Personal Computing requirements

Microsoft Office offer

Microsoft is currently offering Microsoft Office Professional Academic 2010 at a reduced price to all staff and students of UK Universities, including The Open University. See the Microsoft website for details. Please check that your computer meets the Microsoft requirement to be able to run this product.

To take advantage of this offer you will need to order using an OU email address (such as: yourname@my.open.ac.uk ), which you can obtain by registering with Google Apps. You will find the link to do this on your StudentHome page via the Tools menu, Go to Google Apps email. 

Computer hardware and software explained

Processor

The processor is the main component that determines a computer’s performance with the speed measured in Gigahertz (GHz). Although many other factors will affect the overall performance, generally the better the processor the faster your computer will run. Processor specifications have changed dramatically in recent years so that it is no longer straightforward to define a minimum requirement by speed alone.

• Most Intel processors now have code numbers and are also described as duo, dual- or quad-core. Any such processor is sufficient.
• Older (single core) Pentium processors will be described by their speed and 3.0GHz or faster will be adequate.
• Laptop and portable computers may have slower processor speeds; we would recommend that you use one of more than 1.6GHz. Even then, performance may be sluggish, especially for advanced level modules in computer science and technology.
• Equivalent AMD or other brand processors are satisfactory.

Memory (RAM)

This is the memory your computer uses to run programs. The more memory you have, the more programs can run simultaneously.

Minimum memory requirement is dependent on the operating system of your computer. The minimum of 512MB is only suitable for computers with Windows XP and, where applicable, basic Linux distributions. You also need to check with your supplier and/or the Microsoft or Apple websites for the minimum memory requirements of Windows Vista, 7 or Apple OS X variants.

Screen size

The screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels is readily achieved by a standard LCD screen of 15” (38cm) or more, with either a desktop or laptop computer. (This is the distance across the diagonal of screen.) This screen resolution may also be met by screens of a smaller physical size, but this will depend on whether they are the older standard 4:3 ratio (width:height) or the more modern ’widescreen‘.

Netbooks with a widescreen size of 12 inches or less may have a height of less than 768 pixels – often only 600 or 640. Some applications will not be usable on these narrow screens and others will require a lot of scrolling up and down to navigate readily. Some smaller laptops will also have this problem. The minimum colour range for Open University software will be achieved by even the smallest of screen sizes.

Printer

A few modules require a good quality photo printer (see individual module descriptions for details).

Operating system

This is the software that runs in the background on a computer. Examples include Microsoft Windows, Linux and Apple Macintosh OS X. The current versions that we support and for which our software is tested include:

• Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7
• OS X 10.5, 10.6 and 10.7 (Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion).

Further information is available about Apple Mac and Linux.

Internet access

You will need an account with an internet service provider (ISP) to get a connection to the internet. Access via only a public library or company computer may prevent you accessing websites and installing software.

We recommend that you have broadband access to the internet. To access basic module activities a 512kbps service is adequate but if you use the audio conferencing feature or watch video clips, 1 Mbps is the minimum recommended. 

If you use dial-up (56kbps) to access some of the basic online teaching activities, it will mostly work, but you will need to be patient. There are a growing number of online activities, for example, downloading study materials, that you will find very time-consuming. If possible, we recommend that you upgrade to a broadband service. However we are aware that this is not possible in some parts of the country.

Web browser

A web browser is the software program that enables you to access web pages on the internet.

For some module activities you need to add two add-ons to your browser: Flash (from Adobe Corp) and Java (from Java.com) to extend its functionality. These are free to download and install if you don’t already have them.

You may also need Adobe Reader to view study materials provided in PDF format; this is also free to download and install.

Our websites and browser-based software delivered on disk for student use, whether academic or administrative, are tested to be compatible with the current and the previous versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari at the time that the software was first released.

Some browsers on mobile devices, notably Safari on the Apple iPad, have limited functionality that restricts some features of the University’s websites.

Some Open University modules use some of the educational tools in the Google environment. These are designed to work best with the Chrome browser. If you want to keep your preferred browser, as well as Chrome, it is quite possible to have two browsers installed on your computer and use them for different purposes.

