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Staying Current with Software Upgrades without Going Insane

We Carry
by Sara Snuggerud in Archives

Everyone living today witnesses the incredible technology explosion almost on a daily basis. Those born before 1970 saw the Dawn of the Age of Computers, and those born after 1970 have grown up with all this technology as a normal experience. But even as they get older, they to will say, “I remember when…we didn’t have this or that device, or we used to have thus and such to do this or that. Obsolescence is a fact of life now happening at about the same rate as the technology advances.

I saw a pay phone booth the other day with no phone in it. This is another piece of technology that has become almost non-existent. Tape players, VCRs, records, typewriters and floppy disks have seen their days. We don’t think twice in replacing a cordless phone when it stops working with a new cordless phone. Some people have skipped owning a home phone completely and only have a cell phone. Who could have imagined this ten years ago?

We understand that gaming consoles such as Nintendo and X-Box produce new products every couple years to offer more complex games made with the newest, coolest graphics and programming. These new games need new equipment to handle the higher power video output. To be able to play the new games, one must own the newest game consoles.

In the sewing world embroidery cards, 9-pin serial ports, floppy disks and parallel port dongles are becoming things of the past. If your sewing machine or embroidery software uses any one of these, begin thinking about upgrading to keep up with the latest in embroidery designs and technology. Today people buy new embroidery machines, not because they wear out their old machine, but to be current with today’s software and hardware. Check with your local dealer to see if upgrades are available for your machine.

Current upgrade options will add value when selling or trading your machine. Upgrading can also extend the need for you to purchase a new machine for a few more years. An example of this is Viking’s Designer 1 machines that use floppy discs directly in the machine. Those machines may now be upgraded to have the USB port connectivity.

While we see new computer operating systems every few years, it is more common to see new versions for our favorite software programs. We look at the list of the newest features and wonder why one would need all the new functions.

More importantly, embroidery software needs to be upgraded to the current level to work on the newer computers. This is why it is important to take advantage of software version upgrades when they become available. Yes, they will have LOTS of new features, functions, tutorials, and usually are easier to use than the previous version, but the real reason to upgrade is so they will work with the current PCs.

It would be sad to realize one day that your software can no longer be used with your current computer because it can no longer be upgraded. This is starting to happen with some embroidery software packages…they are obsolete. The companies that made them can no longer upgrade the version 1 software that you bought eight years ago. For it to work with your current computer a brand new software package must be purchased. OUCH! If only you had taken time to upgrade the software along the way.

Now with Windows new operating software, “Vista”, people with Windows 98 are being left in the dust. Do you know that Microsoft does not even support their own Windows 95 software anymore? It is twelve years old!

This is reality in today’s tech world. The only way to stay current with the software is to purchase the newest version upgrade as it becomes available. Upgrades are usually available for 1-3 years giving users plenty of time to take advantage of the newest software level features and functions.

Do you need software support for your older software? Software support also may not be available after a certain time. As a version gets older and more outdated, there are fewer people who know how to help you trouble shoot even the basic questions. The software support people themselves advance with the most current versions!

Another common technology occurrence is the update. The difference between a software upgrade and a software update can be confusing. Upgrades are essentially a new version of the program but it can piggyback onto existing software and share many of the same components. With an upgrade your older program can have the same program features as someone who purchases the newer current version for the first time. For example, if you currently use Quicken 2003 and you buy and install Quicken 2005, you’ve just upgraded your software. http://financialsoft.about.com/od/softwaretitle1/f/upgradevupdate.htm

Software updates are minor fixes or enhancements made available by free downloads to customers. Updates sometimes include new drivers which support the latest hardware such as printers and CD drives. A software update is also called a patch because it is applied over software that you already installed. A software update is not a full software package.

The main thing to realize is that everyone and every industry that uses computers will be driven by whatever is the current computer operating system. The embroidery world is not the only one that needs to continually change their program to keep up with latest computers. Because computers do so much more, and have memory storage and speed like we have never seen before, it makes sense that programs must have the ability to work with the new system. An old program that was built to operate at the speed of the computers ten years ago should in no way be expected to keep up with the speed of computers today.

While all of this computer talk can be mind-boggling, and that old adage about “the only constant is change” becomes truer every day, know that you do have the personal service of Heirloom Creation’s staff to help you navigate though the computerized embroidery software world. Know too, that I have been working with embroidery machines and software from the first day they were ever available, and I have seen EVERY version, upgrade and update, and plan on seeing many more!

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