sort of behind the help desk.</p>
<p>Well, Mr. Ranger, I didn’t want to ruin the mystique for the orientees, but I can’t believe you haven’t encountered the HUB in your first year at UT. So, it would be mean of me not to tell you. I don’t use it personally, but most of my friends do. The HUB is a file-share system that only works over UT’s internal network. You must connect to UT’s on-campus wi-fi or to your dorm ethernet jack to access the file-share system. It is ridonculously fast. Files will usually complete their download within seconds. Also, for some reason students don’t get into trouble for using it because it isn’t accessible over the internet. I have known multiple students who HAVE gotten into trouble for using internet file-sharing programs. It is a private system and you must be invited to join it, but any current user can refer you (if they know how). I’ve had lots of friends offer to get me hooked up to it, I just haven’t really gotten around to it yet. They don’t have a lot of my type of Indie music on there from what I hear, so I just haven’t bothered.</p>