February 2009: A new web page added: Installing Windows on your Mac using the free VirtualBox program

VirtualBox  is a free and Open-source implementation of virtualisation software for Mac using students who require Windows on their courses. While perhaps not possessing the finer polish of Parallels or VMWare, this project is certainly impressive and apparently stable on first viewing by this website. And the price is definitely better!

A new page has therefore been added to the website entitled "VirtualBox" (see above). It gives details of how to install Windows onto your mac for running OU applications. Of particular interest are the included student instructions for acquiring a free and legal version of Windows - enabling those students to source a complete virtualisation solution at no extra cost. Visit the page here.

November 2008: Open University to include Mac browsers in website testing

The Open University this year included the following comment on its Personal Computing page:-

"If your course only has online activities and resources using a web browser over the internet you should find that you are able to use a broad range of non-Windows computers. However, the course websites have not been tested on all the web browsers that are available. The websites are tested on the two most recent versions of Internet Explorer (currently version 6 and 7) and Firefox (version 2). During 2008 we plan to carry out testing on the two main Apple Mac browsers - Safari and Opera."

This is a welcome development - as browser incompatibilities have in the past been an unnecessary extra headach for Mac students. However, it is not yet known if this testing has been iomplemented in the stated timeframe. This website will inquire further in the new year.

March 2008: Open University announces a commitment to support Macs for future OU study

 On March 14th 2008, the Open University sent a message to all students via the internal online StudentHome facility which announced a commitment to support Macs at some point in the future, though present policy would remain in place until such time. This message also included for the first time an acknowledgement of -  and a web link to - these web pages.

This website acknowledges such action as a very welcome - albeit indirect - recognition of the role played by countless Mac-using students at the university over recent years, who have supported their fellow students when no university support has been offered, and no support alternatives suggested. We thank the university for this tacit acknowledgement.  Mac-using students should be supported -  and it is fortunate for the OU that there have been those willing to give their own free time to support mac users when official OU channels have turned Mac students away. We remain hopeful that - some day - the work on this website will be superceded by those employed to do the task, who work for a university proud to be founded on the principles of open access for all.

In the meantime the students of OUSA Mac General will continue their work here and at the university, providing peer help and support to the many (and increasing) Mac-using students who need it. We welcome any help the university is able to offer us - by linking to this site and the OUSA Mac General conference on FirstClass, by informing students about the peer support we offer, and particularly by helping us to address the many small technical - but perfectly solveable - course access issues which plague Mac users at the OU every day. Acknowledgement and recognition is a very welcome first step. It is hoped that we might now receive more constructive help for our work going forward - and that the Open University might now finally listen to our problems, and help us to solve them.