Lotus Symphony (DOS)
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Lotus Symphony was an
integrated software Integrated software is a software for personal computers that combines the most commonly used functions of many productivity software programs into one application. The integrated software genre has been largely overshadowed by fully functional o ...
package for creating and editing text, spreadsheets, charts and other documents on the
MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
operating systems. It was released by
Lotus Development Lotus Software (called Lotus Development Corporation before its acquisition by IBM) was an American software company based in Massachusetts; it was sold to India's HCL Technologies in 2018. Lotus is most commonly known for the Lotus 1-2-3 sprea ...
as a follow-on to its popular
spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in c ...
program,
Lotus 1-2-3 Lotus 1-2-3 is a discontinued spreadsheet program from Lotus Software (later part of IBM). It was the first killer application of the IBM PC, was hugely popular in the 1980s, and significantly contributed to the success of IBM PC-compatibles ...
, and was produced from 1984 to 1992.
Lotus Jazz Lotus Jazz is an integrated suite of word processor, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and communication software designed for the Macintosh 512K. It was released in 1985 and retailed for . The name was intended to evoke a group of musicians who ...
on the Apple
Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
was a sibling product.
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
revived the name Lotus Symphony in 2007 for a new office suite based on
OpenOffice.org OpenOffice.org (OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is a discontinued open-source office suite. Active successor projects include LibreOffice (the most actively developed) and Collabora Online, with Apache OpenOffice being considered mostly d ...
, but the two programs are otherwise unrelated.


History

Lotus 1-2-3 had originally been billed as an integrated product with spreadsheet, database and graphing functions (hence the name "1-2-3"). Other products described as "integrated", such as
Ashton-Tate Ashton-Tate Corporation was a US-based software company best known for developing the popular dBASE database application and later acquiring Framework from the Forefront Corporation and MultiMate from Multimate International. It grew from ...
's
Framework A framework is a generic term commonly referring to an essential supporting structure which other things are built on top of. Framework may refer to: Computing * Application framework, used to implement the structure of an application for an op ...
and
AppleWorks AppleWorks was an integrated office suite containing a word processor, Database#Database_management_system, database, and spreadsheet. It was developed by Rupert Lissner for Apple Inc., Apple Computer, originally for the Apple II and launched in ...
, from
Apple Computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Computer Co ...
, normally included
word processor A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicated to the function, but current word ...
functionality. Symphony was Lotus' response. Lotus advertised Symphony on television during the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
.


