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Borland International Inc.'s 5.0 spreadsheets for DOS and Windows take the basic business tool to the next level at an extraordinarily good price point. The DOS product gives Lotus Development Corp.'s most recent DOS issue, Release 3.4 (reviewed February 15, page 57), a run for its money. The Windows product (which jumped four version numbers in a single bound) is worthy competition for both Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows, Release 4.0 (reviewed August 23, page 75) and for Microsoft Excel (also Version 4.0). The competition in the Windows arena is heating up, however, in anticipation of a new version of Excel due by year end. Stay tuned for our comparison of the three Windows spreadsheets in February.
In our reviews of both Quattro Pro 5.0 for Windows and Quattro Pro 5.0 for DOS, we used InfoWorld's task-oriented scoring criteria first described in our Windows spreadsheet product comparison (October 12, 1992, page 104). We performed task tests on a 33-MHz 486 system with 16MB of RAM, running DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1 for the Quattro Pro for Windows tests. We ran benchmark tests on a Compaq Computer Corp. Deskpro 386/20e with a math coprocessor, 4MB of RAM, and a 110MB hard drive. We ran Quattro Pro 5.0 for DOS in WYSIWYG mode.
Please refer to the How We Test section of the October 1992 comparison for detailed scoring criteria. Although both Quattro Pro versions come closer than ever to matching or bettering 1-2-3, the court decision barring Borland from providing 1-2-3 compatibility dampened Quattro Pro's final scores in these reviews. Had the products been able stay 1-2-3 compatible and scored satisfactory, Quattro Pro for Windows would have been within three-tenths of a point of 1-2-3 for Windows; Quattro Pro for DOS would have come within one-tenth of a point of 1-2-3 for DOS' score. To re-establish fair criteria we will eliminate the 1-2-3 macro compatibility scoring criteria in our upcoming product comparison.
The latest upgrade of Borland International Inc.'s Quattro Pro for Windows takes the spreadsheet to new heights. In terms of features, it surpasses both Lotus Development Corp.'s 1-2-3, Release 4 for Windows (reviewed August 23, page 75) and Excel 4 (reviewed in the October 12, 1992, Windows spreadsheet comparison, page 104).
One of the...