<p>Anyone have experience with laptop selection and software selection for freshman engineering student?</p>
<p>This link should give you the minimum recommended for engineering students:
[Suggested</a> Minimum Personal Computer Features :: College of Engineering](<a href=“http://engineering.osu.edu/currentstudents/computerspecs.php]Suggested”>http://engineering.osu.edu/currentstudents/computerspecs.php)</p>
<p>You can get lots of software free or cheap as a student:</p>
<p>"The Office of Information Technology offers a variety of public domain, bulk purchase, and site-licensed software programs to members of the OSU community. In an effort to provide a convenient and timely distribution method, selected software is available for downloading from this Software Downloads web site.
Access to software available from this site is restricted to current Ohio State University faculty, staff, and students. Site License Software coordinators can download software for departmental distribution as well. A valid OSU Internet username is required for authentication.
Additional site-licensed software can be obtained at the IT Service Desk in 025 Central Classrooms. Some software is provided on a media exchange/ loan out basis, while other packages can be purchased at discount. The Microsoft Personal Use software is sold at the Tuttle UniPrint, 2005 Millikin Way and Adobe Personal Use software is available at WiredOut in Central Classrooms. Call 688-HELP if you need more information on getting software not available from the Software Downloads site.
NOTE: The software listed on these pages only includes the applications available via electronic download. A complete list of all Site License software administered by OIT can be viewed at <a href="http://oit.osu.edu/site_license">http://oit.osu.edu/site_license</a>." </p>
<p>As a student, you can download:<br>
Adobe Reader Current Version Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client 2.4 Core FTP V2.1
Eudora V7.1 JMP 8 JMP Updater V8.0.1
MATLAB 2009a 32-bit (student configuration) MATLAB 2009a 64-bit (student configuration) MATLAB 2009b 32-bit (student configuration)
MATLAB 2009b 64-bit (student configuration) Mathematica V7.0 for Students Oracle CSI File
PASW v18 32-bit (Formerly SPSS) PASW v18 64-bit (Formerly SPSS) PowerTerm Pro V8.8.3
PuTTY (Current Version) RealPlayer (current version) SSH Secure Shell
SciFinder Scholar 2007 Spybot Current Version Systat V13
Thunderbird (current version) Turning Point 2008 Variations 5.0.4
VirusScan AntiSpyware V8.7 VirusScan V8.7i with patch 2 X-Win32 V9.4 </p>
<p>I don’t know specifically what my son downloaded but he did get some of the above software.</p>
<p>Try wiredout.osu.edu for laptops.
Also check out uniprint.osu.edu for discounted Microsoft software. We just got Windows 7 there for $35 I think.</p>
<p>Seems to me my son needed Autocad but used it in a lab somewhere rather than buying it.</p>
<p>Correction- DS must have bought AutoCad because he just gave me his disks to bring home. It is installed on his laptop although I don’t know exactly when/where he got it. He did call Wired Out to see if they could fix a sticky space bar recently and he was told that he would likely need to leave it overnight until the techs could assess the problem and tell him what it’d take to get it fixed. They might be able to unstick it right away or they might need to order a part which might not arrive for several days. He has decided to live with his sticky space bar until the end of the term rather than be without his laptop for a day. If they can’t fix it before he leaves campus, we may take it home and pack it off to be repaired by HP since we have a 3 yr warranty on it. FYI-we have Mozy for back-ups and insurance to cover laptop theft at college.</p>