Book an office suite - Microsoft's Office for Macintosh 4.2.1 and Office 97 Small Business Edition, Lotus's SmartSuite 97 and Corel's WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional - includes related articles summarizing results and on how to shop for an office suite - Software Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, July, 1997 by Rick Broida

Mince Words, Crunch Numbers, and Make a Splash With One of These Software Powerhouses

Unless you live at 234 Stalagmite Terrace in Cave City, you're using an office suite--the menagerie consisting of a word processor, spreadsheet, contact manager, and possibly a database and presentation tool--that work together and share a similar interface. Before office suites matured into the fine-tuned programs we know and rely on today, word processors, spreadsheets, databases, and the other programs were sold separately. These different programs varied widely in appearance and function, and when you tried to use a spreadsheet with a word processor, they often didn't work together and share data at all.

That was then, this is now. Today's office suites have matured into absolute business software essentials. Whether you're an attorney or a florist, whether you're running a medical office or a construction site, you need an office suite to write memos and business correspondence, track clients, create charts, and crunch numbers. If you're still using that meager Works package that came installed on your computer, it's time to experience the power and functionality of a fully loaded office suite.

The four office suites available today--Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional, Lotus SmartSuite 97, Microsoft Office 97 Small Business Edition for Windows 95, and Microsoft Office for Macintosh 4.2.1 (MOM)--have achieved an amazing level of power and sophistication. Any one of these well-designed software powerhouses would make an invaluable addition to your small business. So how do you decide which one to buy? Use the shoe method: Pick the suite that best fits your office.

Suppose you're starting an Internet consulting business called Shawna's Sites. Naturally, you'll need to type up a business plan, write marketing letters, create charts and spreadsheets, and so on. This is child's play--all the suites available today give you the tools to perform such tasks with speed and ease. Indeed, the core applications have been enhanced and refined to the point that they're rather evenly matched.

But beyond the word processing and number-crunching basics, an office suite needs close ties to the Internet, so you can publish your marketing materials on the Web or even create a Web site from scratch. The Small Business Edition of Microsoft Office 97 ships with Publisher 97, a friendly desktop publishing program with a strong Web building module. We were assured that Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Professional will ship with Web. SiteBuilder. You'll also need a contact manager with e-mail support, so you can instantly notify clients of special offers and important information. Your word processor had better work well with your contact manager, for mail-merge capabilities and zipping out quick letters. And your suite must be seamlessly integrated, so that one program works with the rest.

The Suite Taste Test The criteria listed above were our main focus in evaluating the latest crop of office suites. Integration was a key factor, both between the applications themselves and with the Internet. We also considered each suite's extras: Were the templates, utilities, and reference tools useful and relevant for growing small businesses? Our most basic consideration: Were the office suites easy to use?

Unsurprisingly, all the suites make sizable system demands that could tax an older and slower computer. You'll need a minimum of 16MB of RAM to run these resource hogs, although we strongly recommend a computer with 32MB. With insufficient memory, trying to run several applications simultaneously will make your system run like molasses in January. For the Windows 95 office suites, you can get by with a 486 machine, but a 75MHz Pentium or higher is better. All three Windows 95 office suites usurp more than 100MB of hard-disk space and as much as 200MB or more with all their extra features installed. The system requirements for MOM are slimmer: about 24MB (minimum) of hard-disk space and a midrange processor.

Microsoft Office for Macintosh 4.2.1

RATING: ***

POWER MAC

To paraphrase Henry Ford, you can have any office suite for the Macintosh that you want, as long as it's Microsoft Office for Macintosh 4.2.1 (MOM). As the only full-blown suite available for the Mac, Office automatically qualifies as our top choice. Fortunately, it's an honor we're not reluctant to give. Like its Windows 95 counterpart, MOM delivers more than enough power for small businesses.

The good news is that Word 6.0.1, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0, and a licensed version of Quarterdeck Mail (formerly Microsoft Mail 3.1) for sending, receiving, and managing email represent the core of this Macintosh suite. The bad news is that these powerhouses have barely changed in two years. Indeed, the only major alteration is that the entire suite is now accelerated for the Power Mac. However, there is a silver lining: Although the 1997 version of MOM isn't due until the fall, Office 4.2.1 has been "Enhanced for Small Business." Translation: You get extra goodies, such as Internet Explorer 2.1, Internet Assistants for Excel and Word, business templates, and Bookshelf 96-97.