What Software Should I Buy as a New CEE/CS/ECE/ETM/MME Major?

We can't answer this question. Your best bet is to ask your department if they have a suggested list. Many engineering software tools are very expensive (hundreds or thousands of dollars) so working in one of the CAT-maintained computer labs is your best bet.

PSU's User Support Services maintains an online Software Order Form where you can request common software titles at educational discounts. They also have a Software Download Page for downloading certain software items. The PSU Bookstore also sells software (and computer hardware) at educational discounts. this is me

The CAT offers an unsupported McAfee client for Windows visit http://www.cat.pdx.edu/windows/installing-mcafee-anti-virus-on-windows.html for install instructions.

Finally, Maseeh College's MSDNaa subscription to allow any registered Maseeh College student to access certain development tools from Microsoft. See the MSDNaa page elsewhere on our site for information on how to register.

Where is Software X Installed?

Our installed software base changes frequently, and we maintain software on multiple versions of three distinct platforms: Windows, Linux, and Solaris.

We have some information about often-requested programs in our software section, but we don't currently have an exhaustive list of software available online.

We are planning to develop a searchable online software database, but it's currently on the drawing board.

How Do I Use Software X?

We support a different departments on many different platforms, and engineering software tends to be very complex. For these reasons, the CAT does not usually have end-user expertise with many of the tools we install.

Your best bet is to contact a teaching assistant (TA), tutor, faculty member, or fellow student in your department and ask for help.

Can You Help Troubleshoot My Software Problem?

Problems that appear to be software problems sometimes have nothing to do with the software itself, such as:

• You're out of disk space (disk quota)
• Your User Profile in Windows is corrupted
• You're trying to save or write to a file or directory you don't have permission (Unix or Windows) to (often the shared P: programs directory in Windows)
• The software you're trying to use runs off a limited number of network licenses, which are all currently checked out -- you'll have to wait till someone currently using it quits the application
• You need to add the software package to your Unix/Linux PATH with the 'addpkg' command

We also maintain a general CAT FAQ for students and staff that may answer your question.