Desktop Services
Changes to Managed Cluster Service (MCS) applications for the next Academic Year
The list below shows the applications installed or upgraded over the summer of 2011, for use in the academic year 2011-12.
The corresponding list for 2012-13 will be published here by the division of the Easter Term. The call for requests for new installations and upgrades for next year was published in January 2012.
Software availability codes
[1] Freeware - software will be available at all MCS sites. [2] CS pool of licences floated across all MCS rooms. [3] Licensed by the CS for use in CS and College MCS rooms. [4] CS licences switched on at MCS sites upon request. [5] Licensed by Economics for use in all MCS rooms. [6] Licensed by MCS sites for their use, each site must purchase their own licences. [7] Licences are tied to machines, each site must purchase their own licences for use.
Changes to Windows Software for 2011-2012
MCS Windows Operating System
The version of the Windows operating system in use on the MCS stations at all sites will be Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3.
MCS cluster sites will be able to elect to remain with Office 2003 or to have Office 2007 made available. Sites can choose to upgrade to Office 2007 on all or part of their cluster, but it will not be possible to have both versions of Office running on the same workstation. All the workstations in Computing Service public rooms with the exception of two in the Phoenix User Area have been upgraded to Office 2007.
| Application | Version | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcGIS | 10 | upgrade | [3],[6], GE |
| Atlas ti | 6.2 | upgrade | [3], [6], GE, PP |
| Cygwin | 2 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Emacs | 23.3 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| EndNote | X4 | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| ERDAS | 10 | upgrade | [6], GE |
| eXe | Latest | new | [1], ED, available |
| FWTools | 2.4.7 | new | [1], AR, available |
| GDAL | Remove | AR, no longer available | |
| gedit | 2.30.2 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| GeoGebra | 4 | upgrade | [1], ED |
| gnuplot | 4.4.3 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Google Pinyin | 3 | new | [1], TH |
| Internet Explorer | 9 | upgrade | [1], GE, Windows 7 PCs only |
| iPython | 0.10.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Libre Office | 3.3.2 | new | [1] replacement for OpenOffice.org, available |
| Mathematica | 8.0.1 | upgrade | [3], CS,MA, available |
| MatLab | R2011a | upgrade | [3], CS,GE, available |
| MatLab Toolboxes | R2011a | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| Matplotlib | 1.0.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Mendeley | 0.9.9 | new | [1], CS, available |
| Microsoft Office | 2010 | new | [7] CS, Windows 7 PCs only |
| Microsoft Silverlight | 5 | upgrade | [1], CS |
| NumPy | 1.6.0b2-w | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| OpenOffice.org | 3.2 | remove | [1] replaced with LibreOffice, no longer available |
| Ploticus | 2.41 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Python | 2.+ | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Python | 3.+ | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Quartus | 10.1 SP1 | upgrade | [6], CL, available |
| R | 2.13.0 | upgrade | [1], CL,CS, available |
| SciPy | 0.9.0 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| SPSS | 19 | upgrade | [3], CS |
| Statistics for the Terrified | 6.01 | upgrade | [3], CS |
| Whiteboard Active Primary Science | Age 7-9 | new | [6], ED, available |
| Whiteboard Active Primary Science | Age 9-11 | New | [6], ED, available |
| WinZip | Remove | AR, no longer available | |
| Wolfram Workbench | latest | upgrade | [3], CS, MA, available |
| 7-Zip | 9.2 | new | [1], AR, available |
Changes to MCS Linux Software
MCS Linux Operating System
MCS Linux for 2011-12 will be based on OpenSuSE 11.4. Staff needing access to the test image, please contact pwf-linux@ucs.cam.ac.uk.
The following list is in response to specific requests received and is, as always, subject to satisfactory resolution of any technical issues arising.
| Application | Version | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| gedit | 2.30.4 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Gnuplot | 4.4.2 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| iPython | 0.10.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Kate | 4.4.2 | new | [1], CC, available |
| Libre Office | 3.3.1 | new | [1] replacement for OpenOffice.org, available |
| Mathematica | 8.0.1 | upgrade | [3], CS |
| MatLab | R2011a | upgrade | [3], CS |
| MatLab Toolboxes | R2011a | upgrade | [3], CS |
| Matplotlib | 1.0.1 | upgrade | [1], CS |
| Mendeley | 0.9.9 | new | [1], CS |
| NumPy | 1.5.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Ploticus | 2.4.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, bug fixes, available |
| Python | 2.7 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Python | 3.1.3 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| R | 2.13.0 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| SciPy | 0.9.0 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Stata | 10 | upgrade | [3], CS |
| Wolfram Workbench | upgrade | [3], CS |
Changes to MCS Macintosh Software
MCS Macintosh Operating System
The version of OS X in use on MCS stations at sites will be OS X 10.6. The planned upgrade to version 7 has had to be delayed for technical reasons; we are looking at the possibility of upgrading at Christmas.
This list does not include minor point upgrades e.g v2.1.4 to 2.1.5.
| Application | Version | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Dreamweaver | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS, available |
| Adobe Fireworks | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS |
| Adobe Flash | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS |
| Adobe Illustrator | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS, available |
| Adobe InDesign | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS |
| Adobe Photoshop | CS 5.5 | upgrade | [2], CS, available |
| EndNote | X4 | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| eXe | new | [1], ED | |
| gedit | upgrade | [1], CS, available | |
| Gnuplot | 4.4.3 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| iPython | 0.10/1 | upgrade | [1], CS, not yet available for technical reasons |
| Libre Office | 3.3.2 | new | [1] replacement for OpenOffice.org, available |
| Mathematica | 8.0.1 | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| Matlab | R2011a | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| Matlab Toolboxes | R2011a | upgrade | [3], ED, available |
| Matplotlib | 1.0.1 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Mendeley | 0.9.9 | new | [1], CS, available |
| Microsoft Office 2011 | 2011 | upgrade | [7], CS, available |
| Microsoft Silverlight | 4 | upgrade | [1], RO |
| Ploticus | 2.41 | upgrade | [1], CS |
| Python | 2.x+ | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| Python | 3.x+ | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| R | 2.13.0 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| SciPy | 0.9.0 | upgrade | [1], CS, available |
| SPSS | 19 | upgrade | [3], CS, available |
| Wolfram Workbench | 2.x+ | upgrade | [3], CS, upgrade not available at present |
Site Codes
AR request made by Archaeology
CL Request made by the Computer Laboratory
CS Request made by the Computing Service
CC Requested by Corpus Christi
ED Request made by Education
GE Request made by Geography
MA request made by Maths
PP Request made by PPSIS
RO Requested by Robinson College
TH Requested by Trinity Hall
Last updated: 20 September 2011