Technola : Public Interest Law & Technology Updates & Commentary : Matthew Burnett & Kate Bladow : Tech Advice for the Non-Profit Legal Sector

Most of the software that they point out is good for legal aid and pro bono programs. The "best" fit will depend on an employee's personal style and goal. For example, I use Tweetdeck for Twitter, but Matthew prefers Twitterfox. Neither of us is wrong; we just have different goals for what we get out of Twitter and different ways that we want to consume the information. We've picked and experimented with the tools that work best for us.

Additionally, programs and staff have different needs and skills. I can't imagine a program ever coming down and saying that GIMP was the image-editing software of choice. (The user interface is complicated and intimidating. I wouldn't have started using it, except I'm really cheap, and it was the only Photoshop alternative that I knew of at the time.) But you wouldn't want to be the IT person who tells me that I have to use something different. GIMP's free and what I know how to use to get my image editing done. That being said, if Matthew came to me and said what should I use, it probably wouldn't be my first suggestion.

I think that what we are learning is that other than the basics -- browser, word processing, operating system, etc. -- that people like to be able to pick and choose what helps them get there work done. It's one of the reasons why Firefox and its add-ons are so popular. - K