Just as we get used to the current version of a piece of software the vendors seem to release a new one. So do we need to upgrade, and if so when is the best time? Unfortunately the answer to this, as with many of the other questions I've posed in this blog is 'it depends'. Like many things in life I start with the premise of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. If you're only one or two versions out of date and it all works don't rush into an upgrade.

The main reasons why you may want to upgrade are if your current version is no longer supported, if the new release fixes a critical bug or offers new functionality you require. However even then I would take time to weigh up the pros and cons, and let some other folk be the pioneers who find any major issues in the new software.

Even if there are good reasons to upgrade there may be other reasons to delay. New versions tend to have more functionality, but require more resources to run. If your computer is getting long in the tooth performance may be too slow. Has the user interface changed so much that you need re-training? Have new document formats been introduced which may be incompatible with the people you share them with.