Lotus SmartSuite 4

Review by Tom Rainey, Alamo PC

I must admit that it was with great anticipation I undertook this review of Lotus SmartSuite ver 4.0 for Windows 3.1, as I had seen the distinctive ads and packaging carrying the Lotus logo and the five main application programs depicted like classics in a book album worthy of inclusion in the opening scenes of PBS’s Masterpiece Theater. However, considering that Lotus was now upgrading the Windows 3.1 version of SmartSuite shortly after their merger with IBM, did seem somewhat of a puzzlement, as most major software companies are bringing their premier applications to market under the Windows 95 operating system.

Regardless of operating system considerations however, SmartSuite still comes across like the premiere collection of business level applications its packaging and logo suggests. Everything about SmartSuite, from its handsome portfolio styled packaging, well thought out user manuals, and superb introductory guided tours and tutorials connotes prestige on this quintessential collection of applications. That it performs this well under Windows 3.1 suggests it may become an even more impressive contender if IBM and Lotus decide to bring it to market as a full fledged 32-bit native application

. Lotus SmartSuite Ver 4.0 is a bundled software package enabling the user to accomplish wide ranging tasks from family use, SOHO, to the full scale demands of networking in major business environments.

Highlights:

Disk Space Requirements:
		Minimum MB	Maximum
Word Pro	Word Processor	16	38
1-2-3	Spreadsheet	12	22
Approach	Database (relational)	8	19
Freelance Graphics	Presentations	9	19
Organizer	Personal Organizer	7	11
Screen Cam	Screen-Capture	3	3
Smart Center	one-click icons	1.5	1.5
TOTAL SPACE		56.5	118

System Requirements:

Hardware:

IBM compatible (386 or higher)

VGA (color or mono) or higher video adapter

Mouse or other pointing device

Memory: Minimum 8mb RAM (to run one application at a time)
Software: Windows 3.1 or later, and DOS 4.x or later
Disk Space: 56.5MB minimum, 118MB full default installation
Swap File: Lotus recommends setting up a permanent Windows swap file at least as large as available system memory.

Test Platform:

486DX4/100 VLB, 16MB RAM, Trident 9400 with 1MB, IDE Note: QEMM ver 7.0 installed.

Note: One may choose not to install the full suite, and limit the install initially to just the ones you want. Additional applications can be installed later.

SmartSuite was evaluated primarily on its interactive capabilities (linking and moving elements of one program application from one to another). A detailed review of each program application is beyond the scope of this undertaking ( an individual review of WordPro appeared in the October 95 PC Alamode)

Installation:

The install of the entire suite consisted of 36 three and one-half inch diskettes, and proceeded easily. The final diskette asks whether you want SmartSuite to make an alteration to your Autoexec.bat file. Continuing the default installation, SmartSuite installed “

Share ” which used an additional 6k of conventional RAM, lowering conventional RAM on the reviewer’s computer from 634K to 628K. SmartSuite does permit the installer to tailor the autoexec.bat file instead of accepting the default.

Upon starting SmartSuite, there was a noticeable sluggishness in the my computer, however it seemed largely a function of the size of the program being loaded. No attempt was made to regain the lost 6K conventional memory since the review was being made using the default installation.

Interestingly, the default installation places the SmartSuite table of program icons directly over the Windows program manager so that upon launching Windows, the cursor automatically ends up positioned in the SmartSuite field of program icons.

Documentation:

SmartSuite is the first “integrated” software package I’ve used and was my first occasion to try any Lotus software as well. My initial impression was a blend of awe and heightened expectation, based on the packaging and the evident care Lotus has taken not to overwhelm the user with overly voluminous technical manual documentation.

A 52-page manual titled “Getting Started” provides a birdseye view of the entire suite, and is organized and laid out in a manner which enables the user to quickly become familiar with SmartSuite’s capabilities. Being an index oriented person, I was slightly disappointed to discover there was no index included in the “Getting Started” manual, however a quick check revealed all the other manuals in the suite did contain a well-proportioned index.

User manuals are complemented with a virtual wealth of online help which reflects the same balanced approach Lotus has used in creating their manuals. Online help is brief, concise, and very user-friendly.

