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Lotus Developntent Corporation's 1-2-3 a Fast, Versatile Package That Combines Spreadsheet, Graphing, and Database Functions

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Lotus Developntent Corporation's 1-2-3 a Fast, Versatile Package That Combines Spreadsheet, Graphing, and Database Functions Product Description Lotus Developntent Corporation's 1-2-3 A fast, versatile package that combines spreadsheet, graphing, and database functions Gregg Williams Senior Editor When does "evolution" become "revolution"? When I microcomputers that use the Intel 8086 or 8088 micropro­ first saw 1-2-3, a spreadsheet/ database/graphing system cessor. The initial version of 1-2-3 will need an IBM PC from Lotus Development Corporation, I thought, with two disk drives, 128K bytes of memory, and either a "Hmm, very well done, but it's just an extension of ex­ monochrome or a color display; if the computer has isting software." True enough. But after using the prod­ both, you can view the spreadsheet (on the monochrome uct for a few hours, I realized it impressed me as more monitor) and graphs (on the color monitor) at the same than just an evolutionary product. There may be nothing time. If you have only the monochrome video display, new under the sun, as they say, but there are novel ways you cannot view your graphs; you can only print them to combine old things. In that sense, Lotus's 1-2-3 is out. If you have only the color video display, you can modestly revolutionary because it synergetically com­ alternate between viewing the spreadsheet and the graph. bines three packages. In this product description, we'll take a look at the system's capabilities. Graphing Capabilities 1-2- 3's sophisticated graphing commands enable you Spreadsheet Capabilities to create graphs of up to four variables using information 1-2-3 is , above all else, a spreadsheet. Like most already on the spreadsheet. Photo la shows a small spreadsheets, it lets you enter either text, numbers, or spreadsheet; photos Ib and lc show the two graphs of the formulas in a network of "cells" so that, by changing the same data. You can ask for one of five kinds of graphs, content of certain cells, you can perform an involved set including bar and line graphs (of which photo Ib is an ex­ of calculations automatically. It's safe to say that 1-2-3 ample), a pie chart (of one variable only), a stacked bar has all the features you've ever seen on spreadsheets. You chart, or an x-y graph (two lists of variables used as x -y can copy ranges of cells, insert and delete rows and col­ coordinate pairs) . During my first session, I set up the umns, change the output format of a range of cells or the parameters for a graph in under three minutes; after a few width of a column of cells, and do numerous other func­ tries, I could do it in less than a minute. The graph is tions. drawn in under two seconds-a far cry from graphing, The size of the spreadsheet is 2048 rows of 256 col­ say, on the Apple II . umns. Lotus claims that 1-2-3 will handle up to 640K Once you've made a graph, three keystrokes will dis­ bytes of memory. You can't fill the entire spreadsheet play it in another form; if data in the spreadsheet has with that, but it's probably considerably more than been changed, you can display a revised' graph with one enough for most applications. keystroke. Various options let you change the look of a 1-2-3 will soon be available for the IBM Personal graph; you can display one in black-and-white if you Computer (PC) and will eventually be converted to other don't have a color monitor attached to the color video in- 182 December 1982 © BITE Publications Inc Circle 379 on inquiry card. --+ la Ie Ib BYTE(white ) Ger I (r ed) P B L (bl ) 313131300 . ue 250000 IIII!IJ!I!:ii aligned. (The database can be anywhere on the spread­ ~ 0 200000 sheet along with nondatabase information.) You can sort .... ./ \\, a set of records, query it, or use it to retrieve selected ..... 150000 ::l'" records. Records are sorted by a maximum of two keys, u a\, ~ .' each of which specifies a sort operation by either ascend­ I,. 10001.313 ""... u '~\ ing or descending order. The query and retrieve opera­ I~ " .I \ tions are very similar. Both find records that match cer­ 50000 .. ' , •.•..•.••• '-I!!!!" l1li • tain criteria; the former modifies the action of the cursor­ o n up and cursor-down keys so that the cursor will highlight 1/82 2/82 3/82 'f/82 5/82 6/ 82 only records that match the criteria, and the latter copies the matching records into a designated area of the spread­ sheet. Photo 2a shows a small collection of records that is be­ ing readied for a retrieve operation. 