The following is the published policy statement here at New Mexico State University. It has evolved from several iterations of study. Hope it is of some help. ========================================================================= +--------------+ D. Bryan Emery | | New Mexico State University Computer Center | | Mainframe Services Division | | P.O. Box 30001, Dept 3AT | | Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-0001 | NMSU | (505) 646-1240 | * | | +--------+ Bitnet: MFSDBE@NMSUVM1 | | Internet: bemery@nmsu.edu +-----+ ========================================================================= G110 USER RESPONSIBILITIES _____________________ New Mexico State University Computer Center Department 3AT, Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003-0001 (505) 646-4433 Revised: 07/89 (CNR) While computing resources at NMSU are extensive, so is its user com- munity; therefore respect and conservation is imperative. User Responsibilities _____________________ All NMSU computing and networking resources should be used in an ef- fective, efficient, ethical, and legal manner. Users are assumed to agree to respect the following conditions of use: 1. Respect the intended purposes of computing resources: o Use accounts only for the instructional, research, and administrative purposes specified. Playing games, print- ing calendars and posters, and gambling pools are exam- ples of inappropriate computer use. o Not to use instructional accounts for commercial activ- ity. 2. Respect the privacy of other users: o Not to use any other person's account unless explicitly permitted to do so by that person. o Not to intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, tapes, passwords, or any type of data or programs belonging to other users unless specif- ically authorized to do so. o Keep your password secret and change it regularly. 3. Respect system integrity and resources: o Not to develop or execute programs that could harass other users, infiltrate systems, damage or alter software components, or use any services for unauthorized commer- cial purposes. o Not to attempt to alter or avoid accounting for computer services. o Avoid excessive use of resources; for example, microcom- puters, public terminals, graphics devices, printers, networks, and processor time. o Share resources in an equitable manner. o Respect proctors and consultants. o Follow established procedures. Mutual respect and cooperative attitudes will ensure everyone has equal privileges, privacy, and protection from interference or harassment. Game Playing ____________ NMSU computing and networking resources are valuable and limited. All users have the responsibility to use these resources in an ef- fective, efficient, ethical, and legal manner. Because resources are limited, the following policy applies to game playing: 1. Game playing is restricted to those times when terminals and resources are not needed for other purposes. 2. Game players must surrender their terminals when requested. 3. Game playing is a privilege and one that may be revoked at any time. Violations of these conditions may result in suspension of computer privileges, disciplinary review, suspension or expulsion from the university, termination of employment, and/or legal action. Copyright Policy ________________ Unless you have written a program yourself, you do not have the right to make and distribute copies of programs without specific permission of the copyright holder. Software programs are protected by Section 117 of the 1976 Copyright Act. Most NMSU software is protected by federal copyright laws. Educational institutions are not exempt from these laws. Software is also protected by the license agreement between supplier and pur- chaser. Software provided by NMSU can only be used on the computer equipment specified in the software license. It is against University policy to copy or reproduce any licensed software on University computing equipment, except as expressly permitted by the software license. Public domain software is available. Also, you may not use unauthorized copies of software on University owned computers or on personal computers housed in University facil- ities. Unauthorized use of software is regarded as a serious matter and any such use is without the consent of New Mexico State Univer- sity. Public Domain Software ______________________ Software that can be copied and used by anyone is considered public domain. Programs authors want to share can be published with BBOARD. The communications software needed to connect your PC to the NMSU network is also public domain. KERMIT software is free of charge; bring a PC diskette to Small Systems at Jacobs Hall for your copy. BITNET Usage Guidelines _______________________ 1. All BITNET use must be consistent with its goal to facilitate exchange of non-commercial information supporting NMSU's mission of education and research. Commercial use is _________________ strictly forbidden. ___________________ 2. BITNET is not a secure network and should not be relied on for transmitting confidential or sensitive data. 3. Transmitting large files can cause traffic problems. There- fore, file transmissions are limited to 300,000 bytes (3,750 eighty-character records) regardless of the time of day. To transmit files exceeding this limit, divide them into a num- ber of smaller files of 300,000 bytes or less send them at appropriate intervals. 4. Since interactive messages take precedence over all other transmissions, extensive use of messaging can block BITNET traffic. Therefore, applications using the interactive mes- saging capability, such as BITNET-based PVM software, are re- stricted to research use by the Computer Center staff. 5. Proprietary software may not be sent over BITNET. 6. Random mailings (junk mail), casual contacts ("Who are you?" messages), and job solicitations are discouraged. Ethical Use ___________ Ethically responsible use of academic computing systems includes the efficient and productive use of resources. Microcomputers, public terminals, graphics devices, printers, networks, and computing processor time are resources that much be shared in an equitable manner. For example, if production runs use large amounts of computing re- sources, attempt to optimize your programs. Large inefficient pro- grams deny resources to other users. Also, keeping unnecessarily large permanent files depletes resources. Consequences ____________ Violations of these conditions may result in the suspension of com- puting privileges, disciplinary review, termination of employment, and/or legal action. Getting Help ____________ For questions on policies for correct use of NMSU's computing and networking resources, consult the Computer Center Director.