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\, are not sometime occurrences. they make life miserable for many dealers on a regular basis.

Talk with any group of lumber retailers or wholesalers and you will hear amazing horror stories involving computers. More than "my experience is worse than yours" boasts, these are real problems.

To be fair, computer analysts and consultants have their own tales of woe. Companies where management is not committed to computers, yet expects the system to function smoothly from the bottom up are frequent, they say. Although the reliable vendors admit there are less than perfect salesmen in the field, they add that many computer buyers fail to establish their needs, research and investigate at the front end.

"Computers require skill, patience and hard work to function properly," they caution. "There's nothing magical about a comupter. It takes a lot of work to make it a time savgr. "

But, computer catastrophes don't have to be, consultants insist. There are various antidotes to cure present problems and avoid future nightmares.

Selecting software not suitable for use with lumber is a common mistake. However, consultants say this can be avoided with proper preparation, research and investigation. Software written to work with lumber units must be specified. A good program is tailored to the business, designed to handle its specific activities and needs. Avoid the "neato" software, one programmer cautions. Look for basic. flexible. easy-to-use programs written for the people who will use them.

Software is the most important part of a computer purchase. It should be selected before the hardware, not after. A software decision should be made only after visiting and talking with similar businesses using the program.

Support that is slow or lacking causes additional headaches. Again, consultants say this can be prevented. Their advice is to deal with an established vendor that has the reputation of providing excellent programs, hardware, support and training for your type of business. They stress checking with other users on the vendor's reliability and performance. It is wise to find out