University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1
UW is moving towards a more integrated student computing environment, and towards a more functional and integrated administrative environment, both based on Windows 95 and its successors. Therefore, UCIST believes that MacOS is not a strategic platform for these areas today. Nevertheless, the strategic direction of the UW computing infrastructure emphasizes web-based systems and services that are accessible from multiple platforms. While single-platform solutions are never solutions of choice, they cannot be precluded in some instances.
The University recognizes that professors and staff need to choose the most appropriate platform on which to prepare and maintain teaching material. Making material available in web-based electronic formats helps ensure that it is accessible from multiple platforms.
Waterloo Polaris is an important component of UW's current student computing infrastructure. It provides most students with campus-wide access to their own file storage from any workstation, but it does not support MacOS clients. In response to student and instructor demand, Macintosh labs in Mathematics will be replaced with PC-based labs over the medium term. In other Faculties, PC-based labs are expected to be dominant, although Macintosh clients will remain the platform of choice in some specialized areas. Given these realities, and UCIST's belief in a more integrated student-computing environment, MacOS is not a strategic platform in the general student computing environment.
The University recognizes that professors and staff need to choose the most appropriate platform to use for research and for their individual electronic workplaces.
While most of the administrative information systems will incorporate web access eventually, it seems clear that fully functional client software will not be available on the web for all of them in a timely manner. No native MacOS clients are expected to be available for any of them. (These systems include the TRELLIS integrated library system, Oracle Government Financials, PeopleSoft Student Administration System, PeopleSoft Human Resources/Payroll system, and Cognos decision-support tools. In all these cases, the set of clients provided by the vendor is outside our direct control, in spite of our best efforts over time to have Macintoshes included.) Thus, most administrative areas should plan to migrate to Windows in the medium term.
For faculty and staff in academic departments, convenient access to some of these information systems may well suggest that these individuals seriously consider using Windows for their electronic workplaces.
Macintoshes will be supported by IST as long as there is a substantial user community on campus.
Last updated 1998.07.28
Maintained by Trenny Canning, secretary to UCIST.