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Quattro Pro 9 vs. Excel 2000 vs. Lotus 123 version 9 vs. Star Office 9

Preface: I should point out that I do not depend upon the use of for my bread and butter. I teach the basic use of spreadsheets in some of my math classes, and use them to organize data and to do fairly simple operations. I have personal limited uses for spreadsheets. Because the address book in WP 7 was notoriously unstable, I stored my address information in Quattro Pro, which could then be easily exported as a data base and imported into pretty much any address book, including Organizer, ’s Address Book in Corel Central, Outlook and Sidekick.

When comparing the presentation software of the various suites, I left out Lotus Freelance Graphics, as Lotus is no longer producing this suite. However, Lotus 123 has long be held up as the mother of all spreadsheets and often as the standard; so I had to include their final version in this comparison.

I read some superficial reviews on the various suites. Some commented how Lotus 123 was the standard; however, I continued to find it inferior in many ways. The only reason I can see someone using Lotus 123 is that is the spreadsheet that they cut their teeth on. Then, another reviewer mentioned how Excel 2000 showed few improvements over Excel ‘97; however, there were several things which in Excel ‘97 were like pulling teeth to do, which were quite easy to do in Excel 2000. It makes me wonder if these people spend more than an hour with the program before reviewing it or whether they have actually used the program for any reason.

Prior prejudices. As is well-known, I do have a preference for that which is not Microsoft. I was expecting Lotus 123 to be the master; I figured that Star Office Spreadsheets, being built from the ground up, to be innovative and intelligent; and I expected Quattro Pro to be the best. I did not expect these programs to be as different from one another as they were, nor did I expect to find the great deficiencies that I did in Lotus 123 and in Star Office.

We will be comparing theses programs in the following areas: Compatibility with Other Suite Components, Compatibility with Other Suites, Customizability, Formatting, Formulas, Menu, Sheets, Stability.

Compatibility with Other Suite Components Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 Fonts, fi ll, font Colors, fill, fonts, effects, some Copying and Various fonts Colors, fill, fonts, font features and justification, and fill pasting of cell retained; exponents This is a big font features formulas are not colors are retained. contents from a retained. Formulas improvement for justi fi cation and preserved. I could not enter in table in another are not retained but Excel since formulas are all lost. and text formulas into Star document or from a the numbers and Excel ‘97. Only numbers and are. Some text Writer 5.1 (although document text are. €€ text are retained. alignment retained. it is obviously made to handle that). €€

