Multiplan was a spreadsheet program released by Microsoft in 1982 to compete with Lotus 1-2-3. Multiplan was originally developed for CP/M based systems but was ported to an impressive array of machines and operating systems including DOS, Apple II, Macintosh, Xenix, Commodore 64, CTOS, TI-99/4A and TRS-80 among others. Ultimately there were at least a 100 different versions available but it was most successful on the Macintosh and the various 8-bit computers it was released on.
Multiplan was actually the first spreadsheet on the Macintosh and was the only one available for a year or more. Despite generally good reviews on most of the systems it was released for, Multiplan never surpassed the popularity of Lotus 1-2-3. Microsoft wouldn't manage that feat until a few years later with the release of Excel for Windows. While Multiplan was cheaper than Lotus, it was also less sophisticated.
A Windows version of Multiplan was planned for a while but ultimately never developed. Excel was created as a replacement for Multiplan on Windows and the rest is history. Nevertheless, Multiplan continued to be supported and upgraded over the years, long after Excel was initially released. The last version of Multiplan was 4.2 released in 1990 for both DOS and OS/2.
