Computer Confusion
By: Jordan Tolnay

   Any student at woodland has been to the media center to use the computers. The computers have always been easy and quick to log on to. Recently they have changed, to a much more complicated log in and outdated programs. John Rizzo the technical director at Woodland says “The computers are up to date the latest and greatest of what we have  but because you’re no longer looking at Windows 7, which is what you were looking at last year, on these machines you’re getting the desktop from the server.”
   The computer logons may seem slower and much more confusing, “So when you log on and click okay the computer is loading you a desktop on the screen.” Says Rizzo “Centralizing the management of the computers” Rizzo states,  this means  there is one main server or computer to which all of the computers in the media center or the computer lab are connected.
   Sophomore at Woodland Makayla Drown says “I don’t understand why they had to change something that was perfectly fine the way it was.” Drown says of the computers. “I haven’t heard anybody complain about them, I just think that the set-up is odd.”
   Other students share how they feel about the recent change in the laptops.
“Its slower and harder to get on, it takes like ten minutes.” Says Kayla Caniano a

freshman at Woodland.
   “When you have a laptop or a computer it’s easy for you to sit down and look at Microsoft and Java on it but when you have this many computers it is harder for me once a week to get to every computer and do all of the updates.” Rizzo says of the computers. 
   This recent change in the computers is just the first of many. The school is hoping to get a new type of database for the computers. It is almost like a small tower. Since the computers are not actually using the tower, they are using the server, they do not need all of that extra power. Not to mention the room the towers use just to sit on the desk.
   The newer software will take up less room, use less power and it will also be more cost effective.
   When something changes it is usually for the good. And it may be for the good but not everyone will see it that way until you dissect the problem. Not everyone has that much time though, so to sum up the question; the computers in the media center changed because it would be easier to handle all of them.
   They also changed because it is safer for the students using them, they will not get any viruses or accidentally visit a “wrong” site.
   These changes, however, are mostly for the software the school is hoping to get when these computers’ software expires. But for now the users are going to have to make do with the latest changes on the computers.