When I have the opportunity to get out and talk to users, I get to hear their stories. There are times I shake my head at how far users will go to avoid upgrading.

In the first category, I’ll put those in desperate need of a new computer. The one they are using is underpowered, slow and just can’t run Windows 10. There were a number of users who couldn’t move to Windows 10 and continued to use Windows XP knowing that it was a huge security risk.

I understand the cost of buying new equipment. Yet it should also be something budgeted for a business. A new computer is a cost of doing business and it is hard to expect more than five reliable years out of a computer. Yes, we have one in our office that is currently eight years old. It needs to be replaced and we will do that before much longer. Luckily we got Windows 10 installed on it and it is still plugging along.

Others told me they didn’t want Windows 10 because of “the boxes”. It is not difficult to make Windows 10 function very much like the familiar Windows 7. While there are some free solutions, I’m a huge fan of Start10 which costs a whopping $5. If you have a computer working well with Windows 7 or 8.1, it is not urgent you upgrade. But you should at least consider it.

The last category are those with ancient versions of CorelDRAW. It always amazes me at the crazy contortions users will go through to avoid upgrading. Some users complained that they couldn’t get CorelDRAW X3 or X4 or X5 to work on Windows 10. Sorry folks, it is time to upgrade your CorelDRAW! At the very least, I think you should be on CorelDRAW X6 which is currently five years old.

Others had the ancient operating system on the ancient computer and therefore they couldn’t install newer versions of CorelDRAW. It is time for those users to start with an all new computer with Windows 10.

Lastly, we get into the newer versions of CorelDRAW. I have gone on record a number of times saying that while I have CorelDRAW X7 and X8, I choose not to use them. Why? I feel far less productive due to some of the changes made. I detest that all artwork assets are stored online and there is no easy way to install them locally. Some of those online assets in the fill dialog box must load from online and take forever.

The reality today is that you can only purchase CorelDRAW X8. So if you are someone still using an ancient version, you only have one option and CorelDRAW X8 is that option. While it is not my preferred choice, it is far better than tap dancing around with ancient hardware and software.