One of the underestimated pain points for many molecular modelers—particularly students, researchers in large institutions, or scientists working on shared systems—is the requirement for administrative privileges to install software. Firewalls, university IT policies, and locked-down systems often add unnecessary friction when trying to set up a new workflow.
Luckily, SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, offers a solution that smoothly sidesteps this issue: no administrator rights are needed to install or run SAMSON. This can be a game-changer if you’re working in environments with installation restrictions or want to test-drive the platform without contacting IT.
Why Admin-Free Installation Matters
If you’re a computational researcher or student, the ability to install tools in your own user space gives you independence and saves time. IT bottlenecks disappear, and you maintain control over your computational environment. Plus, you can install updates or different versions without waiting for someone else to approve the process.
How SAMSON Does It
SAMSON is designed to be installed in the user’s home folder, without writing to system directories. Its installer doesn’t need elevated privileges, and the platform actively checks at startup that it isn’t launched in admin mode in order to protect users from unintentionally giving the software more rights than it needs.
After downloading the installer from SAMSON Connect, you simply run it as a normal user. The installation process then guides you through a few simple steps, including entering your email and SAMSON key (both linked to your SAMSON Connect account).
SAMSON also checks that it can access the internet to download the relevant modules and extensions. If you’re behind a proxy, there’s an option to configure it as needed.
Clean Installation, Straightforward Updates
Because SAMSON installs locally in your user directory, you have the freedom to manage updates and versions. The platform even includes a built-in update feature via the Interface menu > Update SAMSON. SAMSON Extensions are updated to be compatible with the current release and update automatically when you launch the program.
You can also run multiple versions side by side or install older releases if your workflows depend on specific features. These options can be accessed during installation via an Advanced mode checkbox.
Platform Compatibility
- Windows: SAMSON can be installed under typical user permissions.
- Linux: Installer can be made executable using a terminal, then run with no elevated access.
- macOS: Installed in
$HOME/Applications, with only full disk access possibly required post-installation.
A Better First Step
If you’ve been held back from trying modern molecular modeling software because of permissions or system access limitations, SAMSON removes that roadblock. It’s one less thing to worry about and gets you closer to doing the actual science.
To dive deeper into getting started with SAMSON and its documentation, visit the official Getting Started guide.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. To download SAMSON, visit https://www.samson-connect.net.