The trials of shoes and software

Is it just me or does a 14-day TRIAL live up to its name?

You think you need some new software or device. And, yeah! you get to try it for 14 [or so] days before they start charging you.

This is ONE THING that really doesn't work well for me - and it's probably my fault.

I want to try it now because I really need it now and almost inevitably, it turns out that now is not really the best time to be doing this new thing.

The very generous company sends me reminders about the trial coming to a close in a week, in three days, tomorrow - and I realise that I still haven't gotten around to looking at it again since I first signed up and did a few confusing hours of figuring out where stuff goes, how it works. I'm not even sure it's what I need.

I find new software a little like buying shoes - which I also try on in the shop and leave in the cupboard for a while because I know I have to go through the breaking in period. That's the shoes breaking in my feet - not the other way around.

So, now and again, I make bad software decisions, the same way I make bad shoe decisions. Part of me just thinks, yeah! accept it. You are going to get it wrong sometimes.

I'd love to hear your kindly advice.