Statesman

Issue date: 1/28/09 Section: News

The UMD Authorization page that Baynton's program circumvents.

As a new semester starts up, many students are trying to find ways to make school less stressful and a little easier.

For senior Michael Baynton, a minor frustration with the university wireless system turned into an idea to make logging on more convenient.

"I thought it was annoying," Baynton said, referring to the cumbersome and constant logging on process that is required for any student who wishes to access the wireless Internet on campus from a computer or other device.

So, working by himself, Baynton used his skills as a computer science major and started to work on a program last October and November that would allow him to by-pass the login process and connect directly to the Internet, when he was on campus.

"I wrote an early program and gave it around to some friends to test it out," Baynton said.

After the initial tests were successful, Baynton thought that other students would benefit from it as well. This prompted him to start the Web site eduLogon, which now allows other students to download the safe and secure program for a small fee.

"There's a one-time $3 fee for anyone who wants to download the program," Baynton said. "There's also a 30-day free-trial option for anyone interested."

According to the Web site, "eduLogon securely saves your university username and password and automatically logs you on when it detects network authentication is necessary."

In other words, students who download the program will never have to see the log on page again.

While only a handful of students have eduLogon downloaded right now, Baynton said he hopes the program will catch on and possibly expand to other campuses, like the U of M Twin Cities campus where one of his friends is currently testing.

The program only works on computers that use Windows because Baynton originally made the program for his computer, but he said he is considering making the same program available for Apple computers.

"I get a lot of requests to make the program for the iPhone," Baynton said.

This could prove to be beneficial for students like sophomore Justin Ramdular who said that logging on to his computer and iPhone can be a hassle.

"I sometimes have to log in 10 times daily," Ramdular said. "I have to re-log on to my iPhone, if I'm off-line for too long."

But for some, like Ramdular, it's hard to find even a few bucks to spare.

"The iPhone was expensive enough," he said.

On the other hand, sophomore Jake Wykle thinks logging on isn't too much of a problem.

"It's not too bad because my browser saves the password," Wykle said.

Even though eduLogon isn't associated with UMD ITSS, Baynton said that many members of the department were supportive of it.

The Web site can be found at www.edulogon.com, where students can purchase the program, test it out for 30 days or send Baynton questions or concerns.

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