The Virtual Shingle

Everyone knows there are two problems with legal research:  Time and Money.  If you don’t have the money, you can’t pay for products like Westlaw and LexisNexis, but if you don’t have either of those you are stuck with some alternative that takes more time to sort through results and which may not provide you with the best possible results.  In a recession, things are worse than we could imagine because money is far harder to come by.

Thankfully, it looks like the legal research conglomerates are starting to think like solos.  The ABA is running a story about updates to the Westlaw and LexisNexis platforms.  It sounds like more premium options for both services, but it gives me hope that what I am using now may come down in price.  This is definitely something to watch.

For now, though, I will deal with exorbitant costs for legal research, and remind my clients that I am able to do what I do for them because I have a resource that has proven its value over cost.

Things have been crazy around here, and have kept me from posting.  That being said, I noticed an interesting problem when updating the video driver for Windows 7 on the X200 Tablet.  Be warned, if the tablet is in the docking station and using an external monitor, the driver will calibrate for the monitor.  For my system, that caused a strange contrast issue that was only fixed by an uninstall and reinstall of the driver.  Just a heads up.

I am going to be working on a review of Windows 7 and also discussing some maintenance tools for keeping windows running well, as it seems like that is the complaint I am hearing most often right now.  Look for more updates soon.

I am about to do something that I do not recommend:  I am going to upgrade to Windows 7 early.  I always strongly advocate against being an early adopter, however, I am one of the few attorneys utilizing a tablet laptop to support my practice, meaning this trend isn’t entirely without some prior foundation.  That being said, on the flip side of this post, I will have an install and user review of the newest OS from Windows.

See you there…

The Chicago Bar Association Technology and Law Practice Management Committee ran a program on Friday, September 11, 2009, on the use of Open Source Software in the law practice environment.  Many people nay-say the use of open source software in business applications.  As lawyers, we add the complication of having confidentiality and malpractice issues in addition to the typical concerns regarding running a business.  However, for many solo and small firm attorneys, the expensive proprietary software is not only beyond the financial reach of start-ups, it fails to do the job it is purchased to perform.  As such, the Open Source Market may provide useful tools to assist the solo or small firm practitioner.  In this post, I will briefly describe what open source is.  I will be adding a new category to the Virtual Shingle that deals specifically with the use of different open source applications, how they could be used in the law practice environment, and note any potential ethical issues that may arise with their use.  First, we need to determine what, exactly, open source is.

Open Source:  What is it?

Open source “is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software’s source code.”   Open Source is, then, a method of developing and distributing software so that other users may suggest or make changes to the code that makes the software run.  Most, if not all, open source projects offer the software under development for free.  These applications are typically issued with the Creative Commons license form, or the GNU General Public License.  These licenses permit the free distribution and use of the software.  Essentially, open source is a method of distributing software that any user can use and/or alter for their own purposes provided adequate credit is given to the original developer.

The net result appears to be a bunch of free software.  However, there are a number or fringe benefits, too.  The first is the development time for a particular application.  Open source has limited support from the developer.  Often times this means that the website for the developer has a very detailed FAQ, a Wiki, or a forum for users.  Many developers monitor the forums and wikis to identify potential problems.  This means that the product is in constant development, and necessary fixes are applied quickly once they are identified.  The downside is that the project is reliant on the developer to continue, and if they decide to terminate development the application is no longer developed unless another programmer continues the project.

The second benefit comes in the form of variety.  Since the source code for this software is freely available, development can progress in a number of different directions to suit the needs of users.  The Linux operating system is a good example of variety.  Each Linux operating system runs the same core kernel, but they have been developed to operate on different hardware, or to include software for specific tasks like computer maintenance multimedia playback, or graphic design.  In some applications, the software may start out with one core use, add-ons could be developed by users to expand the capability of the software.  In many development circles, this is called extensibility, meaning users may develop extensions for distribution among the user base.  The lifespan of development may also be a problem in this aspect of regular usage as well.

Overall, the option for open source provides a cost effective method of utilizing computer resources to serve clients.  In the future, I hope to explore different open source applications in depth for the benefit of demonstrating how they could be used in legal practice.  Please look for posts tagged “Open Source” in the future for information on open source software and law practice.

I know it has been a while since I have posted here, but things have been very busy for me professionally and personally.  That aside, i want to highlight an area of “technology” that is largely overlooked:  Computer Carrying Cases and Briefcases.

