To Upgrade Software, Or Not To Upgrade

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

You just spent five hundred dollars on a software program only to find out that a month later that they’ve released the newest version. What do you do? The beauty of expensive software is that you really don’t have to do anything unless you want to. What you do need to do is consider a few points when deciding if an upgrade is the right option for you.

If It Ain’t Broke...
If the current version of the program you are running gives you no problems, then there really isn’t much of a reason to upgrade it. You’ve learned all the basic features of the program and even some of the advanced. As a matter of fact, you’ve learned to utilize just about every feature and plug-in available. An upgrade will only add more features that you will have to learn and may even change the interface of the actual program depending on how drastic the upgrade is. Although, they may offer a software training center online that would make transitioning quite simple.

If the program crashes all the time and routinely fails to save any revisions you’ve made to your file, then you might want to consider the upgrade. But a majority of these types of syndromes are caused by little bugs in the actual programming of the software. Check online to see if there are any free updates available that may solve some of these short-term issues. You will probably have to register the program so have your serial number handy.

The software company may even offer a less expensive upgrade package that simply adds the new features to your current version without you having to purchase the full version. Most of these are available online and you can simply purchase, download, and install. If you run into any problems, they generally offer free software help as well. Another thing to think about is the amount of time that has passed since the newest version was released. If they’re still posting updates for the version you currently have, you might want to let them work the bugs out of the latest version before even considering purchasing it. If you do plan to get it, six months to a year after its release, they will always provide those updates as they become available.

What’s In It For Me?
You may want to check out some early reviews of the upgrade to decide if the upgrade would even make a difference for you. A majority of the features that are so well advertised by software manufacturers are so often not used by the actual consumers. If your application doesn’t require a lot of complex operations, an upgrade may not be right for you. Again, it comes down to how comfortable you are with the software and if your field requires timely upgrades of software. I can imagine that graphic artists always want the newest upgrade of Photoshop® as it adds more and more features for editing photos. You also need to look at these new features and decide if they will increase your efficiency. If the upgrade offers a macro feature that you could really take advantage of due to the repetitiveness of your data input, it may be worth your time in the long run. What IS in a new upgrade for you is continual service and support from the manufacturer. As the newer versions come out, older versions will lose their support that was once provided by the manufacturer. If you run into any problems down the road, you may not be able to just call that 1-800 number that you used to and receive instantaneous help.

Incompatible
If you share a lot of computer files with coworkers and clients, an upgrade may not be something that you can do on an individual basis. If the upgrade is to be taken advantage of, all parties involved will have to, due to compatibility. If you create a file in the newest version and don’t save it for reverse compatibility, those receiving the file may not be able to open it or perhaps will run into complications due to the use of features or fonts that their version doesn’t have. You may even have problems yourself when it comes to accessing files that you originally created in the older version of the software.

If you have the money, but not the time to think about software upgrades, then by all means you should simply purchase the new version and be on your way. But if your budget is tight, finding ways to work with what you have may be the best solution. Often upgrades are more about enhanced special features than actual stability and reliability, but weigh the options, read the reviews, and see if it’s the right move for you.

Photoshop is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Incorporated, registered in the U.S. and other countries.

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