Lotus 3.4 for DOS A True 3-D Spreadsheet By Thomas A. Yost, Madison PC User's Group Lotus 3.4 is the latest release of 1-2-3 for DOS. The "for DOS" indicates this package requires only DOS to run (i.e., it is a non-Windows application). Of course, you can run it under Windows as a non-Windows application. However, unlike most non-Window applications, any version of 1-2-3 above 3.0 will recognize extended memory (no memory manager is required). The package thus requires a 286 machine with 1 MB of memory, and more is recommended. The 3-D Spreadsheet Unlike Quattro Pro for DOS, this version of 1-2-3 is a true 3-D spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet cannot address a cube of cells between different levels, it's not a true 3-D spreadsheet. The advantages of such a spreadsheet were discussed in my review of ProCalc by Parsons Technology in the November 1991 Bits & PC's, or David Jensen's review of Quattro Pro for Windows last month. This version of 1-2-3 is the first to do 3-D graphs. The graphs now look comparable to those in Quattro Pro. Interestingly, Quattro Pro was the first to do nice 3-D graphs (but the data came from a non-3-D spreadsheet!) and Lotus had a nice 3-D spreadsheet which did not do 3-D graphs. Finally Lotus is doing both in 3-D. In the past, I have noticed some people were moving data back and forth between these two spreadsheets because of the differences. This may not be necessary with version 3.4. What They Forgot: My Wish List Missing are printer drivers which will access the HP LaserJet's scaleable fonts while in WYSIWYG mode. I guess you need to get the Windows version of 1-2-3 if you need to use them. I wish they would bring back the old Impress menu, or at least have the option to use that original menu which many of us earlier Impress users are more familiar with. For attaching and invoking add-ins, I wish they had left in the "/Add-In" command that was introduced in version 2.2. Because of this, it is not completely macro-compatible with all earlier versions of 1-2-3. Also, if this was left in, add-ins could be accessed with a mouse. Currently one needs to leave the mouse and press Alt-F10 (which takes two hands) to get to the Add-In menu. The Macro Library Manager Add-In is gone from all 3.x products and will only work with the 2.x products. The ability to keep your macros out of your spreadsheet and in it's own file was one of my favorite features of the earlier releases of 1-2-3. There was no need to worry about sticking a row through the middle of a macro, and the ability to share one macro with many spreadsheets simplified macro maintenance. The DataLens is a bit difficult to use. It requires a few steps which require an understanding of how 1-2-3's input and output ranges work. I wish it worked as an @function or like the spreadsheet linking syntax. If you need to link cells to data in a database, I found the @Base Add-In by Personics a much cleaner solution. I hope to write a review on this product for next month. New Features The Delete key may now be used to delete the contents of a cell. This is much nicer and more intuitive than having to do a /Range Erase on the cell. It will help those of us who incorrectly use the [SPACE] [RETURN] method of deleting the contents of a cell. You can also block a range of cells with the mouse and delete them all with a single hit of the Delete. It is very similar to how one would delete a block in WordPerfect, except there is no warning of "Delete Block? Y/N." SmartIcons, a feature popular in many Window applications, has been customized to work in a non-Windows environment. The combination of this, along with WYSIWYG, gives you many of the benefits of a Windows-like environment without the extra overhead or expense. The SmartIcons are set up to do the basics like: save, retrieve, print, move, graph, add groups of columns, etc. The most time saving icons are the Print, Graph, and @SUM. The Print Icon seemed to be the neatest, saving the most keystrokes. Rather than doing a /Print, Printer Range, Align, Go, you only need to block the range you need to print and then click on the Print icon. Your printout is now on its way to the printer in the WYSIWYG mode. The @SUM icon is also equally easy to use and intuitive. You can easily sum twelve columns of numbers with two clicks of the mouse. Lots of Add-ins Like all other releases since 2.3, this version comes with lots of add-ins. Version 2.3 was the first to include WYSIWYG, Auditor, and Viewer. Now 1-2-3 also comes with Solver, and a Backsolver which I could not find useful. The first three are still the most useful. Viewer is a product that was originally a part of the Lotus Magellan File Utilities. It allows you to see your spreadsheet before you retrieve it. Auditor will highlight in color all cells that reference the current cursor location. This can be very helpful when attempting to check your formulas for errors, or just trying to understand how they work. You will also find these new add-ins in version 2.4. If you are puzzled as to which of the two version of 1-2-3 for DOS is best for you, the following test should help. You should use version 2.4 if: * You don't need a 3-D spreadsheet or 3-D graphs. * You don't need direct access to extended memory (of course it does support expanded memory). * You have an old 8088 machine. * You have less than 1 MB of memory. * Your spreadsheets are small. * Your spreadsheets are big and you only have expanded memory available. * If you use any of the older add-ins which are not included with 3.4. Otherwise it's between 1-2-3 version 3.4 for DOS or 1-2-3 for Windows. 1-2-3 version 3.4 for DOS is from: Lotus Development Corporation 55 Cambridge Parkway Cambridge, MA 02142 (800) 343-5414 (617) 253-9150 (faxback)