Many people fail to consider the value of a good carrying case or briefcase.  However, when you carry your office with you everywhere you go, it is vital that you have a bag you can trust.  Since my third year in law school (2005-2006) I had used Samsonite bags, spending around $200 for my computer bags.  The hope was to get a quality bag that would last a long time.  My first bag from Samsonite did just that.  However, when I upgraded my computer system in late 2008, I also opted to get a new bag.  This proved to be a difficult and trying situation, and ultimately resulted in a broken lid latch on my new tablet.

The bag I had typically used was the Samsonite Wide Body Portfolio.  However, the version currently on sale may not be the one that I had been using as the price for this model is much less than what I paid in the past.  This bag was made of leather, and was generally durable.  The first one that I had lasted for nearly 5 years.  I replaced it when I upgraded my laptop, but the new bag was no where near as durable as the first.  In fact, the clips on the shoulder strap lasted only a couple of weeks before the locking mechanism gave way.  In addition, soon after the problem with the strap, the zippers began to fail.  As a result of these problems, the strap came undone, causing the bag, and my tablet lap top, to fall from waist height on to a granite floor in the court house.  Thankfully, the damage was limited to a broken lid latch on my computer, but this has since caused frustration as the lid on the computer won’t remain closed on the machine.  I went back to the old bag after this unfortunate mishap.  The bag lasted for some time before the strap hook ultimately suffered a catastrophic failure where the hook broke through solid metal, rendering the bag useless.  The same day this happened I went looking for a replacement and found the following bag in a luggage shop on the near north side of Chicago.

Recently, I upgraded to the Briggs & Riley 15.4″ Executive Expandable Brief.  This bag has a similar layout to the Samsonite bag, but is made of canvas instead of leather.  In addition, the strap clips and zippers seem to be constructed better than the Samsonite bag.  The strap clips seem especially strong since they have a clasp that has a latch preventing the clasp from opening the opposite direction, the problem causing the Samsonite bag to fall while I was carrying it, leading to the broken lid latch on my tablet.  This bag also has a very large amount of space, the strap has a stretchable shoulder pad, and an zip-in sleeve for a computer that will fit up to a 15.4″ laptop.  On the down side, the loops the shoulder strap clips on to are a strange “D” shape that the strap hooks tend to wrap around.  This could result in premature failure of the strap clips.  Overall, though, the bag is bigger and seems more durable than the comparably priced Samsonite bag.

So far I have been very impressed with the Briggs bag.  For those looking for a good bag, consider Briggs & Riley.  Also, be sure to look into reports from other consumers and question your sales person.  A little bit of diligence may save you a broken computer.

For those who have been living under a rock, in the last two weeks the new iPhone, the 3G S, and the new version of Firefox, version 3.5, were released.  I upgraded to the iPhone after a long battle with a dying BlackBerry.  The Firefox upgrade was the next step up in the development process, and as usual I upgraded upon the release of the official launch.  I will address some quick comments in turn on each.

As we go through the cycle expect more updates.  Also, in the near future, I hope to post a full review of the Lenovo Thinkpad x200 Tablet, and the newest Fujitsu Scansnap scanner the S1500.  Stay tuned.

For anyone who has reformatted a hard drive and attempted to install any other operating system other than Windows or Mac OS, you know there is a variety of options for how computers store information.  These options are called file systems, and dictate how the information is placed on the drive and recalled by the operating system when accessed by the user.  Some file systems are more stable than others, some only work for specific operating systems, some just don’t work at all.

The oldest and arguably most stable file system out there is the FAT file system.  Anyone who has formatted a 3.5″ floppy (am I dating myself here) has used the FAT file system.  This file system came in two basic varieties, FAT 16 and FAT 32.  This file system had restrictions, namely files could not be larger than 4 gigabytes.  Most users of the FAT file system would not care about this restriction unless they attempt to rip and encode a DVD to a DIVX format as the output files can be much larger than 4 gigs.  In addition, if you use encrypted space, you are limited in the size of that space with a FAT file system.

FAT hasn’t been used as the basis for an operating system since the release of NTFS with Windows NT.  The NTFS file system is the standard file system for Windows XP and Vista.  While it could store more files larger than 4 gigs, it does have a tendancy to fragment more oftehn than the FAT file system.  This is why you should always schedule a weekly run of your defragment utility as it will keep your system running more smoothly.

