MultiPlan

[Blacklord]

Spreadsheet package written by MicroSoft (note back then the 'S' was capitalised) & distributed by HesWare. Version 1.07 was the release of "MultiPlan 128" & came on a double sided 1541 disk.

MultiPlan was an early spreadsheet program following VisiCalc developed by Microsoft. Introduced in 1982, initially for computers running CP/M, it was ported to a number of other operating systems including MS-DOS and Xenix. Versions were also available for the Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, Radio Shack Model II, Apple II and Burroughs B-20 series of personal computers. Multiplan for the Apple Macintosh was Microsoft's first GUI spreadsheet - the others were text-based.

Outsold by Lotus 1-2-3 for several years, MultiPlan was the basis for Microsoft Excel which followed some years later on both the Apple Macintosh (1985) and Microsoft Windows (1987).

Program archive : no
Cover scan      : no
Manual scan     : no

[airship]

Does anyone have a copy of this? I seem to remember it as the only serious 8-bit spreadsheet program, and I'd love to have it. Boxed with manual, if possible, but as a freebie if not.

[Andrew Wiskow]

Does anyone have a copy of this? I seem to remember it as the only serious 8-bit spreadsheet program, and I'd love to have it. Boxed with manual, if possible, but as a freebie if not.

So you're saying that GeoCalc128 was a joke?  

-Andrew

[RobertB]

I'd say that Vizastar 128 was just as serious a spreadsheet.  Plenty of functions and database and graphing functions included.  Opening up several windows on the same spreadsheet was great.

Having used Vizastar 128 many years for grades,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/

[airship]

INFO liked Visastar four stars worth, but we gave another 1/2 star's worth of love to Multiplan. But Benn also liked Calc Result Advanced and Pocket Planner 128. I think he just liked the 80 columns after working with 40 for so long.

[Andrew Wiskow]

I think he just liked the 80 columns after working with 40 for so long.

And who can blame him?  

-Andrew

[RobertB]

INFO liked Visastar four stars worth...

And that's why I bought Vizastar 128... that glowing review in Info magazine.

Paid $80 for it back in 1985,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/

[Guest]

And that's why I bought Vizastar 128... that glowing review in Info magazine.

I bought it too, removed the copy protection and put it in Internal ROM. I think it's the best spreadsheet program there is for the C128.

Dan...

[airship]

The most interesting thing to me about MultiPlan is that it was the only Microsoft-branded product to be released on the Commodore 8-bit machines besides BASIC.

Yes, I know they didn't develop it - HESware did. But it was still cool to have MS even notice our little machine. By licensing their premiere product for it, they validated it as a serious productivity platform.

[Guest]

Didn't Microsoft also release Flight Simulator for the C64?

[Golan Klinger]

Didn't Microsoft also release Flight Simulator for the C64?

Flight Simulator was available for the 64 but it wasn't from Microsoft. It was developed by Bruce Artwick and released by his company, Sublogic. Microsoft licensed the product and it eventually grew into Microsoft Flight Simulator.

[airship]

Yep. What Golan said. I've got a working copy of the original subLogic disk for the C64, though I don't have the box or its other contents.

I can't remember if Microsoft ever released a Commodore version of Flight Simulator under the Microsoft name. Too many years ago.