Recommendations

The following recommendations are for web applications currently supported by ITS and are based on coordinated efforts between the ITS Help Desk and Management Information Systems (MIS). While individual users and departments may have specific browser preferences, the recommendations are based on many factors:

• Testing. Recommendations are the result of extensive testing and reflect what works best for each application. For example, testing has shown that applications developed in-house run much faster under Internet Explorer (IE), hence IE is highly recommended in those cases. Applications may work with tested Netscape versions, but the response time may be slower. ITS does not favor a particular browser but recommends what provides the best user experience.
• Manufacturer support. Some applications are purchased externally so recommendations and requirements come directly from the manufacturer. For example, Peoplesoft and the SCT Banner system have specific requirements that are not set by ITS.
• Operating systems may come with a specific browser version pre-installed and recommendations will not go backwards to lower versions. For example, Windows XP comes with IE 6.0 so recommendations are for that version or higher. Note also that browsers run differently under various operating systems. For example, Netscape 6.2.3 may run differently under Windows 98 than it does under Windows 2000. Thus, recommendations vary depending on the OS.
• Range and number of users. The ITS Help Desk provides support to all University users. With the broad range and large number of users across the system, it is necessary at some point to discontinue support for lower/out-dated versions and stay up-to-date with newer releases.
• Consistency. The ITS Help Desk also provides support for many applications across the system and every application, whether developed in-house or purchased externally, has unique requirements. The recommendations aim to provide consistency for users such that upgrading does not adversely affect the use of other applications. Therefore, recommendations are not always for the most current versions and ITS does not provide support for current releases until full testing across applications is complete.

PC Requirements and Recommendations

• Operating Systems Supported:Windows 2000, and Windows XP, Vista
• Browsers Supported: Firefox 1.5, 2, IE6 and IE7

X = Application works on this browser version
P = Problems encountered, mainly formatting/display related
D = Do not use - not all features work properly

(1): Vista users need to use alternate link to access it. banner.sis.hawaii.edu/uhjpi
(2): Browser limitation is due to Discoverer and a custom JRE that must be installed to run Discoverer applets. Only certified for IE on Windows.
(3): Supplied by the vendor so information only available for browsers/versions the vendor supports. Vendor currently supports IE6.
(4): IE 6 SP2 is the browser/version recommended to users.
(5): Unit Budgeting has many modules that work fine on most browsers. However, the parts that use Discoverer are only certified for IE on Windows (See footnote 2).
(6): You must add mail.hawaii.edu to your trusted sites for it to work properly in IE7.

Mac Requirements and Recommendations

• Operating Systems Supported: OS X 10.3 and later (10.2 owners should upgrade)
• Browsers Supported: Firefox 1.5, 2.0, and Safari 1.3.1, 2.x, and 3.x.
• Information for OS X 10.5 and Safari 3 will be added as testing is completed.

X = Application works on this browser version
P = Problems encountered, mainly formatting/display related
D = Do not use - not all features work properly
Blank = Info not provided by the vendor or application not tested on this browser/version
Shaded background = Browser version not applicable with this OS

(1): Firefox - tabbing bypasses pull-down list; text boxes are rendered wider than in IE so requires more horizontal scrolling on some pages.
(2): Browser limitation is due to Discoverer and a custom JRE that must be installed to run applets. Only certified for IE on Windows.
(3): Supplied by the vendor so information only available for browsers/versions the vendor supports.
(4): Prints only one page even if email is longer than one page.
(5): Unit Budgeting has many modules that work fine on most browsers. However, the parts that use Discoverer are only certified for IE on Windows (See footnote 2).

Helpful Tips

• Upgrading. Before upgrading your operating system or browser, visit http://www.hawaii.edu/help or consult with the ITS Help Desk to verify that upgrading will not adversely affect the applications you use.
• Version numbers. Browser versions are very specific, i.e. there is a difference between IE 6 Service Pack 1 and IE Service Pack 2. Version numbers reflect changes to the browser's code, either because new features have been added or updates have been included to fix previous bugs. If you experience problems, make sure you are running a version that is properly supported.
• Using what works. The recommendations provided are what the ITS Help Desk and MIS currently supports and have tested. In some cases, applications may work fine under lower or higher versions, in which case users are not required to make any changes. However, if you experience problems the Help Desk will encourage the use of supported and tested browser versions.

• Contact ITS