Release 3 of 1-2-3, a database management system and a networked version of 1-2-3 are all in Lotus Development Corp’s immediate product plans, chief executive Jim Manzi told US federal government executives in Washington last week. Release 3 of 1-2-3 is set for 1988 for both MS-DOS and OS/2, and in addition to a character-based 1-2-3 r3 for the two operating systems, Lotus will offer 1-2-3G, with icon-based user interface, when IBM releases its Display Manager. The MVS version of 1-2-3 being developed for IBM will allow micro-generated spreadsheets to be consolidated with others on a mainframe – With a 3090, you can put the entire federal budget on one spreadsheet, Manzi told the civil servants. Release 3 will have enhanced performance, multidimensional layers, improved graphics, and programmable input. The new database manager will be designed to be manipulated through a spreadsheet or a forms-based interface, and be optimised for local networks. Networker, a version of 1-2-3 that operates across a local network, is set for this year – but it is a very thorny question to understand just what a multiuser spreadsheet means, said Manzi. It is not conceptually the same as a multiuser database.
