Spreadsheets grew out of accountants' columnar pads on which accountants and other managers would forecast sales, make calculations and manipulate data (Vazsonyi, September-October 1993, p. 26). Columnar pads enabled individuals to organize data into rows and columns such that there were specific relationships between all of the information in a given row or a given column. This matrix approach to handling data was ideally suited to the capabilities of computers, and the personal computer in particular developed into an ideal medium for computerizing the spreadsheet medium.
Lotus Corporation introduced the most widely accepted of the early computer spreadsheets, 1-2-3. This product offered simple approaches to common spreadsheet tasks by using macros (user-defined formulas) and offering a layout similar to what those already using columnar pads were used to. During the early 1980s, Lotus dominated the spreadsheet market, and introduced two additional products, Jazz and Symphony, that were closely related to 1-2-3, but not as successful.
Microsoft entered the spreadsheet arena with Excel, a product that, recognizing Lotus' domination of the market, enabled Lotus users to retain their 1-2-3 formats for entering macros. As Microsoft's graphical operating environment, Windows, expanded its market share, Excel for Windows began to erode Lotus' domination of the market. Today, Excel and Lotus both offer strong spreadsheet options for the Windows environment. This research compares the two products (Excel for Windows and Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows).
Today's spreadsheets go far beyond the initial need to manipulate rows and columns of data. Users are now demanding that spreadsheets be able to graphically represent that data, that the user interface be friendly and easy to use, that on-line documentation answer most questions, and that the spreadsheets serve as flat-file databases in many cases (Stinson, January 11, 1994, p. 189)....