Compatibility with Other Suites Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 A spreadsheet Although a could be created in spreadsheet could QP 9, saved as an not be saved in QP Formulas Excel file, and then format, it could be opened in Excel, opened by QP with formulas in tact. the formulas in tact. When I opened the I exported the data exported data from in the grading the grading program I did have to remove program which I by Excel ‘97, all of the quotation marks Grading program use, and imported it the data was placed around the data in into Quattro Pro. It into cell A-1, a QP. opened just as you rather unique would expect it to. approach to data management. QP would not open a simple Lotus 123 Lotus 123 worksheet. It had to be saved as a 123 previous version. QP 9 files cannot be opened by earlier versions of QP unless saved in an QP had the greatest earlier version’ s number of alternate Could not open a Could not open a Could not open a Quattro Pro format. To open a formats in which a simple QP 9 file. simple QP 9 file. simple QP 9 file. QP file in another document could be program, a QP 9 saved. worksheet had to be saved in another format. A QP worksheet could be saved as a QP DOS through Lotus could save a version 9; as a worksheet as a file; as CSV, as a database Save as... Excel 5, 7 or ‘97; file, Excel (three Lotus versions 1–5; versions; up to ‘97), 3 types of as a Paradox file databases, 2 types and as text. of texts, CSV, DIF, STLK and HTML. Customizability Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 This is a big improvement over Quattro Pro 8; I did The assigning of not want to learn keystrokes to new shortcuts for a various functions program which I Keyboard was more Not possible. used only convoluted in QP occasionally. I was than was able to take my necessary. WordPerfect shortcuts and add them to QP. Go to Tools -> Settings -> File Default file was You must know they options. Like the moderately entire path for your other Corel Maybe I am the only File -> User Setup convoluted to default folder for applications, person who does -> 123 preferences locate, but relatively Excel. You don’t browsing puts you this, but I have a lot -> File locations. easy to change get to create a Location of Files into explorer and of different files, and You cannot create a once I found where folder or browse. you can do I do not keep my folder while doing it was. Tools -> Go to Tools -> whatever file spreadsheets with this; the folder must Options -> General - Options -> General management you my other files. already be there. € > Paths -> Work -> Default file want to do, Folder. New folders location. including created could be created. € new folders. €€ Although you could customize the menu or make up a new None of these menu, it was still programs had a difficult to makes Once you have menu which was sense out of it. The customization mastered modifying easy to customize. Even worse is that was easy enough to or adding a toolbar I saw no way to Menu, MS was the most the organization of figure out; but or menu in one change or modify customization consistent and, the features. Close decidedly different program in MS the menu. once mastered, all documents was from WP. € Office, you can do it easy to do in the under one heading; in any program. € other MS Close document applications. was under another. Open file was found with the former, not the latter. Only one menu to Choice of present choose from. Keep In QP, one would menu or classic in mind that suite expect the selection 4 menu options (QP menu. It was not wide, there are of Menus to be There appeared to 7, QP 8/9, Lotus easy to find and it options as to how found under be one menu only. 123, and Excel). pretty much looked Menu, choices the menu will open customization of It could be changed Tools -> Settings -> and behaved like and what is Menus. With MS, and a new menu Compatibility -> the old DOS version displayed when you rule, designed. Menu bar. € of a menu (you (everything vs. there is no need to don’t want it, trust recently used offer options. me). options). € Configuration and Options are more acceptable in Star Although I don’t see This should be Office as the a lot of reason to In this way, Corel Easy to set up redesigned so that changes which are have both options does feel more like various preferences preferences and made in options are Preferences and customization, a group of separate, from the file menu, customization are made suite-wide this is how it is done almost independent although they were grouped together, and those which are in all MS’s applications. limited in scope. as in WP. made in applications. configuration apply only to that program. A toolbar can be set to pop up in any Property Bar particular environment. Calling the bottom bar a status bar is probably a misnomer. Pretty much all the Although this could formatting choices function as a status Status Bar are found at the bar, toolbar buttons bottom of the could be added. screen. The various options were easy to figure out, even for a first- timer. Customizing toolbar Although not the is exactly the same same as WP, it was Toolbar is easy to Toolbar in Excel as it is in similar enough and modify. Word. It is easy to very intuitive. do. Very quick and easy and intuitive. Quattro Pro did not A right click to have clear Although I could change the toolbar, directions as to how choose a button, a right click then on Very quick and to do this. I modify it and save it Toolbar, modifying the button to easy to copy and generally try right under another button customize (choose paste icon from one clicks to do what I name, I did not properties), and button to another. need to do, but not know how to use then a right click to everyone would that icon. copy or paste the think of doing that. image on the button. Toolbar can be floated or it can be Toolbar can be placed at the top of placed top, bottom, the screen. Toolbar is at the top Toolbar placement either side, or as a Toolbars can be of the screen only. floating palette. placed to one another or on top of one another. Several rows of Only one row of toolbars can be Toolbar view toolbar buttons shown at any given possible. time. Formatting Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1

