Software Review of:
LOTUS 1-2-3 release 9 
Millennium Edition 

There is more emphasis on Internet/Website compatibility than most users may need, but this emphasis is good for companies that want to publish on their intranet as well as on the Internet. Also emphasized is the "team concept" of working more easily with other software, especially Excel files. 

Spreadsheets are important for serious business applications and can be used for casual and personal projects as well. My own experience with 1-2-3 started with 1-2-3 release 2.x in the early 1980’s. Continuing through the following releases, I customized a company’s spreadsheets with automated procedures to gather and consolidate data from various offices for tax planning and supplemental tax compliance schedules. At home, I use 1-2-3 for budgets, simple inventories, repetitive grocery shopping lists, periodic updates of To Do lists, and many impromptu large and small projects. 

Installation
I chose the default installation, which took almost 68 MB of hard disk space. It seemed quite fast —perhaps 5 or 6 minutes. There were no problems with the installation nor with the 1-2-3 program afterwards, nor were there any difficult questions to answer during the procedure. The 1-2-3 installation CD also has the files to install the IBM ViaVoice but since our Pentium PC’s 90 MHZ chip doesn’t support it, I did not install it. ViaVoice is used to dictate rather than type data into 1-2-3 and other SmartSuite software. Some weeks later I decided to install two additional Spelling Checker dictionaries, more maps, and the LotusScript Help, which did not appreciably change the amount of disk space used. It now takes exactly 68 MB. Rerunning the installation procedure took 4 minutes, not counting the time browsing the lists of components to choose the ones which seemed useful to me. (It is possible to in-stall on your hard disk only those files necessary to activate the program on the CD-ROM if you want to save hard disk space.) 

Features and Operation
InfoBox A very handy feature is 1-2-3’s "InfoBox" and the best description of it is from John Walkenbach’s Lotus 1-2-3 Millennium Edition for Dummies (mentioned below in the Documentation section of this review): "A floating dialog box that makes applying formatting or working with a selected object very easy. 1-2-3 has tons of InfoBoxes —  one for just about anything you can select. Each InfoBox has a series of tabs. Click a tab and the InfoBox changes to display new controls. Unlike a normal dialog box, an InfoBox remains on-screen while you go about your business." 

When you right-click anything in the worksheet (a cell, range, object, the sheet itself, etc.), a short menu appears; its first selection is the appropriate InfoBox. Pressing the Alt and Enter keys together is a shortcut to invoke the InfoBox. 

Date
1-2-3 has a clever way of handling the year: There’s a 100-year "sliding window" going back 80 years from your PC’s system date and going forward 20 years, and 2-digit years will fall in this time frame. If you want to indicate years outside this time frame you must enter the year as 4 digits. In User Setup / Preferences you can choose a) to follow this sliding window system, or b) to assume that 2-digit years refer to 1900-1999. In addition, you can choose to display 2-digit years as 4-digit. 

SmartLabels
The much touted SmartLabels are 9 key words that do a lot of work for you, but you must understand how they work or the results can appear unreliable (they are not). They are available if you select them in UserSetup / Preferences. You can also create your own SmartLabels. One 1-2-3 SmartLabel is "Total". To sum columns after the data are entered, you type "Total" in the cell to the left of where you want the sums to appear, and to sum rows you do the same in the cell above where they are to be displayed. The other key words are SubTotal, Grand Total, Minimum, Maximum, Average, Median, Standard Deviation, and Variance, and there are synonyms like Std, Var and Avg that can be used instead. 

Once you enter a key word and the formulas do their thing, you can replace the key word with a more pleasing description if you like, because now that the formulas have been created they won’t react to the change. They will still calculate whatever you’ve indicated for the cells involved, so you can change the data fearlessly. But it’s this lack of reaction that can be dangerous if you make changes that affect the formulas themselves, such as adding more rows of data after the last one indicated in a sum formula. The formulas won’t dynamically change and won’t include the new items in the sum. The solution is to erase the key word and all the resulting formulas, then enter the key word again. Everything is now correct. 

Because I couldn’t find the explanation of an apparent aberration, I called the Technical Help Desk and discovered one must be careful in using the Grand Total Smart-Label. You must not expect Grand Total to include the results of Totals in its formula, it adds only SubTotals. 

Database
As everyone probably knows, 1-2-3’s name came from the three tasks it was designed to do: a spreadsheet mostly for numeric data and calculations, a way to display graphically the information of the spreadsheet ("graphs," later called "charts"), and a simple but effective database. Both as a stand-alone and as part of the SmartSuite, this 1-2-3 version has a database capability that is bolstered by having a slightly abbreviated version of Lotus Approach database software bundled with it, fully functional for all 1-2-3 needs. (This is in addition to getting the full Approach package with the SmartSuite.) 

