We have several things to avoid:
- Avoid Microsoft Works or Apple iWork - Microsoft Works (not to be confused with Microsoft Office or Microsoft Word) is not really compatible with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) so any documents you turn in to your professors will not be compatible with what they have - they won't be able to read your paper! Apple's iWork can export documents in Word or Excel format, but they aren't 100% compatible, so there may be strange changes (especially in footnotes/endnotes and some formatting). If your professors aren't able to read your documents, you will end up late. Get Microsoft Office 365 when you get to campus! We provide it for free.
- Avoid ChromeOS - While we don't say that ChromeOS is bad - in fact, it's fairly nifty and innovative - it does have a very nasty Catch-22. On CMC's wireless network, you cannot get a network connection without being logged on to your computer so you can sign on to the network via a web browser (FireFox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.) - but with ChromeOS, you cannot log on to the computer without a network connection so you have a nasty and often endless loop. So, for now, avoid ChromeOS - it may work great at home; not so good here.
- Avoid WIRELESS Printers - Wireless printers are amazingly handy at home where only a few people will be contacting them and using them. In a large environment where there are a lot of people who can potentially contact your printer, they are not secure and not very robust. They can cost you a lot of aggravation and money. So if you have a wireless printer, turn off the wireless features and use the USB connection instead.