Laptop Guidance
Laptop Use for workshops
For some workshops delegates require their own laptops for the practical hands-on portions of some of the workshops. For DHOxSS 2016 these workshops are:
- An Introduction to the Guidelines of the Text Encoding Initiative
- Analysing Humanities Data
- Social Humanities: Citizens at Scale in the Digital World
If you do not have a suitable laptop please contact events@it.ox.ac.uk for advice before booking.
For all other workshops laptops are not required as computers will be provided with pre-installed software. The exception to this is the An Introduction to Digital Humanities workshop which is lecture based and does not require computers.
All delegates can, of course, bring their own laptops for email and web access, etc. while they are at DHOxSS. Most of the venues have eduroam access and otherwise Wi-Fi credentials will be provided at the registration desk on the first day. Note: We cannot guarantee convenient access to mains power in all of the venues.
If you are attending a workshop where you are required to bring a laptop please read the following information. When you book the Summer School using the online store you will need to agree that you have read, understand and will comply with the information below. If you are required to bring one, but do not have a suitable laptop, please contact us prior to booking your place on the DHOxSS.
Equipment
You will need to provide your own laptop computer, not a low-powered 'netbook' (such as a Chrome Book) or a tablet as these will not be suitable.
In addition, you will need to provide your own mouse and keyboard (where necessary), and a mains power adapter. If you are coming from outside the UK, you will need to bring a suitable mains power adapter, we cannot provide one for you.
Your laptop must be able to connect to Wi-Fi; you will not be able to use a wired network connection. We will provide you with credentials for an individual Wi-Fi account for the duration of the Summer School. Although the wifi access will work in many locations around the University of Oxford, there is no guarantee that it will do so outside the DHOxSS venues.
Delegates using their own laptops must ensure their cables do not form a trip hazard.
Software
To participate in the workshops you will need to install and test the required software before attending. If you are required to install software, you will be sent a list of the software, together with installation instructions, shortly before the DHOxSS. Some of the software may need you to have Administrator rights to your laptop in order for it to install. You will also need to be able to login to your laptop with Administrator rights during the workshops in case updates have to be made to the software.
It is important that you test the software after installation as there will be very limited technical support available during the DHOxSS.
The software that will be used in the workshops is open source and/or free to use. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate licences for any other software that you use on your laptop for the purposes of the DHOxSS.
While workshop organisers will attempt to use software that will function on modern laptops, if the software is not able to function on your laptop, for whatever reason, DHOxSS is not liable for this.
Security
To connect to the University's wireless network you must have anti-virus software installed and regularly updated.
You must not share your Wi-Fi access credentials with anyone else. When using the University's Wi-Fi connection, you must abide by the University of Oxford's "Regulations Relating to the use of Information Technology Facilities" http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/196-052.shtml.
Many of the DHOxSS venues are accessible to the public; it is your responsibility to take precautions against theft. You should password protect your laptop.
It is your responsibility to keep backup copies of all your data including that which you use and generate in the workshops. In addition to local backups, such as on a memory stick, you should consider using a cloud-based repository (such as DropBox) for additional redundancy.
Support
There will be only limited technical support available during the DHOxSS; you must make sure your laptop is in full working order before you arrive.
Disclaimer
University of Oxford does not bear responsibility for devices owned by DHOxSS delegates. Any configuration, damage, repair, service or warranty issues are the responsibility of the device owner.
DHOxSS does not provide secure storage for delegates' laptops. Delegates are responsible for the safety of their laptops at all times including during breaks and overnight.
The delegate assumes full liability for risks including, but not limited to, the partial or complete loss of their data due to an operating system crash, errors, bugs, viruses, malware, and/or other software or hardware failures, or programming errors that render the device unusable.
The delegate is expected to use his or her devices in an ethical manner at all times and adhere to the University of Oxford's "Regulations Relating to the use of Information Technology Facilities" policy.
