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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Computers

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Computers - College ProwlerCollege Prowler5.00

Computers

A+
Where does this grade come from?View all Computers rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Computers Grades:

Quick Stats

Wireless Access Yes
24-Hour Labs? Yes
All labs are open 24 hours
Charged to Print? No
Computer Labs 17 - main labs, plus each dorm has a computer lab
Operating Systems
  • Mac OS X
  • UNIX-based Athena
  • Windows XP

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Considering MIT’s reputation, it should come as no surprise that computers are everywhere on campus. The large number of computer labs (commonly known as “clusters”) don’t even include the various “quick stations” (one or two computers primarily used for checking e-mail) set up all around campus. The network, known as Athena, was designed in the mid-1980s, long before network computing was commonplace. Today, students use public workstations to check e-mail, download music, finish papers, analyze data, and much more. Finding an available workstation is usually very easy, although you should avoid the main clusters the day before large computer science classes have projects due and around finals time. In fact, it’s always good to know where a few of the smaller clusters are in order to avoid crowds.

Although Athena has everything you could possibly want, you should bring your own computer, mainly for convenience. MIT students have strange hours and habits, so having your own computer allows you to do your work when and how you want. Most of main campus has a reliable wireless network, so it’s a good idea to consider buying a laptop. That way, you can work or surf the Web on campus, outside, or even during class. A laptop is also convenient for those students whose homes are far away, so not only can you take all your files with you when you go home for vacations, but you also don’t have to worry about hauling your monitor to storage. However, as with all valuables, just make sure you’re careful with your computer, as laptop theft does occur now and then.

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MIT Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Computers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

theplace

'15

Nuclear Engineering

5.0
A+

Athena Clusters Are Fantastic.

Campus computing is widespread and convenient. Some of the clusters are nearly always busy (Building 12, Building 56) but unless you absolutely have to use a computer in one of those buildings you'll usually find plenty of open workstations. Printing quotas aren't a problem, and the Pharos system is great--just hit print, and then swipe your id card at any printer on campus and your print job pops out.

Feb 11, 2012

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Computers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

cmsowa

'14

Operations Research

5.0
A+

Best of the Best

We have "athena clusters" --essentially large computer labs -- all over campus. Printing is free for up to ~2000 pages per semester, and no one ever goes over that.

Jan 20, 2012

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Computers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

khobbs91

'14

Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering

4.2
A-

I Hate Athena

It's all Linux based which is super obnoxious, but there's a lot of computers available.

Dec 27, 2011

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate computers on the following subjects

How necessary is it to bring your own computer?

Facts

Special Software & Hardware Discounts

Discounted software can be purchased through GovConnection, an online catalog, on the MIT Information Services & Technology Web site.

Free Software

Adium, BrioQuery, Cambridge Structural Database, CertAid, Dreamweaver, Excel, Fetch, FileMaker Pro, Filemaker Server, iPassConnect, Kerberos, LPRng, Mac OS X, Maple, Mathematica, MatLab, Microsoft Office, Open AFS, OpenOffice, OpenSSH, Oracle Connector, Pidgin, Pine, PowerPoint, Red Hat, Roles, Stretch Break Pro, TSM, VirusScan, VMware, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Word, Xwrits

Did You Know?

AOL Instant Messenger is based on a program called Zephyr that was created (and is still used) at MIT.

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Most Recent Student Author

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Name: Sun Kim

Hometown: Duluth, GA

Major: Mechanical Engineering

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