computer science

Time Matters

Time Matters is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Time Matters rather than just read about it. In short: Time Matters is practice management software, produced by PCLaw | Time Matters LLC. It differs from contact management software such as ACT! or GoldMine because in addition to contacts, it manages calendaring, email, documents, research, billing, accounting, and matters or projects.

Key takeaways

Time Matters belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Time Matters to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Time Matters from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Time Matters is practice management software, produced by PCLaw | Time Matters LLC. It differs from contact management software such as ACT! or GoldMine because in addition to contacts, it manages calendaring, email, documents, research, billing, accounting, and matters or projects. It integrates with a variety of other software products from both LexisNexis and other vendors. Some of these vendors are Quicken, Microsoft, Palm, Mozilla, Corel, and Adobe. Developed originally for law firms, Time Matters competes with Gavel, Amicus, Tabs, and other legal practice management products. It also may be used in conjunction with Document modelling and Document assembly software products like HotDocs and Deal Builder. Time Matters was developed by DATA.TXT Corporation originally of Coral Gables, Florida, later of Cary, North Carolina. Since its inception, DATA.TXT Corporation focused on making Time Matters an all-encompassing professional office software package, providing Calendar, Tickler, Contact, Matter, Document, and Messaging Management functions for personal computers and networks of all sizes. Founded in December 1989 by Robert Butler who was later joined as co-founder by Kevin Stilwell in 1992, the entire management and programming staff that began Time Matters' development in 1989 remained on the team until 2004, providing continuity and reliability rarely seen in software developed for specialized markets. Time Matters was purchased by Reed Elsevier in March, 2004. LexisNexis developed Time Matters out of offices in Cary, later moving operations to Raleigh, North Carolina on the North Carolina State University campus. Time Matters for Windows has been shipping since 1994, preceded by the MS-DOS version in 1989. Time Matters was previously available in three editions: Professional, Enterprise, and World. The Enterprise edition used Microsoft SQL Server as its database engine. Time Matters Browser Edition (formerly World Edition) served up Time Matters in web browsers for remote access to a law firm's data. An international network of Certified Independent Consultants ("CICs") support, train, and customize this product for end-users. Time Matters Professional, discontinued with the release of Time Matters 10.0 in 2009, was based on the TPS file system developed by Softvelocity. Currently, Time Matters relies on SQL Server for its database. With the release of Version 10 in October 2009, Time Matters became available only in the Enterprise Edition (but was sold as Time Matters). In May 2010, LexisNexis introduced an Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP) subscription program. AMP subscribers are eligible to download product upgrades and to receive technical support. In 2018, Time Matters introduced Time Matters Go, a mobile application for iOS and Android devices. AMP subscribers also receive free access to online training and are eligible to subscribe to the Time Matters Go mobile app service for Android and iOS. No per-incidence technical support options are available. Time Matters 16.4 released on January 30, 2019. This release provided improved integration with Microsoft Exchange Server, and improved add-ins for supported versions of Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office applications. In May 2019, LexisNexis entered a joint venture with LEAP Legal Software, providing a migration option from the server-based Time Matters to the cloud-based product offered by LEAP. At the time, LexisNexis reported that they had 15,000 paying customers and 130,000 users across their PCLaw and Time Matters products. A new software company, PCLaw | Time Matters was born out of the joint venture, which continues to develop Time Matters.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Time Matters

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Time Matters claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Time Matters before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Time Matters ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Time Matters

In research: Time Matters appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Time Matters in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Time Matters is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Business software, Legal software, Timekeeping, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Time Matters outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Time Matters in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Time Matters means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Time Matters out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Time Matters in simple terms?

Why does Time Matters matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Time Matters?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Time Matters.