As Easy As
Encyclopedia
As Easy As was a shareware
spreadsheet
for MS-DOS
developed in the mid 1980s which endured until the end of the MS-DOS era of computing. (The software was also rewritten for Windows.) The name is a play on the phrase "as easy as 1-2-3", a reference to the dominant MS-DOS spreadsheet, Lotus 1-2-3
. The program was sold by Trius, Inc. (Not to be confused with Tritus, the makers of the Tritus SPF clone of the mainframe ISPF interface and editor.)
As Easy As is historically significant as one of the earliest and most useful shareware programs that competed with commercial software on the basis of both price and features. For small businesses and personal users, the price of Lotus 1-2-3 was prohibitive, and As Easy As provided basic spreadsheet functionality for about a tenth of the price. This paradigm of undercutting the spreadsheet market leader would be adopted by Borland's Quattro Pro
(which was not released until 1990). Subsequent versions of As Easy As became as powerful as any MS-DOS spreadsheet. Like Quattro Pro, As Easy As combined some elements of the 1-2-3 user interface, while modernizing them. (One such modernization is the use of pull-down menus.)
Cell formulas are very similar to Lotus 1-2-3, including the letter-number addressing scheme (A1, B2, etc) and the @function syntax (e.g.,
The product included a detailed electronic manual describing the spreadsheet's functions and some basic MS-DOS operations.
Updated versions of As Easy As were made available at frequent intervals. Because these new versions often included valuable new capabilities, users were encouraged to support the continuing development of the program. It is also worth mentioning that the graphic defaults were more attuned to science and engineering users than to business users. This enabled a user to rapidly create x-y graphs of data, whereas the major commercial spreadsheets of the Dos era (Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro) by default produced more business-oriented graphs. A great many of the calculation functions also were appealing to the science and engineering markets, such as improved capabilities for regression analysis and matrix operations.
The earliest preserved historical version on the Internet from the MS-DOS shareware era is version 3 from 1987. (See link below.)
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...
for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
developed in the mid 1980s which endured until the end of the MS-DOS era of computing. (The software was also rewritten for Windows.) The name is a play on the phrase "as easy as 1-2-3", a reference to the dominant MS-DOS spreadsheet, Lotus 1-2-3
Lotus 1-2-3
Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet program from Lotus Software . It was the IBM PC's first "killer application"; its huge popularity in the mid-1980s contributed significantly to the success of the IBM PC in the corporate environment.-Beginnings:...
. The program was sold by Trius, Inc. (Not to be confused with Tritus, the makers of the Tritus SPF clone of the mainframe ISPF interface and editor.)
As Easy As is historically significant as one of the earliest and most useful shareware programs that competed with commercial software on the basis of both price and features. For small businesses and personal users, the price of Lotus 1-2-3 was prohibitive, and As Easy As provided basic spreadsheet functionality for about a tenth of the price. This paradigm of undercutting the spreadsheet market leader would be adopted by Borland's Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro is a spreadsheet program developed by Borland and now sold by Corel, most often as part of Corel's WordPerfect Office.Historically, Quattro Pro used keyboard commands similar to Lotus 1-2-3. It is commonly said to have been the first program to use tabbed sheets. Actually, Boeing Calc...
(which was not released until 1990). Subsequent versions of As Easy As became as powerful as any MS-DOS spreadsheet. Like Quattro Pro, As Easy As combined some elements of the 1-2-3 user interface, while modernizing them. (One such modernization is the use of pull-down menus.)
Cell formulas are very similar to Lotus 1-2-3, including the letter-number addressing scheme (A1, B2, etc) and the @function syntax (e.g.,
@SUM(A1..A10) using the ".." range separator syntax also like Lotus 1-2-3.)The product included a detailed electronic manual describing the spreadsheet's functions and some basic MS-DOS operations.
Updated versions of As Easy As were made available at frequent intervals. Because these new versions often included valuable new capabilities, users were encouraged to support the continuing development of the program. It is also worth mentioning that the graphic defaults were more attuned to science and engineering users than to business users. This enabled a user to rapidly create x-y graphs of data, whereas the major commercial spreadsheets of the Dos era (Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro) by default produced more business-oriented graphs. A great many of the calculation functions also were appealing to the science and engineering markets, such as improved capabilities for regression analysis and matrix operations.
The earliest preserved historical version on the Internet from the MS-DOS shareware era is version 3 from 1987. (See link below.)
External links
- A Windows version is still available as a freeFreewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
product. (No longer available except here.) - DOS version and Draft Choice 2 are also freeFreewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
products now. - As-Easy-As support forum
- Version 3.0 from 1987 is at the abandonwareAbandonwareAbandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
website Vetusware, along with a later version. (Assuming that, if the Windows version is free, then the historical versions would also be free.)