The Gazette 1986

GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST

1

processing and word-processing, i.e., the interpretation of transaction details as against merely adjusting text. A useful feature is immediate access to client information on screen, e.g., file opened date, property, current status report. A solicitor's professional time is valuable. The fee-earner's working hours are more expensive than those of secretarial staff. By introducing support systems designed to perform repetitive professional tasks, program developers have attempted to realise the true fee-earning potential of the solicitor. However, a standard word-processor would appear ideal for any practice consisting largely of complex, non-routine matters. An event-driven program will automatically perform the chores of everyday correspondence and documentation, while providing instant review of current files. Of interest perhaps to larger firms is the availability of communications facilities linked with an external database. The computer may access legal information such as the texts of decided cases reported in the Irish Reports, United Kingdom Law Reports, etc. Use of the system costs an initial fee together with an annual subscription. Legal research is not, however, an immediate requirement for the average practitioner. He may not have sufficient occasion to use such a facility so as to justify the expense. Computer terminology is notoriously obscure. Technology professionals seem to derive great pleasure from blinding the uninitiated with scientific jargon in the false belief that the layman is impressed. When dealing with suppliers, insist that they speak English.

Computerese is not yet an officially recognised language. There are, nevertheless, certain terms that cannot be avoided. The Law Society handbook includes a useful glossary of definitions for reference purposes. At the outset, when the decision is made to invest, your first priority must be software. Software is a word used in contrast to hardware (the physical machine) and refers to all programs which can be used on a particular computer system. More specifically, it applies to programs which may assist the user of a computer to make the best use of the equipment. Packaged or application software has been developed to perform certain defined routines, e.g., word-processing, payroll, accounts, debt-collection, conveyancing. Hardware denotes the physical units constituting a computer system — the apparatus as opposed to the programs or software. While your hardware will almost certainly form the most expensive part of the transaction, it is not the most important. Apart from price, machines only vary according to their speed and capacity. One computer may be more pleasing to the eye than another but, in practical terms, the equipment will perform the same basic functions as any other. What transforms the computer from a dead tool into a technological marvel is the quality of software. Ideally, in the purchase of a computer system, you should first look at the available software programs. Select that which most closely fulfils your requirements. At that stage, base your choice of hardware on whether the program is compatible with it, i.e., will the software operate on that equipment? Buying a machine and then searching for

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