Re: What's the best software suite, and where to buy it?

[Jean Weber <jean -at- wrevenge -dot- com -dot- au>]

Another thing to consider (before buying the latest version of a software 
product instead of the just-obsolete version) is what your potential 
clients will be using. A lot of independent techwriters start with 
small-business clients who may be using old versions of software. Depending 
on what you're doing for them (whether you're just delivering a finished 
product, or doing a lot of file sharing), you may well have fewer hassles 
if you use the same (older) version of the s/w that they're using. If that 
older s/w is a lot cheaper, then you're doubly ahead.

As an editor, I do a lot of tidying-up of files that will go back to the 
customer (to mess up again, but that's another story <grin>). Although I 
can save from one version of Word into an older format, sometimes Things Go 
Wrong (caps intentional for emphasis); using the same version, there's 
rarely a problem. (I keep Word 95 and Word 97 on my machine, for the really 
old stuff.)

If, however, your clients are using the latest version of everything, 
you'll probably need it too.

Jean

At 12:07  26/10/00 -0500, David Berg wrote: