I realized looking over my last blog entry that I may have unknowingly stumbled on something that needs more clarification.

In my previous post, I talked about the Three Fundamental Rules For Having a Happy Computer Life, and discussed #3.

Now I'm going back and starting with #1.

Rule #1 -- Buy a computer that runs the software you want and need.

This seems so stupidly obvious you may wonder why I even included it in the first place.

"Of course I'm going to buy a computer that runs the software I want and need!" you're surely thinking. "I'm just going to buy the fastest computer I can with whatever version of Windows, and go from there!"

Not that this is a bad starting point, but there's some underlying assumptions that definitely need some examination:

Point #1 -- Do you even need to pay for Windows at all? It may come as quite a surprise to some, but with the proliferation of Web-based applications (like Google office, Quickbooks Online, etc.), as well as an ever-increasing list of good, functional free / open source software products, you may not in fact need a Windows-based system.

There are several versions of Linux now widely available that are tailored specifically to people who simply want a good desktop system environment, and who require nothing more than basic office applications (word processing, email, etc.), Web access, photo and music applications, and the occasional game of solitaire. Obviously, needs will vary, but if this sounds like you, you might be the perfect candidate for Ubuntu, or a Ubuntu-based Linux system like Linux Mint. And Linux has no actual dollar cost to install or use the software. Ever.

In so saying, let me say that having recently jumped on the Linux bandwagon, it's quite a jump. Linux is NOT Windows (mostly in good ways), but it's still like switching jobs--you really don't feel comfortable with it for three or four weeks. Also, as much as some Linux systems try to be user-friendly, there is still an assumption that a typical Linux user is generally computer literate. Linux users are expected to at least know how file and folder management works, they are expected to know some basic principles of networking (e.g., what an IP address is). But if you meet the requirements, Linux is a fast, functional, highly cost effective alternative to whatever Microsoft has coming down the pipe.

I recently priced out a computer system where the single most costly "part" was a copy of Windows. For some users, buying a copy of Windows may be $200 they don't actually have to spend.

And believe me when a I tell you that there is an intangible sense of satisfaction, a sense of control when you are no longer tied to the Microsoft leash.

Point #2 -- Don't fall trap to the fallacy that "My system/Windows/hardware will automatically run everything I want it to out of the box." Before buying any new computer system, MAKE AN INVENTORY of the software you will be running on a daily basis. Do you actually know and understand what the software requirements are? Does that amazing 3D home design software need a better video card than the stock, on-board cheapo that comes packaged with the computer? Sure, Excel by itself doesn't need much computer horsepower, but running Excel, Word, Photoshop, three Web browsers, iTunes, and Quickbooks simultaneously takes a whole lot more. Are you planning ahead for this? Or more importantly, is your existing software going to transfer to the new unit? How quickly and easily? Will it require patching and updating the software to work properly, and if so, is the investment of time going to be more expensive to you than simply buying a newer version?

Point #3 -- Leave headroom for stuff that's coming in the future. Just because you're totally satisfied with WindowsXXX doesn't mean that you'll be satisfied with it tomorrow. Or that there's a new software package coming down the pipe that you're really going to want, but you're going to need to upgrade your hardware to run it properly. You don't know how many times I've had customers come to me and say, "I can't get software X to run on this computer," and upon inspecting the system and the software requirements, they have no possible way to upgrade their computer sufficiently to run it. VERIFY EXACTLY WHAT AND HOW your system can be upgraded, if needed.