Considering how little I get paid, it’s amazing the amount of flak I take from my readers, many of whom have fixed but erronious opinions about certain important areas of computing.

Alas and alak, the source of these opinions is rarely good sound thinking or reasoned judgment; not to mention real-world computing experience. More often than not, it’s really all about psychology – or, to be precise, emotions.

People become attached to their computers in the same way they become attached to their houses, automobiles, pets, and possessions, and frequently identify strongly with them. Moreover, they believe (consciously or otherwise) that owning a computer, a certain kind of computer, and operating this computer in a certain way, says something specific and important about them, as people or professionals or parents or what-have-you.

The upgrade question focuses and amplifies these issues, making the question of "should I upgrade?" a remarkably volatile one. After all, upgrades cost money, and show me someone who doesn’t like to save money whenever possible!

Many computer owners, while happy to believe they haven’t been left behind by the information age, still balk at the dues-paying associated with being a certified, card-carrying member of the computing fraternity, if not the computing elite. "Heck," they say, "I already BOUGHT the damn computer. Why do I have to upgrade it? I’ve never had to upgrade my toaster, or my VCR, or my Springer Spaniel!"

Here are five good reasons why upgrades are, in general, the smart, the correct, the right, I would even say the ONLY thing to do:

1. Upgraded computers are faster, and faster computers save time.

In New Age-New Mexico, the belief in an afterlife is apparently so strong that many people are cavalier about the value of time. For these individuals, I suggest a good look at Ben Franklin’s writings, particularly "Poor Richard’s Almanac."

Time is a non-renewable resource. As James Taylor sings, "Time makes you money but your money can’t buy you time." If you value your time, and realize that each moment spent above ground is precious, you’ll see the value of owning fast computers. And upgrading is the best way to make your older, slower computer faster. Memory chips and processor upgrades will do the trick.

2. Using older computer hardware and software makes it harder to obtain timely, helpful technical and customer support.

The naked truth is that hardware and software manufacturers find customer and technical support issues expensive and troublesome to resolve. Most companies, with the exception of giants like Microsoft, do not have the resources or even the desire to support older products on older platforms. In fact, support for older products is gradually dropped as companies move forward with new products and new technologies.

Computers are hard enough to operate and keep operating without introducing unnecessary, problematic support issues for yourself. Stay current, and you’ll almost always find helpful, up-to-the-minute customer and technical support a phone call away.

3. Getting old stuff to work alongside new stuff can be extremely time-consuming, error-prone, and expensive.

Try getting, say, an older FAX program like "Winfax Pro 3.0" to work with a brand new U.S. Robotics Modem. The modem isn’t listed in the supported modem list (because the software was written before the modem came into existence), and it can take a ridiculous amount of hacking to get the "custom modem initialization string" correct!

Or try upgrading Intuit’s QuickBooks Pro 2.0 and QuickPay payroll data to the latest release, QuickBooks Pro 4.0 for Windows. I’m not saying it can’t be done, because it can. But it isn’t easy!

The problem with old stuff is that it hasn’t been tested or debugged alongside the new stuff. Internally, computers are incredibly complex and chaotic highways, jammed bumper-to-bumper with electronic information. So if you want to use old stuff, the best prescription is to use ALL old stuff, and not try to mix the old and the new.

4. Upgraded systems are generally more stable, secure, and reliable.

Computer industry outsiders and cynics think that all software and hardware companies do all day is plan the obsolescence of their product lines, while figuring out new, insidious ways to separate computer users from their money unnecessarily.

These people forget that the computer industry also spends large amounts of time and money fixing problems with its products. The latest releases nearly always contains dozens of bug fixes that make stuff work better alongside other products.

As an example, certain IBM ThinkPad laptop computers had trouble running Windows 95 until IBM upgraded their BIOS chips. ThinkPad owners were well-advised to do the same. Upgraded systems can run smoother, faster, and more reliably in a wider variety of computing configurations, with less chance of losing your important data.

And, finally:

5. New stuff is more fun!

I don’t know why some people believe they were put here on this planet, but I figure God wouldn’t have given me a brain and a body if he didn’t want me to have some fun with them now and then. Truth is, a computer upgraded with the latest hardware, software, and accessories is simply more fun to operate than some old dog of a 386 or Mac Classic!

There are fantastic multimedia CD-ROMs available on virtually every subject, from Bible Studies to Rock Guitar Lessons to Flight Simulators – but try using them if you haven’t upgraded your machine with a CD-ROM drive (sorry, most of these programs are NOT available on floppies!)

Great stereo sound can come out of your PCs speakers for very little money, soothing your soul and making computing more enjoyable.

The latest PC FAX systems can even page you in the field when an important FAX arrives in your office!

Today’s word processors can check spelling, offer alternative word suggestions like a Thesaurus, correct your grammar like the best English Teachers or Editors, automatically format and reformat your documents, and even "highlight" your text in yellow, without your having to touch a highlighter!

Writer Ken Kesey knew how to get to the heart of the matter when he would ask people, "Are you on the bus, or off the bus?" Well, I’m on the bus -- the computing bus -- and having a swell ride. I hope to see you there.