With Vista SP2 now in the wild, a new version of the FAT system is upon us.  It is also the standard for Vista drive formats if you opt not to use NTFS.  FAT 64, more commonly known as extended FAT or exFAT, has swept in to replace its predecessors, offering all of the nifty features of NTFS but without the file size cap.  Originally designed for storage on the XBox360 and the Windows Mobile Operating System, exFat has hit prime time as Vista made the jump to a beefier mass storage FAT file system.  However, exFAT does not appear to be the rumored Vista file system that was supposed to increase the speed of read/write and search functions in Windows.  As far as I am aware, this file system never made it out of Redmond as far as I am aware, but we can always hope for something new in the way of file systems with Windows 7.

I have installed exFAT on my encrypted USB key, and thus far have not had any major problems.  However, exFAT is proprietary, which means other operating systems, and Microsoft Operating Systems without the recent upgrades won’t read exFAT.

For now, if you are looking for a file system for an external drive that will be shared among multiple machines, go with NTFS.  Once exFAT is adopted more broadly, then seriously considering a switch to exFAT if you need a more stable file system for your USB jump drive or external hard drive.  I will update periodically with any problems I run into.

I do my best not to be too critical on this site with the software I use.  As a general principle this site is not meant to bad-mouth the products on the market that a lawyer may come into contact with while using technology in the practice of law.  However, I want my analysis of products that I “review” to be honest, showing the faults as well as the benefits of the hardware and/or software being reviewed.

I am interested in any other solutions people have found for this problem as well.  Please feel free to post them as comments.

I portable devices to back up my data.  Several of them, in fact.  As a result, I am always looking for a file system that will work regardless of the operating system I plug the drive into.  The drive I use most often is a Corsair 16 gigabyte Survivor Flash Drive.  This drive is built to be rugged, and is a bit big, which means it is harder for me to lose.  On top of that, with a Truecrypt portable disk encryption, the flash drive operates like a home-brew Ironkey, though admittedly not as secure.

Keeping these multiple devices in sync is a constant problem.  In fact, keeping data synchronized across multiple devices, particularly network drives, is always difficult and subject to human error.

In the past, I have used the Windows XP power toy called SyncToy.  This application was released with a group of applications for Windows XP called Power Toys, applications that added additional features to XP that were really cool but never included in the package set for the operating system.  On the whole, SyncToy was a good application designed to do basic synchronization between multiple devices, but was limited in the kinds of drives that could be kept in sync.  While the documentation says that it does not support network drives, if you mount the network drive with a standard drive letter, SyncToy would not have a problem moving data.  However, automatic sync is out of the question.

The next question from Vista users is why not use Vista Sync Center.  First, the user interface is terrible, and the setup is limited.  In addition, it has to be a device that Vista recognizes.  While it may work well for a desktop with periferral laptops set up over a home network, it never worked well for me with my devices, particularly when moving large amounts of information.  I think the interface alone, something that Vista struggles with, is reason enough not to bother.

In the process of looking for a reasonable replacement, I stumbled across a program by the name of Allway Sync.  This Application is available as freeware to individual users, and has all of the nifty features that SyncToy lacked.  I have just recently reformatted my flash drive and started using Allway Sync.  I will continue to report on the successes and failures of using the application as I go.  However, I do like the auto sync feature, though I have not rigorously tested it.  Stay tuned for more in the future.

For those in the netbook know, Asus has dominated the small laptop form factor with the Eee line of netbooks.  These little work-horses run in a range of specifications that did not include a touch screen tablet interface.  That is, until now.

Cnet and a couple of other sources noted a demonstration of the Eee PC t91, a touch screen tablet version of its brothers and sisters in the Eee PC lineup.  Weighing in at around 2.1 lbs, with GPS, and the potential for wireless access through providers such as AT&T, this little monster could easily destroy the competition in the netbook market for anyone who wants the ultimate personal organizer.  Bundle this thing with a sheet fed portable scanner and you could have the ultimate go-anywhere office in a briefcase.  While the Liliputing data sheet indicates that it doesn’t have WWan capability, Asus would be insane not to offer it, and any provider would be nuts not to subsidize and sell this thing with an unlimited data plan.  You can find more pictures here.  It looks like there may be a 10 inch version in the works, too.

While I don’t recommend netbooks for everyday computing, this little guy might make it into my personal bag for organizing what little of a life I have outside of the legal profession.  For anyone in the market for something small, light, and capable of helping you go nearly paperless at home, this may be a great option.  The only remaining question is will it ship with Linux?