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| Author | Recommended version of Excel for 68k / System 7? (Read 39315 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bolkonskij
Administrator 1024 MB  Posts: 2023 
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on: May 04, 2025, 10:46
I actually have a project where a classic spreadsheet program could come in handy. I sure could do it on modern machines, but what fun would that be? Exactly, next to none. Instead, my IIci should be perfectly capable of it. But what version of Excel would you guys recommend, knowing that "the latest" is often not exactly the best. Especially in terms of Microsoft products ;-) Any "golden" Excel version much in the way Word 5.1 is for word processing? |
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cballero
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1024 MB  Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #1 on: May 04, 2025, 19:39
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hmm.. are you looking solely at Excel? I know Claris/AppleWorks 5 was pretty good, but you can do a little more with its other modules, and I think exporting to other spreadsheets like Excel can be done easily on it as well. I'm sure other competing spreadsheets had their allure as well; what I like about CW in particular was its ability to use its spreadsheet along with its DB functionality, which, outside of not being networkable, compares quite favorably to the likes of FM, which is a major plus when you think about it  just a thought 
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lauland
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512 MB Posts: 674 Symtes 7 Mewconer!
Reply #2 on: May 05, 2025, 15:50
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Back several decades ago, when the IIci was considered an office workhorse, I used to manage a fleet of machines for an organization. Only our artists, managers and accountants got quadras. The lowly worker bees had IIci's and IIsi's. The version of Excel we standardized on at that time was 2.2, and it ran very well. Version 3.0 will probably also run fine, but I wouldn't try any versions higher than that. That said, I'd echo cballero, as ClarisWorks will give you more bang for your buck, overall. Though I don't know one way or the other if it's spreadsheet is as powerful as Excel 2.2...or which version of ClarisWorks would fit best on a IIci.
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ovalking
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128 MB Posts: 199
Reply #3 on: May 05, 2025, 16:23
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I think I've used every version from 1.04 to 2001 but have settled on 4 as my favourite. Used it since it came out, and continue to do so most days. It runs fine on my P475, but note it does not work properly on OS9. There are pros and cons for all versions, so if you aren't familiar with spreadsheets use whichever you have, inc. Clarisworks.
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #4 on: May 05, 2025, 18:27
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Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm really looking to limit my search to MS Excel, though you're spot on about Claris Works being a very viable alternative! I'm actually looking for a good middle-of-the-road solution regardings Excel versions. I don't want all the bloated features and slowness of later versions while I'd still like some more than the bare-bones approach of version 1. I'd be especially interested in how version 2.2, 3.0 and 4.0 compare. If any of you have any more personal memories or changelog I'd appreciate it. (Otherwise I'll have to start my own digging next weekend :-D )
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #5 on: May 05, 2025, 23:14
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So, if I had to go with any MS offerings, I hands-down would choose Office version 3.0, which has the likes of Word 5.1a, so that puts Excel at version 4.0! I really loved this version on all my 68k Macs and even PPC ones!  The closest competitor to this Excel version would be ClarisWorks, either 4.0 or 5.0 should be good to go; depending on needs, I used 5 on a IIci and from everything I remember, it worked exceptionally well, but four should be just as good specifically for spreadsheet needs As far as release dates, Office 3-Excel 4 came out in '92, CW4 in '96 and CW 5 just a year later in '97, and OS specs: Excel 4 System 6.02 and Mac Plus, then CW4/5 need System 7.0 and 7.0.1 respectively, plus a 68020 chipped Mac.
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #6 on: May 05, 2025, 23:17
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I'll add that these three options are all super-fast on older 68k Macs and don't add much overhead, just like you asked about Now I will say this: anything beyond Excel 4 would definitely be overkill for the IIci, but it was made shortly after that Mac came out, so it was designed to be fast, but it also added something most users really like: a very useful toolbar ribbon!  for that alone, it was the spreadsheet I used most often, although I did try a couple other smaller contenders at the time, but Excel always seemed to rise to the top of the list.
Last Edit: May 06, 2025, 15:53 by cballero
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #7 on: May 27, 2025, 09:38
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Update - I've actually settled with Excel 3 on the IIci and using it to keep track of some inventory. Working fast, reliable and well. Thus far happy with it. First went with 2.2 but 3.x offers the same speed but bug-fixes and a handful of improvements. I haven't tested 4.x yet, I'll leave that to somebody else to try :-)
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wove
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1024 MB Posts: 1363
Reply #8 on: May 27, 2025, 13:11
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It is always nice that @Bolkonskkij posts a followup on his endeavors so we can see how things turn out. Back in the day spreadsheets and other office/business software was all the rage. I have had several spreadsheets installed over the years, but in all honesty I never had any need to use one. You mention using Excel to track some inventory. I used a database to track inventory, using the report generation function to produce spreadsheet/ledger reports. I still use Bento to keep track of all the various pieces of computer kit have laying around. I have always been curious as to what advantages one might gain by using a spreadsheet over a database. ClarisWorks data base and spreadsheet functions always overlapped with only the presentation of the data being different and Bento also has a spreadsheet view for the data. I thought HyperCard would make an excellent database program, and perhaps it would, but it got "clunky" to put things together and get the bits into a useful form and I always just gave up.
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #9 on: May 27, 2025, 19:22
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@Wove: exactly! I shared on using ClarisWorks, even though there's a good chance versions three and four could do the trick, perhaps even give him and others a spreadsheet to database solution since it has both built in, just like we've both mentioned! Even ClarisWorks II from that era should suffice, since if it was anything like FMP 2, it already rocked! I've heard real good things of Bento, although I think that one was OS X only?
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lauland
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512 MB Posts: 674 Symtes 7 Mewconer!
Reply #10 on: May 28, 2025, 04:44
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Yea, what wove said! I always like hearing "the ending of the story" and how things turned out. All kidding aside, when someone asks a question, and people give them suggestions, some little part of me is left hanging wondering... "Well...what DID they end up using/doing?". It's not a big thing, but I'll take all the closure I can get in this crazy world. It just brings a certain little "ting" of satisfaction. Aahhh...
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #11 on: May 28, 2025, 07:27
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Glad you guys like my "updates" and don't think of them as spamming :-) I was actually not entirely clear on the "keeping track of inventory" stuff, sorry. These items I keep track of have certain values attached to them and I use spreadsheet logic to do some calculations on them. Yesterday I did set up another sheet on the IIci that helps me calculate the hours and minutes I'm spending at work in the office and remotely and then calculate a % value out of that. As in the question "How much of your work time have you spent at the office in %" ?
Last Edit: May 28, 2025, 07:29 by Bolkonskij
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #12 on: May 30, 2025, 06:42
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Very nice! The whole point of a spreadsheet right there: calculating! I say this because I see it all too often where a spreadsheets are made to carry way too much in office environments, making me scratch my head and go, "what in the world?" 
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lauland
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512 MB Posts: 674 Symtes 7 Mewconer!
Reply #13 on: May 30, 2025, 18:17
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"Spreadsheets aren't databases—stop using them like one"
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cballero
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1024 MB Posts: 1176 System 7, today and forever
Reply #14 on: May 30, 2025, 19:08
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Exactly! Thanks, Lauland!
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