Lotus Freelance Graphics
Encyclopedia
Lotus Freelance Graphics is an information graphics and presentation program
developed by Lotus Software
(formerly Lotus Development Corp.). Lotus Freelance Graphics is a part of the Lotus SmartSuite
office suite
for Microsoft Windows
. (Previous versions were also released for OS/2
.)
It allows users
to create and compile text
, digital image
s, diagram
s, basic drawing
s, and chart
s (such as bar chart
s and pie chart
s) into a digital slide show
. The program was originally an enhancement for the graphing function of the Lotus 1-2-3
spreadsheet-based program.
Freelance worked within DOS
to produce slides that were a worthy competitor to PowerPoint, a program that was started for the Macintosh
system. IBM
acquired Lotus and instead of developing a version for the new Microsoft operating systems, Windows, the program was developed for IBM's OS/2, while PowerPoint was converted to the Windows system. With the general lack of adoption of OS/2, Freelance became a little-used system.
It was eventually grafted into a new version of 1-2-3 for Windows (Smart Suite) but by then PowerPoint and Excel had become dominant. The quality of the Freelance product started to deteriorate as IBM gave little support to SmartSuite while Microsoft Office and PowerPoint dominated the application area.
Presentation program
A presentation program is a computer software package used to display information, normally in the form of a slide show...
developed by Lotus Software
Lotus Software
Lotus Software is a software company with headquarters in Westford, Massachusetts...
(formerly Lotus Development Corp.). Lotus Freelance Graphics is a part of the Lotus SmartSuite
Lotus SmartSuite
SmartSuite is an office suite from Lotus Software. The company made versions of its office suite for IBM OS/2 and Microsoft Windows.-Status:SmartSuite is in maintenance mode, and supported with fixes and fixpacks on Windows 2000 and Windows XP...
office suite
Office suite
In computing, an office suite, sometimes called an office software suite or productivity suite is a collection of programs intended to be used by knowledge workers...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. (Previous versions were also released for OS/2
OS/2
OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal...
.)
It allows users
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
to create and compile text
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
, digital image
Digital image
A digital image is a numeric representation of a two-dimensional image. Depending on whether or not the image resolution is fixed, it may be of vector or raster type...
s, diagram
Diagram
A diagram is a two-dimensional geometric symbolic representation of information according to some visualization technique. Sometimes, the technique uses a three-dimensional visualization which is then projected onto the two-dimensional surface...
s, basic drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s, and chart
Chart
A chart is a graphical representation of data, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart"...
s (such as bar chart
Bar chart
A bar chart or bar graph is a chart with rectangular bars with lengths proportional to the values that they represent. The bars can be plotted vertically or horizontally....
s and pie chart
Pie chart
A pie chart is a circular chart divided into sectors, illustrating proportion. In a pie chart, the arc length of each sector , is proportional to the quantity it represents. When angles are measured with 1 turn as unit then a number of percent is identified with the same number of centiturns...
s) into a digital slide show
Slideshow
A slide show is a display of a series of chosen information or pictures, done for artistic or instructional purposes. Slide shows are conducted by a presenter using an apparatus, such as a carousel slide projector, an overhead projector or in more recent years, a computer running presentation...
. The program was originally an enhancement for the graphing function of the 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:...
spreadsheet-based program.
Freelance worked within DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
to produce slides that were a worthy competitor to PowerPoint, a program that was started for the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
system. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
acquired Lotus and instead of developing a version for the new Microsoft operating systems, Windows, the program was developed for IBM's OS/2, while PowerPoint was converted to the Windows system. With the general lack of adoption of OS/2, Freelance became a little-used system.
It was eventually grafted into a new version of 1-2-3 for Windows (Smart Suite) but by then PowerPoint and Excel had become dominant. The quality of the Freelance product started to deteriorate as IBM gave little support to SmartSuite while Microsoft Office and PowerPoint dominated the application area.
External links
- Freelance Graphics home page
- Lotus SmartSuite home page
- [ftp://ftp.lotus.com/pub/lotusweb/product/freelance/mobiless.exe Freelance Mobile Screen Show Player] (to view .prz files, 1.5MB)