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BENEFIT Technology Requirements

To successfully complete the assignments in the BENEFIT course, you will need access to a computer. If you do not have a computer of your own, you may be able to arrange to use one at your work place or school, at the local public library, or at a friend's house. This course was designed for computers running any of these operating systems: Windows, Macintosh, or Linux. Minimum and recommended requirements for computer hardware are shown in this table. A sound card and speakers will allow you to listen to the many videos in the course.

Minimum Hardware Specifications
Windows Macintosh Linux
  • 233 Mhz processor
  • 64 MB of RAM
  • 50 MB of free disk space
  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • PowerPC G3 processor
  • 128 MB of RAM
  • 75 MB of free disk space
  • Mac OS X 10.2.x
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • 233 Mhz processor
  • 64 MB of RAM
  • 50 MB of free disk space
  • Linux kernel 2.2.14
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
Recommended Hardware Specifications
Windows Macintosh Linux
  • 500 Mhz processor
  • 256 MB of RAM
  • 100 MB of free disk space
  • Microsoft Windows XP
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • PowerPC G4 or Intel processor
  • 512 MB of RAM
  • 150 MB of free disk space
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • 500 Mhz processor
  • 256 MB of RAM
  • 100 MB of free disk space
  • a modern Linux distribution
  • Sound card
  • Speakers

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Web Browsers and Media Players

Browser Version

Identify your Web browser version:

  1. open browser
  2. click Help in the menu bar
  3. click About

The computer must be capable of running at least an HTML 4.0-capable Web browser that also supports JavaScript 1.5, such as Internet Explorer 6.0, or Mozilla Firefox 1.5.

You will also need Adobe Flash Player, which will be downloaded at no cost the first time Flash Player is needed. At that time you will be asked to approve download and installation. Click Yes and the software will quickly download and install itself.

Text Editors

The programming code you will write in this course must not be written in a word processing program like Microsoft Word, which is intended for formatting a printed document. Instead you will use a text editor for writing HTML and JavaScript code for this course. Simple text editors are included with Microsoft Windows (Notepad), Macintosh OS X (TextEdit), and Linux (vi).

Although you can use the bare-bones text editors that ship with operating systems, better text editors can be downloaded for free. They offer useful enhancements that help you to write code and make it easier to troubleshoot, or debug. Most of these editors offer line numberin, syntax-coloring, and matching paired parentheses, curly brackets, and angle brackets.

Editors for Writing HTML and JavaScript

Windows Macintosh Linux
  • vi (included with Linux)

After your code is written, it can be previewed in a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari.

Web Publishing

If you have access to Web server space and wish to publish to the Web, ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) what file transfer (FTP) client software can be used to move your files from your local machine to the remote server space.

Image-Editing Software

  • Adobe PhotoShop—part of the Adobe Creative Suite. Adobe offers a free 30-day trial for Windows or Macintosh at Adobe.com. If you wish to purchase the software, ask your supplier whether you qualify for an educational discount.
  • GIMP—has fewer features than PhotoShop but will suffice for this course. Free downloads are available at GIMP.org. GIMP is cross-platform friendly and available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.

Spreadsheet Software

  • Microsoft Excel 2000 or later—part of Microsoft Office suite of application software. You may have access to this program at home, through work, at school, or through a publicly available lab. Ask your software supplier if you qualify for an educational discount. If you wish to purchase the software, ask your software supplier whether you qualify for an educational discount.
  • OpenOffice spreadsheets—part of OpenOffice suite, a free open-source suite of Office software that works very well. Versions are available for most platforms—Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Sun/Solaris. Free downloads are available at OpenOffice.org.

Database Software

  • Microsoft Access 2000, or later—part of the Microsoft Office Professional suite of application software. You may have access to this program at home, through work, at school, or through a publicly available computer lab, such as one in a library. Ask your software supplier if you qualify for an educational discount.
  • MySQL—open-source, commercial-scale database program for Linux, Windows, or Macintosh. It is more complicated to set up. Free downloads are available at MySQL.org. Be sure to install MySQL Query Browser and watch the query tutorial videos.

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BENEFIT was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and developed by University of Washington Educational Outreach.

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