Richard C. Detmer

rdetmer@mtsu.edu

Richard C. Detmer

Computer Science

N/A

KOM 350

Replacement of Existing Technology

This proposal is to replace systems purchased in 3/96 and 9/96. The old systems are 133MHz Pentium systems, with 32MB memory and 2GB hard drives. In addition to being inadequate to run current software, these old systems are experiencing frequent hardware failures.

Upgrade 33 inadequate computers systems in KOM 350 to systems powerful enough to meet the demands of current software required for computer science classes. The existing machines are nearly five years old. The Computer Science Department runs a University computer lab complex of which KOM 350 is a part. All computer science classes have lab requirements, so each semester the lab is used by over 1400 students enrolled in CSCI classes in addition to "walk-ins" who find the lab convenient. Computer Science majors use software like Visual C++ and Rational Rose that places heavy demands on hardware. This discipline-specific software will not perform acceptably on these old systems. We have adopted Office 2000 for our literacy classes (CSCI 100 and CSCI 115) and have discovered that it also runs poorly on this old hardware. This request complies with TBR guidelines since it is for computer laboratory equipment. Flat panel monitors are needed in KOM 350 because the desks are narrow, the rows are very close together and standard CRT monitors protrude into the space between the rows.