Laptop and netbook

Although you can get laptops with processors and memory as powerful as the best desktop PCs, on an equivalent price basis, you may get a lesser specification for a laptop than a desktop.

The main difference between a laptop and a netbook is that the latter normally does not have a disk drive and usually has a smaller screen in the range of 10” to 13”. Often the vertical resolution of a netbook screen is only about 600 pixels. This means that you have to do a lot of scrolling up and down to view and navigate most web pages.  Sometimes, this may be so restrictive that you can't see parts of the web page at all.

If your module doesn’t have software on disk (check that it says No in the DVD Drive item in the table, under Technical Requirements, above) then you will be able to use a netbook. Remember, though, to check other modules that you might want to study as part of your qualification in the future. If they require a disk drive, you shouldn't buy a netbook.

Netbooks also have slower processors than laptop or desktop PCs. This tends to make them unsuitable for some of the advanced level modules in computer science and technology. You will need a more powerful computer to do the computing activities on these modules.

Mobile and tablet devices

This covers a large range of portable systems from advanced mobile phones, PDAs to tablet systems like the Apple iPad, Dell Streak, Samsung Galaxy Tab and many others. These have a broad range of screen sizes and browser capabilities and mostly use an operating system quite different from the most common PC system.

The basic features of the University’s websites are available to most mobile devices. However, you may find that some features do not work if you have an uncommon operating system or browser on your mobile device. Some browsers on mobile devices, notably Safari on the Apple iPad, have limited functionality that restricts some features of the University’s (and other) websites, including some teaching applications.

Apple Mac

Over 450 modules can be studied online using almost any computer, including a Mac. However, for modules designated for Windows only, if you decide to use a system other than a Windows-based PC, you may have problems accessing the software and data files supplied with study materials. The technical help for Mac users available from the OU Computing Helpdesk will be limited, so you should make sure that you have some other form of support in case you run into difficulties.

Online content is currently tested with Safari. Mac users can therefore access online materials. The minimum acceptable version of the Mac operating system is OS X v10.5.

Most new DVDs for OU study work in a browser, so they can be accessed from Macs as well as from PCs. Unfortunately older, non-browser-based products aren’t directly Mac-accessible.

About 150 modules use software (mostly on CD or DVD) that runs in Windows. Recent Intel processor Macs can use the Apple Boot Camp ‘dual booting’ software that allows you to install Windows in native mode on your Mac. There is also other software to run Windows on a Mac. You will need to talk to your computer supplier for support on using these systems.

If you have an older, slower Mac with a limited amount of memory, performance may be an issue and you should take appropriate technical advice before installing one of these products.

A limited number of modules may require students to use platform specific specialist software (usually for Windows or Linux). This will be indicated in the module description.

The electronic tutor-marked assignment (eTMA) system accepts word-processed documents in Microsoft Word format (.doc, not .docx) or the platform-independent rich text format (.rtf). Students can submit assignments prepared using a Mac, running their preferred word processor and a standard web browser, as long as they use one of these formats.

There is a Mac self-help group organised by OU students.

Linux

Because there are many distributions of Linux designed for different hardware platforms and users’ requirements, we cannot be prescriptive about which distribution and/or platform you should use. Normally, we would expect the majority of Linux users to have Firefox as their web browser.

The Open University software that is browser-based is tested on Firefox. Depending on your Linux distribution you may have to install additional applications into the browser, such as Flash, Shockwave or Java. 

Depending on the other study requirements, for example for the electronic tutor-marked assignment (eTMA) system, you may need to provide and install other software, such as a word processor which is compatible with Microsoft Office formats (.doc and .rtf, currently not .docx), into your Linux computer. If you need to set up your Linux system to dual boot with Windows, you can use the Virtual Box software.

Please note that the OU Computing Helpdesk support for Linux users is very limited.

Computing helpdesk

Our experts can help you to get the most from our computing resources, and offer technical support for access to OU software and online materials.

If you want to discuss your computer specifications for your module, phone or email our helpdesk:

• Phone +44 (0)1908 653972 (08.00 to 21.30)
• Email OU-computing-helpdesk@open.ac.uk
• FAQs site