1-2-3 prompts you for the area of the spreadsheet that is considered a collec-, tion of records; when you choose that area, 1-2- 3 highlights it in reverse video. The top line of the database Photo 1: Making graphs from spreadsheet data, Given the small area contains the values (or, in the case' of inequalities, spreadsheet shown in photo la, the line graph in photo lb and the bar graph in photo lc were both made from the data on the the relationships) you're searching for, the second line is spreadsheet. Once the data to be used has been specified, a dif­ the name for each field, and the lines below that are the ferent type of graph can be drawn (or a graph with new data can actual records. Once the retrieve function is completed, be redrawn) in less than two seconds, the matching records are deposited in the assigned destination area (see photo 2b). terface. You can also send a graph to the printer; at the Granted, 1-2-3's database capabilities don't match moment, only the Epson MX-80 printer is supported, but those of the expensive databases, so it would be foolish to others will be supported in the final version. buy the system in lieu of a full-featured one. But selection is a fundamental data-manipulation operation, and any Database Capabilities package that can speak to this need is superior to those You can also use 1-2-3 as a database for storing, sort­ that don't. I suspect that the database functions in 1-2- 3 ing, and retrieving records. Although its database cap­ will be used most often to isolate specific 'data that will abilities are not comparable to those of, say, dBASE II, then be graphed (if you had to isolate the data manually, they are very useful in conjunction with the other two. you probably wouldn't bother graphing it) . Still, 1-2-3's 1-2-3 will take an arbitrary area of the spreadsheet to database can be used in several traditional applications as be a database; the entries on a given row are considered well as in some less traditional ones-scheduling, for to be a record, and record fields must be vertically example. 184 December 1982 © BYTE Publications Inc 2a Get The Most From Your NEe PERSONAL COMPUTER With RAeET COMPUTES Software and HARDWARE!!! * * * * * NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW - NEW * * * * * * Schools - Businesses - Word Processing!'! The RACET MK4/8 Multiplexor all ows mul tiple users to sha re the same mass storage, whethe r it is fl oppy disk or th e RACET Hard Disk . The Multiplexor is ful ly supported under the RACET 'Everything' DOS. Users can work in mixed ROM BASIC and CPIM Call Compatible modes. Alt users can request in lormati on and be writing to tile disk simultaneously. The multiplexor not only provides a cos t-effective so luti on to users requiring multiple computers, but also provides the power of sha ring data. 4-Port Mux S745 Hort Mux S945 CALL FOR LOWEST HARO DRIVE PRICES FOR NEC RACET NECDOS FOR YOUR PC -8000 AND PC-8800!! THE 'EVERYTHING ' DOS!!! 5225 Has ROM BASIC mode. Has CP/M- compa tibility mode. Works in both modes with the RACET RK 4/8 Mul ti plexor for sila red disk environment. Supports the RACET Hard Disk in both modes and optionally with the Multiplexor. RACET NECDOS does more for you r PC -8001 than any other DOS . It's laster, more ellicien t and easier to use. It's loaded wi th ex tra features to let you st retch the limits 01 your system . EMPHASIZES INTEGRITY , NO MOUNT or REMOVE commands . Excellent protection Irom imp roper diskette swapping. File password protection . ADVANCED FEATURES . All DOS functions and command s may be used directly in a BASIC pro­ gram!1I SpeCial RUN option allows merging 01 programs , retai ning all va riables in memeory. Fixed block spann ed records . AUTO and DO commands . Machine language loads and saves . MATPA INT and MATINPUT to disk . Complete directory. All supervisory calls documen ted and avai lable to the machine language programmer. Superzap and other exten sive uti lities . * NEW * ELECTRIC PENCIL ' * * 599.95 THE mos t pop ular Microcomputer Wo rd Processor in the world now available on the NEC'" With many added leatures . Embedded print commands . Print lrom memory and disk!! Seltable tabs . Indent and hanging indent. Parallel, Serial , and Video drivers . DICTAMATIC cassette con trol lor translating dictated messagesll And much more'!! Most leatu res 01 word processors costing live times as much!" Runs on 32K or 64K system'" Wo rks in multi-user environment with the RK4/8 Multiplexor! 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