To upgrade or not to upgrade?

To upgrade or not to upgrade? That is the question. Should you make major changes in your computer hardware and software?

In my February 1996 column, "New WIndows on the World," I discussed Windows 95 in favorable terms and said why I thought it was such an important product. That article drew a fair amount of comment.

In my March 1996 column, "The End of Two Eras Means Changes Ahead for Most Law Firms," I said that two eras had passed, namely the dominance of WordPerfect as the word-processing program of choice and that of Macintosh as a good long-term technological solution for law firms. That article drew an even greater reaction.

This article summarizes the rebuttals I have received or articles I have read elsewhere. I suggest you think about the points raised when considering whether to make major upgrading decisions.

Windows 95

It seems that Windows 95 is a successful product, but it is not having as much success n law firm or other business environments as expected.

A recent survey taken in the Chicago area and reported in the April 1996 Chicago Computer Guide revealed three reasons why many are not upgrading to Windows 95.

* Given that Windows 95 is a new product, its stability may be in question, and many are waiting for the next version or upgrade to come out.

* Those who switch to Windows 95 must take a great deal of time to master it, as is true with most new software products.

* To run Windows 95 requires computers with a great deal more power and more random access memory (RAM) shall it takes to run the previous version of Windows.

Furthermore, Microsoft Corp. is apparently on targeting Windows 95 for the home market and Windows NT, its more powerful operating system, for the business community. Accordingly, you are in good company if you have not jumped into Windows 95 just yet, even if this product does make a PC look a heck of a lot more like a Mac.

WordPerfect

One attorney responded to my article on WordPerfect and made several on-the-mark observations.

Reveal Codes is a powerful part of WordPerfect, and Microsoft Word does not have the same facility. The attorney likens the absence of this feature to building a jet plane without an instrument panel in the cockpit.

This feature allows you to see the formatting codes along with the text--for example, the codes for text that is italicized or boldfaced. The ability to see where the codes are embedded in the document is important when you want to change a phrase from, say, italics to bold. YOU need to delete the code for italics and replace it with the code for bold. Reveal Codes enables you to do this without guessing where the codes arc in the text of the document.

Also, WordPerfect has such a strong following that many magazines and newsletters cater to the product and help users with new and innovative ways to use the product, the attorney said.

Of this there is no doubt, and I might add that over the years, many third-party "add-on" products for lawyers have appeared to assist law firms in using the product. I have written about some of those third-party products hl prior TRIAL columns.

Thus, there are quite a number of document-assembly products on the market that have the WordPerfect merge codes and merge-code markers in place. Other products provide macros for inserting signature blocks, creating case captious, numbering lines, and so on. Many firms have created their own merge-coded document-assembly and macro-based resources that will not translate when switching from one wordprocessing program to another. It is this investment of time, money, and effort that will prevent some firms from changing horses in midstream.

Last, the attorney, like most of us, likes competition and sees Microsoft as becoming perhaps a bit too dominant a company.

I might add that many law firms have determined WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS is just fine for their use, and see no need to upgrade to Windows and Windows products. After all, upgrading would require more memory, reconfiguration of networks, and the like. Further, if you have developed elaborate macros and merge documents in WP 5.1 that will probably not work in the Windows version of WordPerfect, why upgrade?

To my credit (at least I think it was to my credit), I was probably the last lawyer in the galaxy to give up WordStar. It worked for me, I had lots of merge capabilities with the WordStar "dot commands," I had already memorized key combinations (such as CTRL-K-B, to begin a block of text), and I just did not want to give up those hard-won capabilities. I did, however, eventually give up WordStar for WordPerfect.

Macintosh

The Macintosh computer is, in my view, still the machine of choice for many lawyers. It has a one-button mouse, it is easy to use, its great monitors come as standard equipment, it is network-ready and networking is easy, and there is much less to worry about for memory management and system configuration. If your office is already heavily committed to the Mac and if you are getting the results you want with the software you have, there is no reason to change to Windows just for the sake of trying something new.

You can also run Windows on Power Macintosh computers. You do this with third-party software or a hardware add-in board that fits into your Mac. So, you can have the best of both worlds running Mac and Windows products.

However, the Macintosh has less than 10 percent penetration into the business world in general and far less than 10 percent in law offices. Vendors of law-office-focused software for the Mac have generally not fared well financially. And if you were a software developer with a great idea for a new product, couldn't you first develop the product for Windows, which has over 90 percent of the market?

My readings indicate that developers are focusing on the Windows 95 operating system, and Macintosh is developing fewer products lawyers might find useful. Further, Apple Computer has lost lots of money in recent months, so Mac-committed law firms must be realistic and practical in the long term-if Apple falters or if present trends continue, the day may come when you will want or need to make the switch.

Planning for Upgrading

Those of us who read the latest computer magazines and computer catalogs as quickly and eagerly as most lawyers read the advance sheets know how fast computer technology changes these days. The power of the computer continues to spiral upward while costs continue to go down.

My first 10 meg hard-disk drive cost 52,500. Today, a hard-disk drive that has 100 times more storage capacity is about one-tenth the cost. Computer memory prices are finally down, too, and with multimedia (sound, graphics, and full-motion video), CD-ROM drives, and the Internet to deal with, there is always that temptation to buy, buy, buy as new technology appears.

The fact is that as low as the cost of computers is now, there is still a cost. Particularly if you're using 286 or older 386 machines, upgrading to Windows-based software will be much more expensive than the cost of the software product itself. You will need 486 machines and, more likely, Pentiums to run the more robust and full-featured graphics-based programs. Networks will need reworking and upgrading, and training is always much more expensive and time-consuming than you anticipate.

Before deciding to upgrade or change word-processing programs, operating systems, or the type of machine your firm relies on, take the time (for the first time, for most law firms) to sit down with your staff and learn about, think about, and understand what you've got, how it's working, and what you need. All your needs for the immediate future may already be satisfied, or you may be ripe for a change if there is a new product on the market that is available only in Windows and is just what you must have.

If all is going well, you may not need to make any changes for some time. However, with your newfound knowledge about your present situation and plans to achieve future goals, you may want to start the process of change. You will need to be constantly alert. You, too, may become addicted to reading computer magazines and catalogs, and you may want to join the increasing numbers on ATLA's Internet presence: ATLA NET. (For immediate access to ATLA NET, type in http://www.atlanet.org and register online.)

With more knowledge gained by communicating with others who are also trying to keep up with changes in technology, you'll know when it's time to make a change. And, even more important, you'll know what that change should be.

Remember: Using computers effectively will make your practice easier, more competitive, and more profitable. It's in your best interest to learn as much as you can about what you are doing and how others with similar concerns, problems, and firm size have solved their computer problems.

Paul Bernstein is a CPA, practicing attorney, and law office automation consultant in Chicago. he can be reached on the Internet at [e-mail]. The opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not reflect an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.