NLA REVIEW	COMPUTERS NOW	Spring 1997

Several years ago, the question was 'Should I Computerize?' Today [1997], the question is 'What Should I Buy in Computers?' My answer is to wait, if you can.

Since 1980, when the first personal computers were introduced by Apple and Radio Shack, the speed and power of personal computers have doubled on an average of once every two years. In the meantime, the cost of computers and their components have dropped. In 1997, a decent 486 desk top computer will cost about $1,000.00 or less, while a 586 system will cost between $1,200.00 and $2,000.00.

SHOULD I UPGRADE ?

The first thing that you need to do is take an inventory of what you have in the office: computers, printers, cabling, monitors, hard drives etc. If your computers have 386 processors or less than 300 MB hard drives or less than 8 MB of RAM, you are a candidate for a computer upgrade. If you do not have 15 inch color monitors, you need to upgrade. If any of your equipment is more than three years old, you need to upgrade.

HOW SHOULD I UPGRADE ?

In today's environment, you do not have to discard the whole computer to upgrade. For the budget conscious, component purchases may be easier than buying a complete new system. However, the purchase of an integrated system may be more cost effective because you would be getting all new components which should work together and be under warranty.

However, a minimum upgrade would be to add more RAM and a larger hard drive. Motherboard upgrades are a very practical option with a new CPU since the cost of a 100 MHZ Pentium and motherboard is about $175.00 to $210.00. This may not be possible if your computers are three or more years old and may not be financially practicable. But if possible, it may extend the life of your system by one to three years.

WHERE DO I GET THE BEST PRICE?

I am spoiled since I live in Southern California which has the second largest manufacturing base for computers. If you live in a large city, you should have a couple of computer stores that will sell and install components. If you are in a small town, you may not have a source of computer parts, and I would suggest the mail order houses. A typical mail ad features a Cyrix 6x86-P166, 1.2 Gig HD, eight MB RAM, 15" SVGA Monitor etc.for $999.00. I am not talking about Dell, Gateway 2000 or Micron. I am talking about Domino Computers, Einstein Tech, or PC Club. If you just said WHO??, these are small companies that advertise in MICRO TIMES California's Computer Magazine [Southern Calif. Edition]. Published twice a month, it has about 250 pages of material of which 175 pages are computer ads. I would get a single copy for $5.00 or 14 issues for $35.00 to get a good sample of the ads and prices. Contact BAM Media Inc. 3470 Buskirk Ave., Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, [510] 934 3700; E-Mail Microx@well.com

Never buy anything via mail order by check, ALWAYS BUY BY CREDIT CARD, since you can usually charge the price back if the vendor does not live up to its warranty. In contacting a mail order house, always ask about its replacement warranty, its restocking charge, etc.

WHY NOT BUY WHOLE NEW SYSTEMS ?

There are three reasons why you should not buy a whole new computer system now. [1] The affordable present desktop systems based upon the Pentium/586 - 133MHz+chips are a way station to new and faster technology. [2] Today's software is in transition from the 8/16/32 bit DOS products of three years ago to the present full 32 bit Windows 95 programs which can take advantage of the speed and power of today's processors. [3] Next "month's" technology will probably be portable rather than desktop

A. The Present Base System

The base low end system today [March1997] is probably a Pentium/586 computer with a 133-MHZ chip, 16 MB RAM, 1 Gig HD, 15 inch color monitor, etc. With existing processor speeds now going in the 200 to 300 MHZ range, and new processors in the 600 to 900 MHZ range with 64 bit architecture in development [Intel's P-7chip code named Merced], today's Pentium/ 586 is obsolete. Trying to keep pace with this changing environment is a technology nightmare. Further, unless you are really a techno freak, getting cutting edge technology is very expensive and very risky. Witness the floating point error in the Intel Pentium chip when it first came out. As an attorney, I would always get equipment which has a proven track record for the office.

B. Today's/Tomorrow's Software.

Today's software is a combination of 8/16/32 bit programs which for the most part are based upon backward compatible programs from the early days of computers. With the introduction of Windows 95 in August 1995, the days of these DOS based programs were numbered. Microsoft updated its Windows NT program in 1996 and is beta testing a new program which may be called Windows 97 [or 98] when introduced. Windows NT is a more stable program than Windows 95 but is designed for the larger [25 or more] network. Both appear to be on the way out based upon the new Windows 97 which is said to combine the best features of both Windows 95 and Windows NT. I would get Windows 95 [and the downloadable ServicePack] and then wait about a year after the introduction of the New Windows upgrade before making the switch. The new Windows 97/98 is designed to be a true 32 bit program and may not work well with the older DOS programs.

WordPerfect vs Word vs AmiPro. Fifteen years ago, there were about 10 major word processing programs. Now there are three. MS Word has become a major player because of its tie in with Windows 95. AmiPro is part of the Lotus/IBM package. However, WordPerfect is still the leading program in the law office.

Now that WordPerfect has found a home at Corel Corp., it is hoped that it will concentrate on upgrading WordPerfect to a true 32 bit program. At a street price of $90.00 for the upgrade CD-ROM for theWP Suite 7, it is a very good buy.

Regardless of your preference, the new versions of these programs are only just beginning to take advantage of the processors and are probably slower than their predecessor because they are not true 32 bit programs yet. All three come in Suite versions which includes database and presentation programs.

OTHER PROGRAMS:

Calendaring: There are several good calendar programs - I use the network version of ABACUS which we find to cover our needs. Bookkeeping: Although there are several bookkeeping programs, Quicken and QuickBooks are the leading check writing and/or bookkeeping programs. Forms: California is a court forms state and Legal Solutions [now part of the West Information Publishing group] has the best forms. They have a Bankruptcy set that includes the Local Calif District Forms. With the power of West Publishing, I expect that they will be going nationwide soon.

If you are looking for a single place to obtain legal software, contact Blumberg Excelsior 62 White St., New York, NY 10013 [800] 221-2972, Ext 565 & 503. They have Abacus, Timeslips, a national Bankruptcy program and a relatively good set of Document Assembly programs from Attorney's Computer Network which has wills, intervivos trusts, partnership, corporate and other software. Relatively inexpensive, they support their programs and will keep you advised as to updates.

If you are interested in the latest in law related computer products, the New York Law Publishing Co. has the monthly Law Technology Product News which is sent free on request to law firms. Send your request to Subscriptions, Law Technology Products News, 345 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010 or fax your letterhead to 212/696-1845 requesting a subscription.

Lastly, trust accounting for the law office is very important. Although several good trust accounting programs exist, Fountain Software's Trust v4.0A has some outstanding features, a good manual and the low price of $149.00. Fountain Software, P.O. Box 2417, Blaine, WA 98231, 800/336-1766. Congress has proposed that personal injury attorneys begiven a IRS Form 1099 for the total amount of their settlements, and then the attorney would be responsible for giving his client and providers a Form 1099 for what they have been paid. Fountain Software has features which would allow the gathering of this data and is working on a program update for automatic printing of the Form 1099.

C. Notebook Computers areTomorrow's System.

Presently rather expensive, notebook computers are the probable base system of tomorrow for the small law office. Small and light weight, the new notebooks can be an office away from the office. With a docking station, a notebook can hook via modem into your office system to download or upload information. With a fax/modem/cellphone card, the office's computer system is only a few key strokes away. With overhead projectors, an in-court presentation of information from your computer multi-media program is possible.

A high quality notebook computer will cost about $3,500.00 to $5,000.00 fully loaded at today's prices. It is likely that a similarly configured computer will cost about half that price in about two years.

If you are looking for a notebook now, you may want to buy a used notebook to get the feel of such a system. A used 486 notebook with a color display, and a 200 to 500 HD can be purchased for about $600.00 to $1,000.00 depending on the configuration. [See Dollar Computers of Santa Ana, 714/975-0552; check out their web site at http://www.earthlink.net/~dollar/ for currently available notebooks.] A refurbished notebook would be good for notes, memos and other items such as timekeeping entries using Timeslips Remote. It would also give you the chance to see if you like mobile computing without the financial shock of the new systems.

