Athena
The name for the local computing environment used by Engineering but not Sloan, Unix-based workstations. Many locations, used by some SDM courses and more likely by electives. Much easier to get while on campus, and some of the core courses currently require one. To get one in January, just walk up to any Athena terminal (maps are on the web) and click on the new account box. It does the rest. Athena accounts are hacked into frequently compared to corporate settings, so (a) do not put any Pearl Harbor files on it (b) make your password different for MIT stuff than for corporate stuff.
Bidding
The joy-filled process of getting into Sloan courses. Not something to worry about much until you need to take electives at Sloan.
Blanche
A close personal friend of Moira, typical Unix text-based interface. Use Listmaint if you like menus, blanche is really most useful when automating tasks.
blanche sdm98 | more will show you the contents of the sdm98 mailing list, for example.
Certificate
In spirit, a way to authenticate (identify) yourself to a service without having a logon. Around here, you need one to get into WebSIS. See the glossary entry for WebSIS for the web site; you go there, it dialogues with you a while, you get an electronic certificate (file) that you password-protect in Netscape and is stored on your PC (it does not move with you if you switch machines). To get a Certificate go to http://web.mit.edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/is/help/certhttp://web.mit.edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/is/help/cert.
Course
MIT’s name for a department, just to find out who is listening during orientation. To make things more interesting, the usual convention is that “Course” means department and “course” means class. The Courses are numbered, eventually you learn the ones that matter: Course 15 is Sloan, Course 6 is EECS, etc. The full list is in the MIT Bulletin.
“DO NOT ERASE”
What you write on a white/blackboard if you do not want the contents to magically disappear overnight.
HostExplorer
Hacked version of telnet that you can use to get into Athena from PCs, either LAN-based or dialup. Sometimes installed so that the icon says HostEx32 (the name of the .exe file), it gives you Kerberos-authenticated and encrypted telnet sessions. Around MIT the working assumption is that there are packet sniffers everywhere, so do not use the raw unencrypted Windows telnet client (it stinks anyway).
Kerberos
MIT-invented system for administering passwords that is relatively secure. “Authentication” is the formal term, i.e. are you who you say you are. Kerberos handles that part of logons.
Listmaint
Menu-based way to manage distributions lists; its main use unless you become an Athena weenie is to see if your entry on the SDM mailing lists is correct. The menus are straightforward once you have the name of the mailing list you are interested in: search for SDMyy elsewhere in this document.
MIT Bulletin
Publication that comes out once per year or so, and lists “every” course in every department that will be
given over the next two academic years, along with an abstract of each course. Useful if you do not know what you are looking for, and has degree requirements by department. Once you get the lingo, WebSIS has an online version that is more up-to-date and has an electronic search which works really well. Does not contain times or rooms, see Schedule of Classes.
Moira
Athena software to manage distribution lists.
Reg Day
See Registration Day.
Registration Day
The day before the first day of spring and fall classes. On-campus people must visit the SDM Office and get their class registration sheets signed by the curriculum coordinator.
Schedule of classes
Comes out at the same time as pre-registration begins (end of previous fall/spring term). Tells what courses are offered, with times and rooms. See also MIT Bulletin.
Subject
MIT’s name for a class, see also Course.
Tether
MIT’s equivalent to home terminal program. Costs money, must be installed, most people avoid it. Its one saving grace is that while using it you are assigned a temporary MIT IP address, which some programs use to authorize access. If you do not come into them via an MIT IP address, you need a password (but not a logon).
The “T”
The local [
campus.
WebSIS
Web-based Student Information System. Gives you on-line access to your Bursar’s account, grades, course registration for Engineering. You need to get an electronic certificate from Kerberos that lives on your PC so that you can get into WebSIS using session-level encryption (secure document in Netscape). Do this one as soon as you hit campus, if SDM has not been able to do it in advance (they are working on it). Info on the process of getting certificates is athttp://web.mit.edu.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/accounts/www/certificates.
Xman
Online manuals for Athena; you need an X-window (non-dialup) terminal to use this, but it is worth the trip if you really need to find something on Athena.