| If you are like most One-Person Business owners, you | | | | specific topic he wants. The file names tell him what's |
| are THE ONE when it comes to the day-to-day word | | | | what. When I asked why not put them all in one file |
| processing, page layout, financials, and graphics | | | | and then use a table of contents, he had to admit his |
| computer work that all needs to be done. You | | | | legacy word processing software doesn't easily allow |
| probably have all your old favorite software that | | | | him to automatically insert a table of contents into a |
| makes your job so much easier. | | | | document. He would have to check when each new |
| Or, do you? | | | | topic began, type in the title of the page, and then |
| Legacy software, the high tech industry's term for | | | | insert the page number. If he wanted to change the file |
| software that has been on a system forever, through | | | | in any way, he'd have to type up a new table of |
| many upgrades of hardware, and changes in the | | | | contents. |
| business systems and processes, often can be more | | | | Instead he spent countless minutes, often hours, finding |
| of a hindrance than a help. And, it can catch you in a | | | | the topics and information he needed for a paper or a |
| backwater with a huge price. | | | | presentation. |
| How Legacy Software Can Hurt More Than Help | | | | The solution? Any of the current "Big Name" word |
| Recently I was visiting a colleague who has an | | | | processing software programs have simple |
| enormous amount of source material, reflecting his | | | | instructions for automatically inserting tables of content |
| more than 20 years in his profession. Each topic is | | | | (tables that can easily be changed if the text of the file |
| carefully copied into its own word processing file. Then | | | | is changed in any way). And, almost all of them let you |
| the files are collected into folders, and the folders | | | | copy in, and/or even open, text files produced by other |
| artfully displayed on his screen. Dozens and dozens of | | | | programs. |
| them! | | | | The price? It comes back to "pay me now or pay me |
| The problem? All those individual files. When I asked | | | | later." Also, this is a serious decision on how you would |
| why so many, he said it makes it easier to find the | | | | like to spend your professional time. |