Florida State College of Law has a state-of-the-art
computer network available for student use. We believe that it is
important to prepare our students to be technologically sophisticated in the
use of computers and computerized legal research.
Among the features and applications available to students are the
following:
- Classrooms are wired with
electrical power outlets allowing students to use notebook computers for
note-taking without reliance on battery power.
- There is wireless network connectivity throughout virtually all areas of the law school complex. While on the wireless network, students can connect to online legal research services and the Internet without being bound to an outlet.
- Florida State College of Law also provides each
student with an e-mail address and personal Web space.
- All students are licensed to
use the two principal computer-assisted legal research services, Lexis and
Westlaw. They are available to all law students beginning in the second
semester of the student's first year. The law school provides training
courses in Lexis and Westlaw research.
- Communications to students
from the faculty and staff are made via e-mail. Students can access their
e-mail either by wireless network connection in the law school or from
off-campus via the Internet.
- Many faculty members make use
of computer-generated visual presentations such as PowerPoint in class. In
many cases these presentations are also available on the law school's
Web site for downloading by students.
- We support current versions of
Microsoft Word. We also maintain a help desk and employ student
consultants, in addition to a full-time staff of computer professionals,
to assist students, faculty and staff with computer issues.
All incoming students are required to have access to a laptop
computer which can access the law school's wireless
network. These computers will be used for legal research, computer-based exams,
and in-class participation.
If you already have a laptop running Microsoft Windows Vista or
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you may continue to use it as a
student at Florida State College of Law. The standard on the wireless
network is currently 802.11g, common in almost all current laptops. Please be aware that
compatibility problems may exist because it is not possible to test all models
of computers and wireless cards with the wireless network. It may be possible that you have hardware
with irresolvable compatibility issues. You should also consider the age of
your current laptop. If it is more than two years old, it may work well for you
now, but will probably not last throughout your law school career.
If you are purchasing a new laptop, we highly recommend you stay
with the major, nationally recognized brands. Dell, HP, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, Acer, Gateway
and Macintosh are all known to make good, reliable machines. However, quality can
taper off rapidly when you get into the less well-known brands. Because laptop
computers are commonly jostled, and because repairs on laptops tend to be very
expensive, we urge you to also purchase a three-year extended warranty. While the
computer support department will attempt to assist you with some laptop
computer problems, we cannot provide hardware support.
A well-padded carrying case is advised. A Kensington lock to
secure the laptop while unattended may also be a good value. No laptop should
be left unattended and unsecured.
If you need to purchase a new computer or any computer
accessories, the FSU Computer Store may be able to help you. The computer store
is conveniently located in the FSU Union, and it is an authorized dealer for
Dell, IBM, Macintosh and other nationally recognized companies. It also has trained
technicians that can help you if your computer needs servicing. If you need
additional sales or service information, please go to http://computerstore.fsu.edu.
Connecting
to the wireless network
For information on how to configure your computer to connect to
the wireless network, students are encouraged to visit http://its.fsu.edu/Network/Internet-Network-Access-Main-Campus/FSU-Wireless-Integrated-Network-FSUWIN.
Financial
aid
Students who will be seeking financial aid should be aware that
the cost of a laptop computer can be added to the student's budget for purposes
of computing financial aid under the guidelines of the U.S. Office of
Education. Federal Regulations now allow the University to take the documented
cost of your computer purchased for your studies into account when determining
your eligibility for loan assistance. For the vast majority of students, the
increased eligibility will be in the form of private student loan funding. If you have questions about the financial aid application
process, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 850.644.2310 for
detailed information, before purchasing your laptop.
Laptop
requirements
Microsoft Windows based laptop computers are recommended. We do however provide
limited support for Macintosh laptops. In order for your laptop to fulfill the requirement, it must have
the following
- A modern, Windows-based or Macintosh
operating system.
Windows Vista or higher or Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or higher is the recommended operating system. NOTE: Windows
Vista Home Basic or Home Premium edition will be supported, however, Windows Vista Ultimate, Business or Enterprise editions
offers more robust networking and security features. Therefore, if you
purchase a laptop with Windows Vista, the Ultimate, Business or Enterprise editions are strongly
suggested.
- A wireless network card that
conforms to the 802.11g specification.
The IEEE's 802.11g standard is designed as a higher-bandwidth — 54
megabits per second successor to the popular 802.11b standard which tops
out at 11 megabits per second.
- Microsoft Office 2007 Standard
or Professional Edition or Office 2010 Standard or Professional Edition or the
equivalent Mac OS version of Microsoft Office.
All of these versions of Office include PowerPoint, which many of your
professors will use in class. Most vendors will offer Microsoft Office at
a reduced academic rate to students.
Summary
of laptop recommendations
The specifications below are intended to help guide you in the
purchase of a new laptop. You are not required to purchase a laptop that meets
or exceeds these specifications, but doing so will help to ensure that your
laptop remains useful throughout your law school career.
- Laptop computer with at least
a dual-core 2.0 GHz standard Pentium or AMD processor.
You will primarily use your laptop for word processing and online legal
research using the Internet. Neither of these applications is particularly
processor intensive, so there's no need to pay a premium for a
top-of-the-line processor.
- Windows Vista or higher or Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or higher.
We strongly recommend purchasing a laptop with Windows 7.
- A 40 gigabyte or larger hard
drive.
Many laptops have larger hard drives ... bigger is better.
- A CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
The speed of the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is relatively unimportant as most recordings are available by streaming online.
- At least 1GB of RAM
(memory).
Again, more is better. This is the corner that most people cut, but we
feel at least 2GB is necessary for your laptop to have a three-year useful
life. It would be much better to cut hard drive or processor speed than
memory. Every new version of Windows or Office has required significantly
more memory than previous versions, and we don't see this trend changing.
- Three-year extended warranty.
A warranty package usually adds two years parts and labor to the
manufacturer's warranty. Some companies offer an optional screen damage
warranty that covers the replacement of broken screens. There are many
different companies that offer extended warranties, some of which even
cover theft. Shop carefully for the warranty that best meets your needs.
- A laptop carrying case.
You may want to consider some added options, such as an extra
battery, a security cable and/or theft insurance.
Notice:
The exam software used by the FSU College of Law is not supported on Mac OSX Mountain Lion or Windows 8 as of yet. Please take this in to account if you are thinking about purchasing a new laptop. A notice will be sent out to students when these operating systems are supported.
Answers
to questions
If you have questions about computing at the law school, you can
contact the Florida State College of Law Computer Help Desk
at 850.644.7735
For questions about:
