Microsoft Office seems to be the hot seller. At least it's the most requested software suite for our training programs. I'll guess that about 80% of our new customers request Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access—the products that are bundled in the MS Office Professional pack.

This is ok, I guess. I've always had a personal affinity for WordPerfect products...the nicest company to deal with, and all that. I miss the days when WordPerfect was top of the heap and the nearest competitor wasn't even in sight.

On the other hand, Microsoft has developed a really excellent set of software with its Office Professional pack. Just about everything most of us would need in software is integrated together and sold for a real bargain.

What gives me pause to think are these new products from Microsoft. They're wonderfully complete and easy to learn. But I've never seen such slow software.

I tested MS Word on over a dozen computers in our office, ranging from '386/16 MHz to Pentium/90 MHz. The minimum machine was a 386/20 MHz with 8 Mb of memory. And this machine was barely passible. In fact, I mistakenly allowed a customer to use this machine to run Word, and she commented that it was so aggravatingly slow that she wanted to take a chain saw to it!

I found that for anything other than 1-page memos, the minimum machine to run this new software really is a 486/66 MHz with at least 8 Mb of memory. Most people don't have this much hardware, and yet, they're eagerly buying up thousands and thousands of copies of these new software products.

The other titles that are included in the MS Office pack are equally hardware intensive. In fact, Access, the database management software, requires 16 Mb of memory to function at even a moderate level.

Please don't misunderstand me, I like what the products offer, and they pretty-well bug free, but who's got the hardware to run 'em?

Microsoft isn't the only manufacturer with big software. Lotus Development Corp. had released a version of 1-2-3 for Windows that has similar hardware needs. WordPerfect's (now Novell's) flagship product is also demanding.

While I was evaluating the newest products on the market on different computers, I realized that if I were to buy the average computer for the office today, I'd be wasting my money. Here's why I say this:

Imagine, for a moment, that I intend to keep current with software. As new versions are released, I'll upgrade. Heck, it's usually less than $99 for the upgrade, why not? On the average, software is upgraded by its manufacturer about once a year.

So, if I buy a computer that's capable of running the current software version, this still-new PC will be underpowered within a year. I worked from this premise and did a bit of stubby pencil work. What I found amazed me.

I'm purchasing about 10 new computers for our office and classroom. It's not a small piece of change, and I want my dollar to go as far as possible. Here are my options:

• i486/66 MHz Average price $2,000 Good for current versions
• Pentium/60 MHz Average price $2,300 Good for one software upgrade
• Pentium/90 MHz Average price $2,500 Good for two software upgrades

  I expect that the Pentium computers will be able to adequately manage the upcoming software revisions, based on past experience. If I purchase the Pentium/90 MHz computer, which is only $500 more than the 486, I'll be able to use it for at least three years (the current software version and two upgrades) before it becomes overwhelmed by the software demands.

  Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not a "numbers" guy, not by any stretch of the imagination. But I can't find a flaw in this theory. Even when I ran it past our accounting firm and bankers, they agreed that it makes sense to buy for the duration, rather than save pennies now, only to find the computer won't have what it takes next year.

  If you're interested in talking about computer purchases, give me a call I'd love to hear what you think. I don't sell the darn things, I'm only interested in helping everyone learn to use them more easily.

  Until next month, don't take any wooden nickels.

  David Stephen Murphy is President and CEO of Damar Group, Ltd. which presents computer training classes, publishes computer learning guides, and helps organizations do business on the Internet. The website is http://dgl.com, and Mr. Murphy may be reached at dave@dgl.com or 410.567.5366.

  updated November 2, 1996
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