Software: Mac Automator a No-Brainer for Small Biz

Since Automator works on every bit of software running on this test iMac, essentially anything within the purview of the machine can be sequenced in a series of automatic steps. So say I need to match an invoice to a PowerPoint demo to one of my spreadsheets; I could just enter the new information -- say, client name and current date -- and Automator could do all the work.

How is that for a waaaaaay slick concept for the time-constrained small business arena.

But ... before you run up your Amex (AXP Quote) bill investing in all the Apple gear and software you need to get Automator working for you, realize there are major limitations.

First of all, as elegant as Automator is -- all these processes are controlled by a simple drag-and-drop graphically oriented environment that makes you feel like you are hardly programming a computer at all -- you are still programming a modern, powerful computer. And while not particularly hard, it takes time and patience. I found getting features functioning as I wanted them was challenging, in sort of a getting-a-triple-word-score-in-Scrabble kind of way. So those born without the geek gene may be scared off from this product.

And even more importantly, you are wrestling with a live computer program. One that does exactly what you tell it do. No more. No less. And one that can -- and will -- go horribly wrong unless you carefully, and I mean carefully, debug. So do not put business critical stuff into Automator scripts until you have a designated Automator expert on hand to keep you out of the techno-weeds.

Still, for the right operation, the gains possible with Automator are enormous. And it is this simple: Think of how slick it would be to get the boring, repetitive stuff that bogs you down all day out of the way.

And my read here is firm: Somebody, somewhere is going to make a lot of money with Automator. That person might as well be you.