The software sifter. (book reviews) Susan Glinert-Cole.

The Software Sifter

The Software Sifter by Philip Frankel and Ann Gras from The Free Press is completely unique in the computer book arena. It is a set of shopping questionnaires for different software and hardware categories like word processors, spreadsheets, graphics, and payroll. Each section is preceded by an explanation of what features a buyer should look for, and what a reasonable product should be able to do. Following the introduction is the "shopping list.' A buyer can decide which features are important to his application and then compare available products with the questionnaire to see how they measure up. The concept is a clever one, and if you are shopping around for expensive software packages and aren't sure what you should be looking for, this book will ease the road to the personal bankruptcy that often accompanies such activities.

Review Grade: B