Do You Really Need That?

By Robert Ralston, IT-Computer and Printer Repair

 
This article is the first in a series to guide readers through the software and hardware upgrade and maintenance process.

A common observation: if you buy a new piece of computer hardware today, it will be obsolete by tomorrow and the newer piece will most likely cost less. Another observation: most software does not fully utilize the features of today's hardware. In fact, software vendors are constantly playing catch-up, not only to add new features, but to fix numerous bugs and to enable their software to work on constantly changing hardware. The result: we must all learn to navigate through a seemingly endless sea of software packages, upgrades, and patches.

In this environment, installing new software applications on your computer can be refreshingly easy or it can bring you to your knees. In fact, this process is so painful at times that many people refuse to install new software once they have achieved a stable, functional system, invoking the proverbial "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Beyond the hassle of loading software and making it work, you could face a much greater problem. IT-Computer and Printer Repair sees many computer problems associated with software installations. This is particularly true when new software has been added or a new operating system has been installed on a computer that has not been backed up regularly or whose hard drive lacks basic maintenance. In fact, sometimes the most difficult problem is determining if a computer problem is hardware- or software-related. Sometimes the only way to find that out is to format the hard drive and reload the operating system. Of course, this solution assumes that people have made backups of their data and that they have all of the software applications available to reinstall. This is often not the case.

We hope the advice provided in this article helps you make the most informed decisions about purchasing and installing software. This first article provides Mac-specific help; future articles will include advice about IBM-compatible PCs.

Do you really need new software?
Most software programs are packed with features that we don't know about or use. If you want your current software program to do something you donŐt think it can, consider picking up a well-chosen book on how to use your current application. This could pay greater dividends than buying and maintaining an upgrade. But also be careful about books. Since computer books are describing a rapidly changing market, the books themselves are rapidly changing. Consequently, many have obviously been rushed to market, replete with numerous errors. The best thing is to visit a bookstore with a large collection of computer books and do some hands-on browsing, until you find something useful to you. In addition to upgrading and learning more about your current applications, some software programs use "plug-ins" (other software designed to work with the application). Maybe you can add the functionality you need by acquiring the appropriate plug-in.

One other option for evaluating new software is to visit the Center for Advanced Information Technology (CAIT), located in the General Library behind IT-Express. Working directly with vendors, the CAIT maintains a large inventory of donated software for the campus to preview, test, and evaluate. CAIT staff may be able to consult with you to find the specific software packages to suit your needs. If you know exactly what program you want to evaluate, the CAIT could install the program and guide you through an in-depth evaluation. You can browse the CAIT's list of software titles via an online database at http://cait.ucdavis.edu/software. If you do not find the software you are looking for, they can request it from the vendor. The CAIT encourages pre-scheduled appointments. Call 530-752-5711.

Is the new software compatible with your operating system?
Lots of Macintosh applications come with a promise: "compatible with System 8 or later (or higher)." This claim can be misleading, even false. For example, a specific application might work with any version of the Mac operating system between 8.0 and 8.6 (8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 8.5.1, and 8.6). Outside this compatibility window, you will need to find, download, install, and maintain various amounts of update or "patch" software just to achieve compatibility with a "later" version of the operating system.

Be sure to ask the software vendor about compatibility, too. Watch out for phrases like "Toast is compatible with Mac OS9" and "Toast is completely compatible with Mac OS9." That single word "completely" can mean a lot. In this example, Toast, version 4.0, a popular CD burning software program, is not yet "completely" compatible with Mac OS9. If you attempt to use one of the major features of Toast 4.0, running under OS9, to create a temporary partition in which to assemble a CD image, you will get a consistent error message. Nevertheless Adaptec, the software vendor, can still claim "compatibility with Mac OS9" because, by using additional software, there is a workaround for this particular problem. At some point Adaptec will release a patch for version 4.0 which will resolve this and other problems. Be aware of these bugaboos and make sure you get what you expect.