April 2003

Dig Into Software's Support And Upgrades

Upgrades are a fact of life with software, but you need to know what they're likely to cost and what kind of support you can anticipate.

Show Secretary impressed us with their constant upgrading to work out bugs.

The first requirement for any software package is usability. It's got to run on your machine, be easy to learn and not require extra steps to perform routine tasks. Keep in mind, however, that usability is in the eye of the beholder. As with all programs, you're going to have to be patient while you get used to it.

Consider exactly what you want from your software. As a matter of fact, prioritize your needs on paper, determine what you must have, what you'd like and what would simply be neat extras. Do you need to print invoices? Do you want to produce a report on when horses are due for…