Most first-years entered their housing lottery applications into the computer network without incident yesterday and Monday.

But a few students have encountered problems with the system, first-years and Science Center computer staff said yesterday.

"There haven't been any problems with the software," said Andrew F. McKinney, microcomputer software developer for FAS Computer Services. "It has been mostly user error or perhaps not knowing the Mac too well."

McKinney is one of three authors of the computer lottery program, called the Electronic Lottery Form.

This is the first year that student have been able to enter their housing choices and blocking groups into the computer network from their rooms. Last year students could enter the data only from Science Center computers.

The lottery ended last night with the passing of the 11:30 p.m. deadline for the entering of housing choices and blocking groups into the computer network. Catherine M. Millett, housing officer for the College, said the few students who did not successfully enter the information would be able to do so this morning at the Science Center.

Positive Reaction

A housing official for the College said reaction to the computerized system of data entry has been positive.

"A lot of people are just happy that students are starting to use the network," Millett said. "All the problems that have happened--and there have been very few really--have been solved."

Millett spent yesterday and Monday from 8 a.m. to noon in the Science Center answering students' questions about the housing process in general.

McKinney was available in the Science Center yesterday to help students with computer problems.

Students who solicited McKinney's help had mostly encountered problems with entering the information from computers in their dorm rooms.

"I have seen some problems where it's due to the system configurations or student machines," McKinney said. "We can't really determine what students put on their computers."

One blocking group discovered when they tried to enter their lottery information that other applications running on the computer may affect the lottery entry.

"We decided to enter [our lottery application] in our room," said Nicholas R. Szumski '97. "Just as we got to the end, where it should come up and ask you to verify your information, the computer crashed."