Dynamic Crosstabs
Using its Approach database program, 1-2-3 can display spreadsheet data from various viewpoints, letting the user change how to group the various row and column contents in order to see relationships among the different types of data. Excel’s pivot table is similar. 

File Compatibility and File Formats In order to work more easily with users of other software, 1-2-3 now has more saved file formats making it compatible with Microsoft Excel 97, 95/5 and 4, with Lotus Notes, and with database formats dBASE, IBM DB2, Sybase and Oracle. Instead of 8,192 rows as in previous releases, 1-2-3 now has 65,536 rows just like Excel. It added nearly 60 new @functions (mostly for engineering, financial and statistical applications) bringing the total to over 300 @functions. This release has a fine "Excel Menu Finder" to display equivalent 1-2-3 steps. 1-2-3 can now read, write and convert Excel files easily. 

1-2-3 can open files or combine files, as appropriate, with these formats: ANSI Metaflle (.CGM), Bitmap (.BMP), GIF image (.GIF), JPEG image (.JPG or .JPEG), dBASE IV (.DBF), Paradox (.DB), HTML file (.HTM*), Microsoft Excel (.XLS, .XLT, .XLW), Quattro Pro (.WQ1, WB1, .WB2), text (TXT, .PRN, .CSV, .DAT, .OUT,. ASC), and Windows Metafile (.WMF). 1-2-3 can save files as these formats: Comma-separated value (.CSV), dBASE (.DBF), 1-2-3 rel. 9 (.123), 1-2-397 (.123), 1-2-3 OS/2 WARP 4 (.123), 1-2-3 (.WK4,. WK3, WKI), Excel 97 (.XLS), Excel 5/95 (.XLS), Excel 4 (.XLS), Paradox (.DB), Text (TXT). 

Charts and Maps
Creating and modifying charts is fast and easy, using the drop-down Create menu and the Info-Box. There are 12 types of charts with a total of 38 designs. For really handsome charts there are packages from Lotus and other vendors, but 1-2-3’s are sufficiently good looking (as spreadsheet charts go) and would meet most people’s needs. 

Thirteen maps were installed with the default installation, and I later installed the remaining 13 from the CD-ROM. It is the same situation as with the charts, they are quick and easy to create, not as handsome as specialized software would produce, but good enough for most purposes. 

Copying
Copying the contents and/or the formatting from one area and pasting it to another is routine, but 1-2-3 has a simple improvement I never saw before. It will let you select the original area’s column width and row height as well, or select them as the only items to copy. You Edit/Copy the original area, then Edit/Paste Special in the new area, choosing "Column Widths and Row Heights." If only the dimensions are being copied it happens at lightning speed, quite a contrast to the labor involved sometimes to adjust these. 

Spelling Checker
There are 17 Spelling Checker dictionaries (including several for different Spanish-speaking and English-speaking locations). As a test I typed several misspelled words in Spanish and the Checker did fairly well. It does very well with nouns, but refuses to offer more than a few alternatives for the many, many verb forms similar to a misspelled verb. 

Classic Menu
For long-time Lotus 1-2-3 users, many of the "classic" menu commands are still available, and there is a good equivalence table available by pressing the Fl Help key when you are in the classic menu. Help is also available from the Help menu 

Automating Repetitive Procedures 
Adding automation to spreadsheet procedures is of little importance for many users. Even if it was, simple routines can be created easily by recording a series of actions, to be played back whenever needed. The instructions to record these "scripts" are in the 1-2-3. . . .for Dummies book. 

For more complex routines, there does not appear to be much difference between Excel’s VBA language and 1-2-S’s LotusScript, both being very similar to Visual Basic. VBA is used to automate Microsoft Office Suite, and Lotus-Script is used to automate Lotus SmartSuite and Lotus Notes. 

If you need to create sophisticated automation by writing scripts from scratch, it is going to involve an interesting learning curve no matter which spreadsheet product you choose. I am just starting to learn LotusScript. Meanwhile, 1-2-3 rel. 9 has no trouble with macros created in recent versions. 

Miscellaneous
Among objects that can be embedded in a 1-2-3 worksheet is a functioning calendar — a really neat item to refer to while you’re working. However, when I later wanted to move its position on the sheet, I couldn’t select the object and couldn’t find any information from the Help menu or the documentation. Finally, I called the Technical Help Desk and learned to select File / WorkbookProperties (or select View / ViewPreferences, both ways work) and check "Display menu command for designing ActiveX and Java control." That adds another item, "Run Controls," to the drop-down View menu. Choosing that made the object selectable when I clicked it, and I could then drag it to a new location. 

This comment is to give an idea of the many features in 1-2-3, and illustrates that specific documentation is sometimes difficult to find. 