Overview

Symphony for MS-DOS is a program that loads entirely into memory on startup, and can run as an MS-DOS task on versions of
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
(3.x/95/98/ME). Using the Command Prompt, and a .pif file, Symphony can also be used on Windows XP and its successors. Using ALT+F10 the user can alternate among the five "environments" of the program, each a rendering of the same underlying data. The environments are: *SHEET, a spreadsheet program very similar to 1-2-3 *DOC, a word processor *GRAPH, a graphical charting program *FORM, a table-based
database management system In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and an ...
*COMM, a communications program Several "add-in applications" can be "attached" and activated, extending Symphony's capabilities, including a powerful macro manager, a document outliner, a spell-checker, statistics, various communications configurations, and a tutorial, which demonstrates Symphony usage by running macros. The program allows the screen to be split into panes and distinct Windows, showing different views of the underlying data simultaneously, each of which can display any of the five environments. The user is then able to see that changes made in one environment are reflected in others simultaneously, perhaps the package's most interesting feature. All the data that Symphony handles is kept in spreadsheet-like cells. The other environments—word processing, database, communications, graphics—in essence only change the display format and focus of that data (including available menus, special keys, and functionality), which can be saved and retrieved as .WR1 files. Symphony was designed to work completely in the standard 640k of conventional memory, supplemented by any
expanded memory In DOS memory management, expanded memory is a system of bank switching that provided additional memory to DOS programs beyond the limit of conventional memory (640 KiB). ''Expanded memory'' is an umbrella term for several incompatible tech ...
. Similar and competitive packages included
SmartWare SmartWare is an office suite, originally developed for MS-DOS and Unix, and later Microsoft Windows, including a database, word processor, spreadsheet, and a (now obsolete) "communication" module for communication via a modem . The user interfac ...
,
Microsoft Works Microsoft Works is a discontinued office suite, productivity software suite developed by Microsoft and sold from 1987 to 2009. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system. Later versions have a ...
,
Context MBA Context MBA was the first integrated software application for personal computers, providing five functions in one program: spreadsheet, database, charting, word processing, and communication software. It was first released in 1981 by Context Managem ...
,
Framework A framework is a generic term commonly referring to an essential supporting structure which other things are built on top of. Framework may refer to: Computing * Application framework, used to implement the structure of an application for an op ...
, Enable and
Ability Office Ability Office is an office suite developed by Ability Plus Software and distributed and marketed by Ability Software International and which consists of a word processor, spreadsheet, database, modules for presentation and photo or image editin ...
. Symphony's spreadsheet engine was similar to, but not the same as the one used in Lotus 1-2-3, once the most popular of its kind. Additional enhancements included: *The ability to create unique application looking spreadsheets using customizable macro driven menus and display Windows, the result being menu driven applications that, to the user, resembled little of their original spreadsheet heritage. *A rearranged worksheet menu, placing COPY as the first menu item, then the other most frequently used items after that. *Additional @ formula functions building on 1-2-3's spreadsheet only formulas. *Multiple menu systems, retaining 1-2-3's uniquely identified first-character menu items. *The addition of the TAB key to anchor ranges, instead of just using the period key. *The ability to copy "to a location" and end up at that location, instead of at the copy "from location." Symphony put the power of the spreadsheet at the user's fingertips and used all of the available keys o
IBM's 84-key PC keyboard
In this way, the user could use both hands to select menu functions, navigate menus and spreadsheets, as well as, all other Symphony functions by touch. The introduction of the US IBM PC 104-key keyboard and later ergonomic keyboards diluted this advantage. Compared to other word processors of the day such as
Micropro MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers. History Founding and early su ...
WordStar WordStar is a discontinued word processor application for microcomputers. It was published by MicroPro International and originally written for the CP/M-80 operating system (OS), with later editions added for MS-DOS and other 16-bit computing, ...
3.3,
WordPerfect WordPerfect (WP) is a word processing application, now owned by Alludo, with a long history on multiple personal computer platforms. At the height of its popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s, it was the market leader of word processors, disp ...
4.2, and
Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is a word processor program, word processing program developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25, 1983, under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platf ...
2.0, Symphony's word processing environment was simple, but effective and uncomplicated. Compared to other database programs of the day—
Ashton-Tate Ashton-Tate Corporation was a US-based software company best known for developing the popular dBASE database application and later acquiring Framework from the Forefront Corporation and MultiMate from Multimate International. It grew from ...
's
dBase dBase (also stylized dBASE) was one of the first database management systems for microcomputers and the most successful in its day. The dBase system included the core database engine, a query system, a Form (programming), forms engine, and a pr ...
III, MDBS Knowledgeman, Borland
Paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictor ...
2.0 and Borland Reflex 1.0—Symphony's FORM environment was not as robust, lacking the analytical abilities of Reflex and the pseudo relational power of dBase III. However, it was integrated directly into the spreadsheet and included the ability to "generate" a FORM from spreadsheet fields. The generator would automatically create the database input form, all the underlying spreadsheet architecture, with range names and query fields, turning a simple spreadsheet into an instant database in seconds. 3.0-Symphony extended earlier enhancements with additional add-ons, most notably: *WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) GUI (graphical user interface) and the addition of mouse support *BASE, the ability to integrate with any dBase IV file, no matter its size. *ExtraK add-on, extending memory capabilities for spreadsheet larger than 4MB. Like its predecessor Lotus 1-2-3, Symphony contained a reasonably powerful
programming language A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Programming languages are described in terms of their Syntax (programming languages), syntax (form) and semantics (computer science), semantics (meaning), usually def ...
referred to as its "Symphony Command Language (or SCL) ", which could be saved either within a spreadsheet or separately in "libraries" in the form of ''macros'': lists of menu operations, data, and other macro keywords. (One is "menucall," which allows users to call their own menus, embedded into spreadsheets, which behave just like Symphony's own.) Symphony's "learn" mode for macro recording automated this process, helping the end-user to quickly write macros to duplicate repetitive tasks or to go beyond that, without the need to understand computer programming. One of the most significant features of Symphony was the integration of the various modules using this command language. In its day, it was one of the few programs that would be able to log onto a stock market source, select data using dynamic or pre-assigned criteria, place that data into a spreadsheet, perform calculations, then chart the data and print out the results. All of this could take place unattended on a preset schedule.


Reception

Lotus had sold 400,000 copies of Symphony. A 1990
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States, with more than 428,000 members in 130 countries. Founded in 1887 as the Americ ...
member survey found that 5% of respondents used Symphony as their spreadsheet and for graphics, 4% as their database, and 2% as their word processor.


See also

*
Lotus Multi-Byte Character Set The Lotus Multi-Byte Character Set (LMBCS) is a proprietary multi-byte character encoding originally conceived in 1988 at Lotus Development Corporation with input from Bob Balaban and others. Created around the same time and addressing some of the ...
(LMBCS)


References


External links


Dinosaur Sightings: Lotus Symphony 3.0
(for DOS) by Greg Shultz, TechRepublic {{DEFAULTSORT:Lotus Symphony (Dos) 1984 software DOS software
Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
Office suites Spreadsheet software