Virginia Tech announced its launching of a VT Alert that activates through your computer.
Virginia Tech's VT Desktop Alert was launched to the university community Wednesday, but not without some troubleshooting.
The VT Desktop Alert notifies participating computers connected to the Internet of any campus-wide alerts.
According to a university release, "When an important message is posted, the desktop application will activate and notify the user with audio and a message window that provides the details of the alert."
The alert would be the same message sent through other VT alerts, such as cell phone or e-mail notifications. The application works like a Web browser that only opens up when it is changed - when an alert is created. Its icon stays permently next to the clock on both the Mac and PC.
VT Desktop Alerts can be downloaded at to any desktop or notebook computer running a supported version of Microsoft Windows XP, Vista or 7, and Apple Mac OS X 10.5.
While this may limit who is able to download the application, university spokesman Mark Owczarski said that the goal is to create a broad range of communication devices.
"If you don't have a cell phone, you can't get an SMS message," Owczarski said. "We have about ten ways to receive things now."
Some issues arose with initial attempts at installation. An update was created, and in the course of the day, some users had to download the application and then immediately install an update.
"One should keep in mind that this is an opt-in application for VT Alerts - one of many," wrote 4-HELP manager Robert Sprague on the Tech support list serv. "If you don't feel comfortable with it, then you dont have to install it."
Tech had announced the development of the application earlier this year. The cost of the alert is entirely in-house, said Owczarski, which means that the creation of the alert is through university employees. This makes the VT Desktop Alert the cheapest alert system at Tech. Other alerts use outside entities - for example, a company called 3n is responsible for our text message alert system.
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More security theater. This alert doesn't make anyone safer and it will not protect you. The only good thing about it is that it didn't cost another $10 million in wasted money like the phone alerts. If you are a VT student, you are still a sitting duck because the university refuses to allow you to take responsibility for protecting your own life.
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Hello,
This is really a silly comment. Can you imagine one, a few hundred or a few thousand students being alerted by a Desktop Alert? If you cannot, then you must not use a computer. News Flash: Students use computers on campus. This post was so hysterical I did what I do not do often, and that is to reply to such balderdash. Thank God you are not a security manager anywhere. That being said, the VT Desktop Alert application was released without thorough testing and many many students see memory leaks, application crashes and all around application instability. You get what you pay for I guess. I also just downloaded the app to check out the memory consumption of the app and it was a disaster. That aside, a properly written application as a Desktop ALERT makes so much sense that I must take refrain and pause when seeing a comment like yours. Peace.
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CNS should have their "C" for communication revoked on this one considering the lack of it on their part with the release of the client. Why won't developers think of the system administrators that need to support this kinda of stuff _ahead_ of release?
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There is no MD5 checksum on either of the downloads and the MS binary is not Authenticode signed (Unknown Publisher). Seems anyone could name their malware.exe the same thing and try to dupe vt.edu people to download it.
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You are not a sitting duck, this straw man argument falls flat under the light of facts. You aren't any safer now than you were before 9/11. Where were all the terror attacks before then? Your safety is never guaranteed. More people will die from crossing the street today than by some stranger randomly shooting them. Lets keep some perspective here shall we.
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Of course the guns on campus argument comes off as selfish...its about protecting the holder. Screw the rest of us "sitting ducks"
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