  Multiplan on MS-DOS (top) and Commodore 64 | |
| Developer(s) | Doug Klunder[1] of Microsoft[1] |
|---|---|
| Initial release | August 1982[2] |
| Written in | p-code C |
| Operating system | CP/M, Apple II, Microbee, Classic Mac OS, MS-DOS, Xenix, Commodore 64, CTOS, TI-99/4A, TRS-80, UNIX, Thomson |
| Type | Spreadsheet |
Multiplan is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft and introduced in 1982 as a competitor to VisiCalc.
Multiplan was released first for computers running CP/M; it was developed using a Microsoft proprietary p-code C compiler[1] as part of a portability strategy that facilitated ports to systems such as MS-DOS, Xenix, Commodore 64 and 128, TI-99/4A (on four 6K GROMs and a single 8K ROM), Radio Shack TRS-80 Model II, TRS-80 Model 4, TRS-80 Model 100 (on ROM), Apple II, AT&T UNIX PC, and Burroughs B20 series. The CP/M version also ran on the TRS-80 Model II and 4, Commodore 128, and Apple II with a CP/M card. In France, Multiplan was also released for the Thomson computers in 1986 and same year on Japan for MSX compatible computers with name MSX-Plan.
Despite the release of Microsoft Chart, a graphics companion program, Multiplan continued to be outsold by Lotus 1-2-3. Multiplan was replaced by Microsoft Excel, which followed some years later on both the Apple Macintosh (1985) and Microsoft Windows (1987).
Although over a million copies were sold, Multiplan was not able to mount an effective challenge to Lotus 1-2-3. According to Bill Gates, this was due to the excessive number of ports (there were approximately 100 different versions of Multiplan). He also believed that it was a mistake to release 8-bit versions instead of focusing on the newer 16-bit machines and as a result, "We decided to let [Lotus] have the character-based DOS market while we would instead focus on the next generation–graphical software on the Macintosh and Windows." [citation needed] Around 1983, during the development of the first release of Windows, Microsoft had plans to make a Windows version. However the plans changed a year later.
A version was available for the Apple Lisa 2 running Microsoft/SCO Xenix 3. It fit on one 400K microfloppy diskette.[3]
- ^ a b c Microsoft: The Early Days Archived 2008-05-12 at the Wayback Machine from the personal website of Richard Brodie
- ^ Laurie Flynn; Rachel Parker (August 7, 1989). "Extending Its Reach". InfoWorld. 11 (32): 45. ISSN 0199-6649. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- ^ Photograph of Lisa Xenix Multiplan diskette (JPEG) (Digital photography). Postimg.com. Retrieved 2018-01-01.