Multiplan

Multiplan on MS-DOS (top) and Commodore 64

Developer(s)| Doug Klunder[1] of Microsoft[1]
Initial release| August 1982; 43 years ago (1982-08)[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 floppy disk for Macintosh

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, in the same year, it was released in Japan for MSX compatible computers with the 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).

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. Microsoft released Microsoft Excel in 1985, which became a very popular offering in the spreadsheet space.

A version was available for the Apple Lisa 2 running Microsoft/SCO Xenix 3\. It fit on one 400K microfloppy diskette.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Cell addressing differences
* 2 Reception
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## Cell addressing differences

A fundamental difference between Multiplan and its competitors was Microsoft's decision to use R1C1 addressing instead of the A1 addressing introduced by VisiCalc. Although R1C1-style formulae are more straightforward than A1-style formulae[4] - for instance, "RC[-1]" (meaning "current row, previous column") is expressed as "A1" in cell B1, then "A2" in cell B2, etc. - most spreadsheet users prefer the A1 addressing style introduced by VisiCalc.[5][6]

Microsoft carried Multiplan's R1C1 legacy forward into Microsoft Excel, which offers both addressing modes, although A1 is Excel's default addressing mode.

## Reception

In a 1983 evaluation of eight spreadsheets for Heath/Zenith computers, Sextant approved of Multiplan's computation speed and menu structure, finding them comparable to SuperCalc's. While expensive compared to others, the magazine noted that as the only spreadsheet with a 16-bit version already available, upgrading would be simple. Sextant concluded that "If your budget can handle the cost, Microsoft's Multiplan wins this race by a couple of lengths".[7] Ahoy! in 1984 called the Commodore 64 version, distributed by Human Engineered Software, a "professional quality spreadsheet ... There is not enough room in this article to mention all the mathematical operations performed ... Documentation is lengthy but well written".[8] A second review in the magazine noted the limitation of the computer's 40-column screen, but praised the ability to stop any ongoing action. It also praised the documentation, and concluded that "its ease of use and foolproof design make Multiplan an outstanding value".[9] BYTE said that "Multiplan for the Macintosh is a winner", stating that combining other versions' power and features with the Macintosh's graphics and user interface "rivals, and in many ways exceeds, anything else available in the spreadsheet genre".[10]

A 1990 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants member survey found that 7% of respondents used Multiplan as their spreadsheet.[11]

## See also

* Symbolic Link (SYLK)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Microsoft: The Early Days from the personal website of Richard Brodie
2. ↑ Laurie Flynn; Rachel Parker (August 7, 1989). "Extending Its Reach". InfoWorld 11 (32): 45. ISSN 0199-6649. https://books.google.com/books?id=vDAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT44. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
3. ↑ Photograph of Lisa Xenix Multiplan diskette (JPEG) (Digital photography). Postimg.com. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
4. ↑ VBA and Macros for Microsoft Excel by Bill Jelen & Tracy Syrstad, Chapter 6
5. ↑ Fundamentals of Crime Mapping: Principles and Practice by Rebecca Paynich and Bryan Hill
6. ↑ Excel VBA 24-Hour Trainer by Tom Urtis
7. ↑ Patrick, Kenneth A. (Winter 1983). "Eight Spreadsheets Compared: Charting Products to Eliminate Tedious Calculations". Sextant (4): 40-55. https://archive.org/details/sextantissue4winter1983/page/n40/mode/1up. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
8. ↑ Silveria, Terry (May 1984). "Spreadsheets for the C-64". Ahoy!: pp. 18. https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_05_1984-05_Ion_International_US#page/n17/mode/2up.
9. ↑ Addams, Shay (June 1984). "Multiplan". Ahoy!: pp. 55–56. https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_06_1984-06_Ion_International_US#page/n53/mode/2up.
10. ↑ Trachtenberg, Mitch (December 1984). "Multiplan/Chart on the Macintosh". BYTE: A85–A93. https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-12/1984_12_BYTE_09-13_Communications#page/n479/mode/2up.
11. ↑ ﻿1990 AICPA survey of computer usage﻿ (Report). 1990. 561. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1563&context=aicpa_guides. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

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