For readers new to Stanford, Essential Stanford Software (ESS) is a collection of applications -- some free, others licensed by the University -- that help faculty, staff and students accomplish day-to-day tasks and keep their computers secure.
Recent and upcoming changes to the collection are described below.
Stanford Desktop Tools 2.0
Now in its second year, Stanford Desktop Tools (SDT) provides a convenient way to authenticate to Kerberos and mount AFS directories. It also provides an easy way to install other ESS applications and to keep them up to date. Due during Fall Quarter, version 2.0 of SDT will enable users to update a wider range of ESS applications. See also Time to Leave PC-Leland and MacLeland Behind in this issue.
Kerberos for Windows
Previously Kerberos for Windows had been bundled with SDT. It is now available as a separate install to allow SDT or Kerberos for Windows to be updated independently of one another.
Vista Compatibility
All of the Windows applications are compatible with Windows Vista. See also New Microsoft Vista Operating System: Some Considerations Remain in this issue.
Spysweeper Licensing
Previous versions of Spysweeper included registration for a year of updates. When that registration expired users would need to uninstall and reinstall the application to continue to get updates. The license included with recent versions should carry the same expiration date for everyone, which can be extended as we renew our agreement with Webroot. Anyone who is using a version that has expired or is about to expire should uninstall that old version and reinstall the latest version to begin using this new license.
