2008 Woodie Awards
Vista not fully compatible with Blackboard
Sean J. Jordan
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
Students purchasing a laptop or personal computer this semester may notice that their new machine is equipped with Windows Vista, the latest operating system from Microsoft. And while Vista offers many improvements over its predecessor, Windows XP, SIUE students will notice that it does have a problem.
Vista is not fully compatible with Blackboard, the software utilized by professors on campus to allow students to retrieve course material, view grades, converse with classmates and take tests.
Earlier this year, the SIUE Faculty Technology Center issued a statement indicating that there were "known problems" with Windows Vista and its Internet Explorer Web browser involving the software's ability to access the text editor box used for discussion boards and essay forms. A solution to this problem is to install Mozilla's free Firefox browser and use it with Vista instead.
"These are the same problems that we have with all new Windows releases," Steve Huffstutler, Manger of the Faculty Technology Center, said. "I remember a time when we asked people to hold off on upgrading to Windows XP."
He also said while he does not recommend upgrading to Vista until the issues are smoothed out, he expects that anyone buying a new computer will want the latest software, and the Faculty Technology Center will continue to offer support for the use of Vista on campus.
With new software always comes new challenges in compatibility, Huffstutler said, noting that even Internet Explorer 7, which is developed by Microsoft, does not work perfectly with Vista. Another Microsoft product, Office 2007, also has issues with other software, including Blackboard.
"The biggest problem we've seen with Office 2007 is that it's not compatible with earlier versions," Huffstutler said.
Another problem comes from the fact that Office 2007 files are saved in four-letter extensions instead of the standard three. But both problems can be remedied, he said, by downloading a program from the Microsoft Office homepage that allows older versions of Office to read the newest software's file formats.
While the current version of Blackboard is said to be about 85 percent compatible with all Windows software, many of the remaining issues will be solved when the current Blackboard system is upgraded in December, Huffstutler said.
"From what I've read, it will clean up a lot of the problems," he said.
Vista is not fully compatible with Blackboard, the software utilized by professors on campus to allow students to retrieve course material, view grades, converse with classmates and take tests.
Earlier this year, the SIUE Faculty Technology Center issued a statement indicating that there were "known problems" with Windows Vista and its Internet Explorer Web browser involving the software's ability to access the text editor box used for discussion boards and essay forms. A solution to this problem is to install Mozilla's free Firefox browser and use it with Vista instead.
"These are the same problems that we have with all new Windows releases," Steve Huffstutler, Manger of the Faculty Technology Center, said. "I remember a time when we asked people to hold off on upgrading to Windows XP."
He also said while he does not recommend upgrading to Vista until the issues are smoothed out, he expects that anyone buying a new computer will want the latest software, and the Faculty Technology Center will continue to offer support for the use of Vista on campus.
With new software always comes new challenges in compatibility, Huffstutler said, noting that even Internet Explorer 7, which is developed by Microsoft, does not work perfectly with Vista. Another Microsoft product, Office 2007, also has issues with other software, including Blackboard.
"The biggest problem we've seen with Office 2007 is that it's not compatible with earlier versions," Huffstutler said.
Another problem comes from the fact that Office 2007 files are saved in four-letter extensions instead of the standard three. But both problems can be remedied, he said, by downloading a program from the Microsoft Office homepage that allows older versions of Office to read the newest software's file formats.
While the current version of Blackboard is said to be about 85 percent compatible with all Windows software, many of the remaining issues will be solved when the current Blackboard system is upgraded in December, Huffstutler said.
"From what I've read, it will clean up a lot of the problems," he said.
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