WHAT WOULD BE AND/OR SHOULD BE ON/IN THE CASE?

The name of a recognized manufacturer of notebooks should be on your case. Much of the technology for notebooks is proprietary and when buying upgrades and accessories, your only source will probably be the manufacturer. Therefore, an IBM, Toshiba, Dell, Gateway or Winbook is probably a good bet for your notebook.

A Pentium 133 MHZ processor is a minimum. Apple announced in February 1997, a new 250 MHZ based processor which is designed to compete with the Intel MMX multi-media processor, but the price has not been set.

Intel has announced that in the fall of 1997 it will be putting its processors, secondary cache and system chip sets on a plug in card rather than as separate items to go on the motherboard. This design would allow notebook makers to adopt new CPU sets without redesigning the existing motherboard. Intel says that this system will allow higher performance and make CPU upgrades easier. Notebook makers will like the design since it allows them to put the new bigger/faster/etc. processors and chip set into their notebooks. End users will like the system since they should be able to upgrade an existing notebook's CPU at lower costs. Look for this design in notebooks in early 1998.

RAM, RAM and More RAM. 16 MB of RAM is not only the minimum but is probably too little. Your machine should have 32 MB and ought to have more if you are going to do multi-media presentations in court. Look for a notebook that will allow you to have 48 to 64 MB of RAM.

An active matrix color screen is better than a dual scan display. Dual scan displays do not work well in bright light, and are slow to react to changes on the screen. Active matrix screens are brighter and sharper, can be viewed from a wider angle and refresh faster to keep up with the work on the screen. An active matrix screen will cost about $500.00 more than a dual scan on the same notebook and is worth the extra cost. The trade off is that an active matrix screen uses more power and, therefore drains the battery faster.

A 1 GB hard drive is probably the smallest you should get. You should buy a hard drive to last you about three years. This means that new suite programs and the data to use them will have to fit. Corel'sWordPerfect Suite 7 takes about175 MB of hard disk space. A forms program and other programs will easily use up 400 to 600 MB of disk space. Do not skimp on your hard drive.

A built-in CD-ROM and a Floppy Drive would be nice to have. Most present systems do not allow you to "hot swap" these devices. Some newer systems do, but if you have to access data on a floppy and then have to switch to a CD-ROM, you do not want to have to shut down your system to do this task. NEC's Versa line of notebooks has two bays so that you can have multiple configurations including an extra battery. The new recordable CD-ROM technology is just starting to hit the marketplace. At about 750 MB per disk, it may be a good permanent media for backing up your hard drive.

Batteries come in two types: Lithium Ion [LiIon] or Nickel Metal Hydride [NiMH]. The maximum bakery life is in the two to three hour range, but constant use of a CD-ROM will halve that range. Although more expensive, the LiIon battery discharges at a slower rate and thus give you about 10 to 20 percent more working time per charge. A second battery for your bay will give you extra time on long trips.

Pointing Devices come in several types. They are the mouse, trackball, pointer stick and touch pad. Each is a matter of individual preference and should be tested by the individual user. I have a touch pad and heavy fingers, a combination that does not make for happy computing.

Cellphone/Modems are a rapidly changing technology. Modems are getting faster and faster. New cellphones come in analog and digital types. In California, Pacific Bell has announced a new technology which is supposed to be better than either analog or digital. A combined modem/cellphone which plugs into your laptop is available now.

Docking Stations are a must for the portable attorney. A docking station allows you to attach a standard keyboard, large monitor, and other devices to your notebook by means of a single plug. You can include a network card for attachment to the office network and have other devices attached depending on the docking station. Cost: $100.00 to $600.00 plus hardware such as a monitor, keyboard, CD-ROM etc.

As notebooks become, more and more, powerful, they will replace the desktop systems of today. Desktops will always be in the office, but more as a base system [anchor] to which calls will be made for central data by the mobile attorney. Expensive today, notebook systems are half of what they were two years ago and their price should drop again in the next two years. With proper planning and an eye on the changing technology, the financial pain of a change over should be manageable and affordable for the solo or small firm attorney.

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