What Happened To Multiplan?
It's 1982, and you're a software engineer. You're designing software that's going to revolutionize the business world. But instead you make Multiplan. Microsoft's answer to VisiCalc that would eventually succumb to Lotus 1-2-3 and be replaced by Microsoft Excel.
But you are an important lesson in focus, for Bill Gates. It's revealed during a 1993 interview of Bill Gates by Smithsonian: " one of the best decisions I ever did"
When we talk about, "Are we aiming too low, in terms of system requirements, we often think, is this another case like Multiplan?" Because it was a great product, but it was the basic strategy that was wrong. And, in fact, to some degree that allowed me to make one of the best decisions I ever did, which was later, when we had to compete with 1-2-3. There was a question of whether to do it in the character-mode environment, or whether to move up to the next generation, which was graphical. And we said, "Okay, we'll let them dominate the DOS-character world. We are going after Mac and Windows. We are going to be a generation ahead." And that worked out very well. Multiplan was certainly an experience that was helpful there.
The Evolution of Spreadsheet Software: From MultiPlan to Excel
This episode traces the development of spreadsheet software, starting with Microsoft's MultiPlan in 1982, which was designed to compete with VisiCalc and was later overshadowed by Lotus 1-2-3 and eventually replaced by Microsoft Excel. It highlights the differences in notation systems between MultiPlan's R1C1 and VisiCalc's A1, and notes how Excel accommodates both. The video also references contemporary reviews of MultiPlan and touches on its comprehensive documentation, positioning MultiPlan as a powerful productivity tool for data analysis in both business and personal contexts.
00:00 The Evolution of Spreadsheet Software
00:16 R1C1 Notation and Formula Recalculation
00:43 Legacy and Reception of MultiPlan
01:11 In-Depth Documentation