2. Can it do so as quickly as possible?
Here programs using a mouse—the pointer on your desk—have a real advantage.
3. Does the program fit in well with your other software?
That’s one advantage of Lisa- and Mac-type systems. You can more easily stick a chart inside a page of text—perhaps sparing your readers a distracting flip to the back.
Another advantage of a “good fit” is that it may save you hours of typing and drawing. Look for programs that will let you select trends from spreadsheets, then more or less automatically whip up charts based on the numbers. This way, too, you don’t have to waste time typing in the numbers from the spreadsheets. Microsoft Chart can do that with the right software for the Mac, Lisa II, and IBM computers. Are you shopping for a program that changes charts automatically along with the numbers? Then see if you can do this without having to clear the chart from your screen and replace it with a special menu.
4. How much memory space does the program—and the electronic files of the resultant drawings—take up?
You want enough space on your disk for spreadsheets, word processing, and other programs if you change your tasks often. But you don’t change often? Then don’t worry as much about this.
Frugal use of space, of course, is one advantage of integrated programs combining graphics with word processing and spreadsheets or communications.
You might also worry about the lengths of the files. One chart can take up the equivalent of page after page in disk space if you’re storing the image of the chart rather than the instructions for creating it.
5. What about the program’s color capabilities—both on screen and on paper? How many colors offered? And if the program has preset color combinations, do they work well together?