Technical Support
There is free 30-day complimentary support starting from the date of the first call, and the 978 area code means it’s a long distance call. There are also various paid support plans. Of the ten or so technicians with whom I spoke, the majority were knowledgeable and quick, some were particularly helpful, some had to look to their databases for information or con-suit with other staff (one called me back in about an hour), and two didn’t seem very experienced regarding the specific questions I asked. (I decided not to prolong one of these calls and accepted the offer of the other technician to e-mail me the necessary information.) Response time was generally 2 minutes, varying between 1 and 5 minutes throughout the day. The best response time seemed to be before 6 a.m. Pacific tune. 

Documentation and Ease of Learning
1-2-3 has excellent "Quick Demos," extensive explanations from the Help menu, and a streamlined "Ask the Expert," where you enter a question or key word and receive a pretty intelligent reply. Just exploring the drop-down menus and the Dialog Box that appears when you make any menu selection ending in ". . ." is very useful. Another source of information is the InfoBox, described above. There is also a LotusScript Help file which can be installed from the 1-2-3 CD-ROM, and Lotus can send you printed LotusScript documentation at no cost except for a $5 shipping and handling fee. 

A welcome surprise was the inclusion of Lotus 1-2-3 Millennium Edition for Dummies by John Walkenbach, PC World columnist and well-known author of many books and articles, especially about spreadsheets. (He has written a similar book about using Excel.) The book is inviting, reassuring and clear, and in a breezy tone covers the basics. It is included in the 1-2-3 package in lieu of a manual. Also included is a 13-page booklet, Getting Started with 1-2-3. While I had a problem finding answers to a few questions, otherwise I think the documentation is very good. 

John Walkenbach’s book seems like an excellent introduction that would bring a new user up to speed on the basics in a very short time. Getting familiar with the more advanced features takes a lot of exploring but with all these available resources it shouldn’t be hard, just time-consuming since there are so many features. 

Requirements
Lotus 1-2-3 Millennium Edition rel. 9 and rel. 9.5 require: a PC or compatible (486 or higher); a VGA or higher resolution adapter and monitor; a CD-ROM drive (3.5" media available); Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0; 8 MB of RAM for Windows 95 or 98; 16MB of RAM for Windows NT 4.0; and 30 MB of available disk space to install the minimum features of 1-2-3 or 58 MB for the default installation. (For rel. 9 the default installation takes 66 MB of disk space.) 

IBM Via Voice for Lotus 1-2-3 requires: a Pentium PC (150 MHZ with MMX or 186 MHZ without MMX); a VGA adapter and monitor; a CD-ROM drive; a sound card (Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 or 100% compatible or MWave); a noise-canceling microphone; and 110 MB of available disk space, which includes 60 MB for program files and 50 MB for enrollment files. (You create the enrollment files by recording your voice so the software can recognize what you dictate.) 

Conclusions
The only real disappointment I found is the way the Undo feature works in 1-2-3 rel. 9. You are allowed to undo only the last command or action, and if that action was to make several settings in the InfoBox (font, text rotation, number format, borders, security, etc.), then the settings that were made that last time can be tin-done. But you can’t go back several levels of Undo and get rid of previous actions and previous settings made during the current session since the last file save. The Undo feature in Excel 97 is better since it allows you to undo several actions and settings, and even pick out only some to undo rather than undo them all. 

In spite of all the information provided by the Help menu demos and explanations, and from the Lotus 1-2-3 ... for Dummies book, I would have liked to have some subjects included or covered more completely rather than having to call the Technical Help Desk. 

As to deciding whether this is the package or upgrade for your needs, it would be helpful to try as many spreadsheet programs as possible before choosing. Having used 1-2-3 for many years and feeling comfortable with it, I am delighted with the many added conveniences this release provides. Even without a strong interest in voice-enabled 1-2-3 templates, I would be glad to recommend this 1-2-3 version because it is easy to use, powerful, quick, and attractively set up with a wealth of choices. Let’s hope that 
the Undo feature gets more robust in the next release. 

Upgrade to 1-2-3 rel. 9.5 (from a prior Lotus 1-2-3 release including release 9) or a competitive upgrade: list price $114, street price approx. $90. Full 1-2-3 rel 9.5: list price $364, street price 
$284. SmartSuite (including Notes for a limited time): list price $472. Free 30-day trial CD SmartSuite (including Lotus 1-2-3 Millennium Edition) available from Lotus’ Web site. Also available on the Web site is a Quick Tour of this 1-2-3 release. 

Lotus Development (an IBM Company), 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142,. Customer Service: (800) 343-5414., Technical Help Desk: (978) 988-2500 (M-F 8:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m. ET), Internet home page: <http://www.lotus.com> A very useful resource site: <http:// support.lotus.com>.