Word Pro:

WordPro (formerly AmiPro) was the first application to be explored, and a most delightful experience ensued with a simple click on the “Take a Tour” option located on the toolbar. The tours, consisting of nine offerings ranging from 5.5 to as little as 2 minutes in length, cover Getting Started; Frames, Graphics, and Tables; Getting Help; Formatting Text; Sharing documents; Spell and Format Check; Managing Long Documents; Review and Comment Tools; and Envelopes and Printing. These tours are live demonstrations captured on Lotus ScreenCam movies, and provide the user a step by step view of various procedures for doing word processing.

Getting Started shows a sequence whereby the mouse cursor is moved about onscreen, clicked on various symbols from a visual menu which takes the user step by step through using a template (a pre-designed letter, memo, etc.) whereby the user is relieved of figuring out where the address line, date, greeting, body, and closing are to be placed. This is all pre-formatted onscreen.

Frames, Graphics and Tables displayed the concept of opening a picture frame within the body or heading of a letter, selecting a symbol to place inside the frame, thereby sprucing up the letter through the use of graphical enhancement, and finally the opening of a table, and steps used in completing the column headings and labels for the title of the table.

The Getting Help demo showed what options appear when one clicks on help. An interesting “Ask the Expert” option prompts the user to type in a word or short phrase and then shows on a drop down menu onscreen the steps for accomplishing the desired result.

Lotus 1-2-3:

1-2-3 contains a “tutorial” instead of ScreenCam movies. Each lesson contains an introduction (overview), practice session (actual work) and a summary (review). 1-2-3 also has a guided tour where an animated maestro in top hat and tails jumps about the screen as if directing a symphony with an electronic baton which indexes thru accomplishing the tasks onscreen. Using the tutorial resulted in a surprising number of lockups of my system, caused whenever an attempt was made to back up to a previous screen. Time constraints did not permit analyzing this problem.

One of the fundamental advantages of an “integrated” suite of applications is the ability to link and share table data, charts, etc., among different programs. This feature by itself seemed reason enough for owning a group of programs like SmartSuite. To test this capability, I opened a letter in Word Pro, then opened 1-2-3 and created a spreadsheet, then copied a portion of the spreadsheet back into the Word Pro document using drag and drop. Next, a pie-chart was created using the 1-2-3 data in Freelance Graphics, and the chart was linked with Word Pro and copied back into the letter, thereby enhancing the impact of the 1-2-3 data. This was all done without becoming bogged down with complex details of rows, columns, and cell manipulation. some difficulty did arise in executing the “drop” portion of the transfer, since the Word Pro screen would not appear unless the fist holding the rectangular image was allowed to stray away from the Word Pro icon on the Smart Icon Toolbar (an error message appeared repeatedly, warning that a non-OLE document could not be dropped on an icon in Smart Center). This experience left me wondering whether I’d missed some of the instructions on carrying out this portion of the mission as a “bombardier”. Once transferred to the Word Pro document, however, the spreadsheet data and pie-chart did present an impressive appearance.

Lotus has incorporated a considerable degree of commonality among SmartSuite program applications. By so doing, the user is relieved of learning a myriad of dissimilar procedures and dealing with widely varying screen arrangements. This commonality enables a user to become productive much more quickly.

Team Computing:

SmartSuite contains many features designed for coordinating team computing. Word Pro TeamReview can be used to automate and control the manner in which documents are reviewed in a group. Word Pro TeamConsolidate permits inputting the changes from a group to a single document. 1-2-3 range routing facilitates collecting and consolidating data from many people into a single spreadsheet. Organizer group scheduling enables setting up meeting times compatible with others by checking availability and sending notices and attachments for the meeting. “Show and Tell” movies can be created on ScreenCam for distribution to your team. With TeamMail, information can be mailed or routed directly from any of your applications. Most of these features of course, would be especially important in a business environment.

Recommendation: Lotus SmartSuite offers flexibility to many types of users. Its word-processing, spreadsheet and database applications are both powerful and full featured, yet fairly easy to learn. The plentiful help aids online, coupled with the conciseness of user manuals makes SmartSuite a very compelling offering at $199 direct from Lotus.