Software Suggestions??????

[Lisa T]

I am currenty using the free student version of DIGITAL-CAT by stenovations, and to be honest I'm having trouble figuring it out! What CAT software programs are you guys using out there? What is the easiest to use? What do court reporters use out in the field?
Thanks for your input!!!

[Phil Stillerman]

Lisa
ProCAT XP is very user friendly, easy to learn, and has a great support group, although it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Case Catylst and Eclipse has.

[Patricia Babits]

Everyone I know has either CaseCatlyst or Eclipse. I might know one person on StenoCat and one of DigitalCat. When I first got Eclipse as a student I wanted to quit right there. LOL! But what you need to learn to produce a transcript is really not that much. You can learn more as you go.

[Devon Roberts]

I can give you some information comparing four CAT programs on the scoping side of
things if you'd like. I also compiled this information based on the information obtained
by the court reporters using these programs.
Feel free to contact me at [e-mail].

I have also been training scopists on Case CATalyst, DigitalCAT, and Eclipse.

Sincerely,
Ms. Devon Roberts
www.joyfulscoping.com
[e-mail]

[Janiece Young]

I have CASECatlyst. I like it. I would go with that or Eclipse.
Janiece

[Judy]

I've used DigitalCat and am currently using Eclipse. I love Eclipse. DC is a very stable and easy-to-use program. It's stable because it does not have the bells and whistles of Eclipse or CC, though. If you're having trouble figuring out DC, maybe you should sit down with a trainer. I know Greta Duckett is on this site and is a DC trainer. I must say, going to Eclipse or CC won't be easier, since there are more things to learn and tweak.

[Patricia Babits]

I think when I bought my Eclipse it came with some training included in the price. Are they still doing that?

[Tricia McLaughlin]

Lisa,

I am on AristoCAT. I love it. I have been on it for ten years. I don't know what "bells and whistles" are on CC and Eclipse, but I have enough bells and whistles with AristoCAT. I have been on four software programs. This is my fifth and last.

Good luck,
Tricia

[Lisa T]

Thanks to everyone for your great replies. SOOOOO many choices!
I am sincerely grateful for this arena for questions and great answers!
More are welcome! I know there are lots of newbies out there, and we all are wondering which way to go!

[Glen Warner]

Hi, Lisa.

Have you tried Marc "Simply Steno" Greenberg's DigitalCAT Made Simple?

DigitalCAT really isn't that hard (in my opinion, anyway). I was up and running in about an hour simply by reading through the User's Guide.

On the other hand, I can't say I'm very happy with the new "student version." When I started using digitalCAT, the "student version" was simply a time-limited version of the professional version. Now it has a watermark when you print, a 50 page limit, and you can't export or "Save As ..." your (49 page!!) transcript.

Sometimes Change is Good ... but not in this instance.

If you know any reporters (or even students!) in your area that are using a CAT you're interested in, it can't hurt to ask them to tell you what they like and what they dislike about the software ... and even better, show you the bells and whistles.

Good luck ... and hope that makes sense.

--gdw
-----------------------------------
"For a Good (steno) Time ...."
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Lisa. For my two bits, I'll tell you that ProCAT is extremely user friendly and easy to learn. If you're setting your sights on serious realtime work, however, I would highly recommend Eclipse. You could use another CAT system until you were realtime-ready ... but why not start right now?

M.A.