Minimum System Requirements
VBL 3.0 is hosted in ThomsonNOW, Thomson Learning's course management system, but the minimum system requirements for VBL 3.0 are slightly different from the general ThomsonNOW system requirements posted at the ThomsonNOW site (in particular, you will need Java and Shockwave Player.
For both Windows and Macintosh
- Internet connection speed of 56K or higher
- 128 MB RAM
- 16-bit color monitor, 800 x 600 resolution, sound card recommended
- Pop-up blocking software configured to allow http://www.thomsonedu.com/thomsonnow/ to display popup windows.
- Adobe Shockwave 10 Player or higher.
- Adobe Flash 7 Player or higher.
- Sound card for products with audio features
Windows
Macintosh
- OS X 10.3 and above, or higher
- Power Mac G3 or higher
- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 1.5 (While Firefox is not officially supported by ThomsonNOW, it has been shown to support the functions necessary for VBL 3.0. While Safari™ 1.3–2.0 supports ThomsonNOW in general, it does not seem to work consistently for VBL 3.0).
There are some known Firefox bugs, but they have easy workarounds:
- When you enter a particular Activity, you need to read the Introduction, then click a link at the bottom of the page to enter the Activity. If you see a grey background, please scroll up. The grey border around the simulation is longer than it needs to be when certain simulations are viewed in Firefox, and your browser will go to the bottom of the page.
- Upon completing and submitting your assignment, you may choose to "View Assignment." Your results will show up, but the vertical scroll bar will not let you move down your submitted worksheet; instead, use Up and Down arrow keys on keyboard to view the complete assignment details page, or put your cursor on the text and drag up or down.
Return to the VBL 3.0 Home Page.