Can’t be done. All of the font choices Changing fonts, and Changing of font in Just click on font Just click on font (in fact, the menu some attributes are the middle of a cell box. € box. € and toolbars are easy. € turned off while you are typing in a cell). In Excel, if you need exponents or I have not been superscripts, you There is an The buttons for I could not figure out Exponents or able to figure out simply do it in Word, equation editor these are on the how to do this in superscripts how to do this then cut and paste which is not so easy toolbar. €€ Lotus 123. strictly in Excel. € (this could not be to figure out. done with Office ‘97). You don’t really Drop down menu know what the font Font from drop shows the name of will look like until down menu the font in that you choose it and particular font. type. Even from the menu, you do not Font from menu can know what the font be adjusted and will look like. Even Font from menu viewed. All the though the options options are easy to are easy to choose, choose and view. you don’t know what it will look like until after the fact. Formulas Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 Grab the lower right-hand corner of In QP, Excel, and the cell you want to Star Office, there is copy and drag it a thin cross which Copying a formula Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. down. Cell indicates that you references will be have placed your automatically mouse correctly. changed. Quite simple; type Entering simple an equal sign and The spreadsheets Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. formulas then the formula act identically here. (like A1+B3). If you typed this into 123 incorrectly, it was about Entering a formula impossible to get by typing which @SUM(A1..A5) or =SUM(A1:A10) out of the cell. @Sum(A1..A10) =SUM(A1:A10) takes in a series of =SUM(A1:A10) Note, that if you are cells used to Excel or 123, QP is easy to adjust to. Click on equal sign, then choose down QP, Excel, and Star arrow next to the Office act almost name of a function In QP, you could identically here. On (it will be the last type in an equal Excel, a function function you used), sign, click on the button can be and then choose a function button, and added to any Click on function Click Function auto function. If it is not then choose the toolbar (why isn’t it sign, choose the pilot; then choose a on the drop down cells to apply the there by default?). function, then function; click next; Entering a formula list, then choose function to. When you type in choose the cell(s) type in the number which takes in a more functions. However, if you an equal sign, the that you want to or click on the box series of cells Once the function is clicked on the function choice is apply the function to on the right; choose chosen, then, when function button first, apparent in QP and using the mouse; the cell(s); click that the number box the process is Excel. 123 was then hit return. box again; click ok. appears, you click longer and can probably the easiest the small box on the confuse the first- from which to right (the dialogue time user. choose a function box will compress), and apply it to a choose the cell, group of cells. click that box again, and click ok. Type an equal sign, click on function Type an equal si gn, button (@), choose type in function and Entering formula Couldn’t figure out function, then parenthesis, then shortcuts how to do this. choose cells with choose the cells mouse and click with mouse. green check mark. Most of you will use Formulas About 450. 234. fewer than 10 About 340. 257. different functions. Menu Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1

Only one menu to Choice of present choose from. Keep In QP, one would menu or classic in mind that suite expect the selection 4 menu options (QP menu. It was not wide, there are of Menus to be There appeared to 7, QP 8/9, Lotus easy to find and it options as to how found under be one menu only. 123, and Excel). pretty much looked Menu, choices the menu will open customization of It could be changed Tools -> Settings -> and behaved like and what is Menus. With MS, and a new menu Compatibility -> the old DOS version displayed when you rule, designed. Menu bar. € of a menu (you (everything vs. there is no need to don’t want it, trust recently used offer options. me). options). € Organization Sheets Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 Insert -> sheet (as if Adding sheets Insert -> worksheet Create -> sheet you would need to) Default Way too many. Three sheets. One sheet.

Stability Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1 I have heard so many stories here. I have a friend who was a long-time proponent of Corel products who is changing all of his spreadsheets into Excel because of the lack of stability in QP. He claimed to lose 2 hours of work one time (with all the backup options, I don’t know how any experienced user It is the MS Star Office regularly could do that). On . quit on me when the same computer, Since the code is I have always I haven’t had opening and last year, QP 9 was not given to Stability known Excel to be enough experience working on a text very unstable for outsiders, it is stable. with Lotus to say. document. I had to me, opening a half difficult to make a erase and reinstall dozen or so complex program three times. worksheets before stable on it. needing to be closed and fired up again to function. This year, same computer, ghosted, and QP added, and now it is the bastion of stability (on the same computer, WP 9 is now acting hinky). On my home computer, the toolbars for QP 9 have disappeared and I cannot seem to recover them.

Return to the Top Quattro Pro 9 Excel Comments Lotus 123 Star Office 5.1