Question: Why does our school network administrator not want us to install extra software?
The IT Guy says:
Every time you install new software on your computer, you increase the chances of a crash or hang-up caused by a software conflict. Many people write software who are not professionally trained or certified, and much of this software is circulated via the Internet as shareware or freeware. Some of this software is excellent, but sometimes the creator is not savvy enough to create a program that does not interfere with others. Network administrators sometimes discourage users from installing new programs because the results can be unpredictable. Especially on a school or work computer that you rely on for day to day work, it is usually NOT a good idea to install extra programs that you haven't checked on with your network administrator. These can even include screensavers. Not only can these downloaded programs contain viruses or other 'bugs' that accidentally or intentionally cause problems with other programs on your computer, but they can also slow down the overall performance of your computer. Windows 2000, XP, and Macintosh OS X allow users to configure different types of accounts for different users, to prevent unwanted software installations. You can configure classroom or home computers this way too, so students can use software programs that are already installed but cannot install new ones.
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