PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT November 1992 - Volume 9:3

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Windows 3.1: It's curtains for Windows 3.0

By Kristin Nelson

Traditionally, software applications have been constructed by software designers for other designers, all of whom have learned the same design rules. Excel 4.0 for the Macintosh and for Windows reflects Microsoft's new approach to software design--to produce an application based heavily on user feedback obtained from the company's recently introduced usability laboratories. This fourth generation spreadsheet has moved beyond the "function wars" that have dominated the industry over the past few years, and turned in the direction of increased functionality and increased ease of use. What a novel concept--a spreadsheet that works the way you do and is also easy to use!


What's new?

What's new or improved in Excel 4.0? The list is extensive, but some of the more notable features cut across Excel's analytical, database, and presentation capabilities:

  • Redesigned standard toolbar--contains the most frequently used actions and can be customized to suit individual preferences (there are eight additional special-function tool bars to choose from).

  • AutoFill--allows you to create a series easily by selecting and dragging the fill-handle in the lower-right corner of a selection.

  • Spell checking--a welcome addition and long overdue.

  • Help--even more powerful and easier to use.

  • Workbooks--a new feature that allows you to manage Excel worksheets, charts, and related documents more easily by keeping this information together in a functional group.

  • New formatting and presentation features--including the ability to create on-screen slide shows; supplemental analysis features, including a special set of analytical tools, called the Analysis ToolPak, which span financial, scientific, and engineering disciplines; new printing features; new charting features, including new chart types and, most notably, a new tool known as the ChartWizard, which greatly simplifies the creation or modification of a chart by stepping you through the choices you normally make when creating a chart; a new Crosstab ReportWizard database feature that quickly produces summary information from an Excel database. Like the ChartWizard, the ReportWizard prompts you for the information you want compared in your database.

  • Autoformat--a new command that provides fourteen attractive and colorful automatic formats that are applied intelligently to your spreadsheet. Nice touch!


System requirements

On the Mac side, the recommended configuration for running Excel with other full-sized applications is a Mac Plus or greater, System 6.x or 7.x, and a minimum of 4 Mbytes of memory. A math coprocessor is nice but not necessary for typical office applications. For IBM PC/compatibles, the recommended configuration is a 386/386sx machine with DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, and a minimum of 4 Mbytes of memory.


If you have a mixed environment

If your office uses both Macintoshes and Windows-based PCs, Excel is the hands-down best choice for a spread-sheet. File exchange between the two platforms is readily accomplished using Apple File Exchange or any number of file conversion utilities. Based on the Microsoft notion of a common core engine and common functionality, the two applications look virtually identical except for the expected interface design differences between the two platforms.

Excel 4.0 (Mac or Windows version) is available at the Computer Connection. The price is $97 and will increase to $116 when the current stock runs out. Excel 4.0 is a must-buy upgrade for anyone who uses a spreadsheet on a regular basis.

Sidebar: CRC supported software for IBM PC/compatibles

These are the versions for which the CRC currently offers the best level of support. Newer versions of some of these products have been released recently, and they will be reviewed for support.

Antiviral: Vi-Spy 10.0
Charting: SigmaPlot 4.0
Communications: Procomm 2.4.2/3
Database: Alpha 4 2.0
Operating System: DOS 5 and Windows 3.1
Spreadsheet: Microsoft Excel 4.0 (Windows) & Lotus 3.1 & 2.3
File Transfer/Conversion: MacLink Plus 6.0 & Word for Word 5.0
Word Processing: WordPerfect 5.1 (DOS/Windows) & Microsoft Word 5.5

KRISTIN E NELSON is a Consultant for ISC's Computing Resource Center.