Williams Computer Science

Documentation for accessing and using our Computer Science Machines and Network.

Computer Science User Policy

The purpose of the Computer Science Department’s computing equipment is to further computer science study and research at Williams College by providing access to data and equipment not otherwise available to individuals. We want you to use it in good faith. This document gives some examples of acceptable and unacceptable use. It is not meant to be exhaustive.

You, the user, must:

• Respect the rights and privacy of other users: access only files and data that are your own, are publicly available, or to which you have been given authorized access.
• Be considerate in your use of shared resources: make economic use of CPU time, network bandwidth, disk space, and other resources.
• Take reasonable steps to protect your account, including not sharing your password or account with another person.

You, the user, must not:

• Use another person’s user id, password, files, or data without express permission from them.
• Use software in unauthorized attempts to decode passwords or other encrypted data.
• Attempt to circumvent or subvert system or network security measures.
• Engage in any activity that might be harmful to systems, or to any information stored within them, such as creating or propagating viruses, disrupting services, or damaging files.
• Make or use illegal copies of copyrighted software, store such copies on computer science systems, or transmit them over computer science networks.
• Use mail or messaging services to intentionally harass, intimidate, or otherwise annoy another person.
• Waste computing resources — for example, by intentionally placing a program in an endless loop, by printing excessive amounts of data or paper, or using the printer for non-CS use.
• Engage in any other activity that does not comply with the principles presented above or the general rules of the College.

We, the faculty in this department and system administrators of this system, will:

• Make a reasonable effort to provide consistent access to the resources of the Computer Science Department.
• Not interfere with use of the system except in emergency situations or unless announced in advance.
• Not violate the privacy of a user’s files or transmissions except in emergency situations (suspected break-ins, security violations, viruses, or illegal activity); reports go to college administration before any action, though immediate action may be needed in a true emergency.
• Abide by the user rules above, but reserve the right to copy/examine files suspected of relating to unacceptable use (break-ins, security violations, viruses, illegal activity, suspected academic misconduct) to maintain system security and usability.
• Reserve the right to cooperate with other system administrators when CS machines are suspected of causing or receiving unacceptable activity.

Misuse may result in loss of computing privileges, demands for financial restitution, and/or disciplinary action depending on severity. Williams College’s general computer usage policies also apply.