The following hardware and software are recommended specifications to work with the Blackboard application used as the learning management system for Northeastern University Online.

Platform:

• PC (Windows 2000/XP/Vista)
• Mac (10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5) 

Hardware: 

• 128 MB of RAM
• 2 GB free disk space 
• Ethernet or wireless network card (for high-speed internet connection) or 56K modem (for dial-up Internet connection) 
• T1, DSL, Cable, or Satellite high-speed connection (56K dial-up will work, but the online course system will run slowly)
• Sound card with speakers or a headset with microphone may be needed for courses with multimedia content

Browser:

• The Firefox browser 2.0 (available as a free download from www.firefox.com) is recommended for use with Blackboard
• Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) is also supported 

The major components of the Blackboard system will work to varying degrees in other browsers and operating systems.