<s>
Multiplan	B-Device
is	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
program	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
introduced	O
in	O
1982	O
as	O
a	O
competitor	O
to	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplan	B-Device
was	O
released	O
first	O
for	O
computers	O
running	O
CP/M	B-Application
;	O
it	O
was	O
developed	O
using	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
proprietary	O
p-code	B-Language
C	B-Language
compiler	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
portability	O
strategy	O
that	O
facilitated	O
ports	O
to	O
systems	O
such	O
as	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
,	O
Xenix	B-Application
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
128	B-Device
,	O
TI-99/4A	B-Device
(	O
on	O
four	O
6K	O
GROMs	O
and	O
a	O
single	O
8K	O
ROM	O
)	O
,	O
Radio	B-Device
Shack	I-Device
TRS-80	I-Device
Model	I-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
TRS-80	B-Device
Model	I-Device
4	I-Device
,	O
TRS-80	B-Operating_System
Model	I-Operating_System
100	I-Operating_System
(	O
on	O
ROM	O
)	O
,	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
AT&T	B-Device
UNIX	I-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Burroughs	B-Device
B20	I-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CP/M	B-Application
version	O
also	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
Model	I-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
4	O
,	O
Commodore	B-Device
128	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
with	O
a	O
CP/M	B-Application
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
France	O
,	O
Multiplan	B-Device
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Thomson	B-Device
computers	I-Device
in	O
1986	O
and	O
same	O
year	O
on	O
Japan	O
for	O
MSX	O
compatible	O
computers	O
with	O
name	O
MSX-Plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Chart	O
,	O
a	O
graphics	O
companion	O
program	O
,	O
Multiplan	B-Device
continued	O
to	O
be	O
outsold	O
by	O
Lotus	B-Application
1-2-3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplan	B-Device
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Excel	I-Application
,	O
which	O
followed	O
some	O
years	O
later	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
(	O
1985	O
)	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
over	O
a	O
million	O
copies	O
were	O
sold	O
,	O
Multiplan	B-Device
was	O
not	O
able	O
to	O
mount	O
an	O
effective	O
challenge	O
to	O
Lotus	B-Application
1-2-3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
excessive	O
number	O
of	O
ports	O
(	O
there	O
were	O
approximately	O
100	O
different	O
versions	O
of	O
Multiplan	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
believed	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
mistake	O
to	O
release	O
8-bit	O
versions	O
instead	O
of	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
newer	O
16-bit	O
machines	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
decided	O
to	O
let	O
 [ Lotus ] 	O
have	O
the	O
character-based	O
DOS	O
market	O
while	O
we	O
would	O
instead	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
–	O
graphical	O
software	O
on	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
and	O
Windows.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
1983	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
first	B-Application
release	I-Application
of	I-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
Windows	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
was	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Lisa	I-Device
2	O
running	O
Microsoft/SCO	O
Xenix	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fundamental	O
difference	O
between	O
Multiplan	B-Device
and	O
its	O
competitors	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
use	O
R1C1	O
addressing	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
A1	O
addressing	O
introduced	O
by	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
most	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
users	O
prefer	O
the	O
A1	O
addressing	O
style	O
introduced	O
by	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
carried	O
Multiplan	B-Device
's	O
R1C1	O
legacy	O
forward	O
into	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Excel	I-Application
,	O
which	O
offers	O
both	O
addressing	O
modes	O
,	O
although	O
A1	O
is	O
Excel	B-Application
's	O
default	O
addressing	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
called	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
of	O
Multiplan	B-Device
,	O
distributed	O
by	O
Human	O
Engineered	O
Software	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
professional	O
quality	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
"	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
documentation	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
its	O
ease	O
of	O
use	O
and	O
foolproof	O
design	O
make	O
Multiplan	B-Device
an	O
outstanding	O
value	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	B-Application
said	O
that	O
"	O
Multiplan	B-Device
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
is	O
a	O
winner	O
"	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
combining	O
other	O
versions	O
 '	O
power	O
and	O
features	O
with	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
user	O
interface	O
"	O
rivals	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
many	O
ways	O
exceeds	O
,	O
anything	O
else	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
genre	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
