At last, Lotus ships 1-2-3 for Windows; some customers will be happy, but others may look at rival products

Article Abstract:

Lotus Development Corp finally ships Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows, which costs $595, $149 for an upgrade, or $149 to owners of Excel or Quattro Pro. Lotus' product is late: Microsoft shipped its Excel 3.0 spreadsheet more than a year ago. Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows could be a gamble: many of Lotus's customers were hesitant to buy another spreadsheet even if it was a better one because of the difficulties and training needs involved in the change. But now, moving to Windows from DOS will involve many of the same problems. Lotus' new product is good news for Microsoft in at least the sense that the product introduction constitutes yet another endorsement for Windows 3.0. Lotus 1-2-3 was once the most popular application for MS-DOS microcomputers. Now, Lotus Development faces the challenge of trying to make its product popular again.

Computer software industry, Software industry, Software, product announcement, Microsoft Windows 3.0 (GUI), Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows (Spreadsheet software)

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Sorting out Lotus's new 1-2-3's

Article Abstract:

Lotus Development Corp releases three new versions of its spreadsheet software: Lotus 1-2-3 2.2, Lotus 1-2-3 3.0 and Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate. The $495 Release 3.0 is the most impressive of the three products and is intended for users with 80286- or 80386-based microcomputers. Because most users will not want to spend the money to upgrade their hardware to accommodate Release 3.0, it is likely that Release 2.2 will be the most popular of the new products. Release 2.2 also sells for $495 and is faster than older versions of the 1-2-3 software. The $219.95 Lotus Spreadsheet for DeskMate is intended for users of Tandy Corp's DeskMate graphical user interface. Although Lotus maintains that it is easy to share files among the three software packages, customers have reported a number of obstacles in this regard.

Lotus 1-2-3 2.2 (Spreadsheet software), Lotus 1-2-3 3.0 (Spreadsheet software), Lotus Spreadsheet for Deskmate (Spreadsheet software)

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Will 3.1 x 1-2-3 satisfy 10 million? The latest Lotus spreadsheet may please the faithful, but not hurt rivals

Article Abstract:

Lotus 1-2-3, Release 3.1 ($595; upgrades cost $35 to $150, depending on the previous version being upgraded), is a much needed and significantly improved product, but it is unlikely to win over users of such rival companies' spreadsheets as Microsoft Excel or Wingz from Informix Software Inc. Release 3.1 has more power, and there is a new way of working with memory that allows the creation of bigger worksheets by borrowing memory from the hard disk and provides limited compatibility with Microsoft Windows 3.0. There is both a traditional keyboard command system and a new WYSIWYG printing and display scheme. The new version runs on DOS-based 80286, 80386 and 80486 computers with a hard disk and at least 1Mbyte of memory. It is fully compatible with earlier versions. It is 'a formidable spreadsheet.'

Evaluation, Lotus 1-2-3 3.1 (Spreadsheet software)

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