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The universe for DOS integrated software is shrinking. With Windows as the popular "integrator," the major market for integrated packages has been OEMs that bundle the software with their low-end systems and users whose PCs don't have ample memory and hard disk space to run Windows. These days, however, entry-level computers are usually equipped with more than enough power to run Windows.
So why, with the integrated market contracting, is Lotus releasing a new upgrade of LotusWorks? Simple. There's still a large installed base of machines with 2 megabyte or less of RAM, and LotusWorks (formerly AlphaWorks) has been bundled with over one million such systems. In addition, Lotus wants to keep its LotusWorks users from fleeing to another product--such as Microsoft Works, Framework XE, or the new WordPerfect Works--before their Windows-incapable machines have been put to pasture.
The jump from Version 1.0 to Version 3.0 is not a testament to the number of enhancements. Rather, Lotus skipped Version 2.0 to keep LotusWorks in sync with its competitors. And, indeed, the primary changes have nothing to do with additional power.
Users of integrated packages put the priority on ease of learning and use rather than power, and that's where Lotus has made the most enhancements in Version 3.0. The company completely revamped the setup program and the tutorial, and LotusWorks' pull-down menus are also more logical and easier to use. In addition, the new version includes Bitstream soft fonts, a print-preview feature, and an improved clipboard.
The enhancements have made LotusWorks 3.0 one of the easiest to use integrated packages available. Although the improvements have only marginally increased the program's power, they have brought LotusWorks' feature set up to the general level of the other major DOS integrated programs.
We tested LotusWorks 3.0 with criteria from our integrated software comparison of August 14, 1989, page 46.
FEATURES:
LotusWorks consists of four main applications: word processor, spreadsheet, database, and communications module. In addition, the program provides graphing capabilities for spreadsheet data. You can have up to nine applications open simultaneously in any combination (for example, three word processor documents, four spreadsheets, and two databases) with a common interface connecting the various applications. You can now embed spreadsheets or graphs directly into word processor documents, and...