thumb|Release 1 package
thumb|Inside the box
Lotus Jazz is an integrated suite of word processor, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and communication software designed for the Macintosh 512K. It was released in 1985 and retailed for . The name was intended to evoke a group of musicians who together create something larger than each of the individual players.
Overview
Jazz shipped on four 400K 3½" diskettes: one for start-up, one containing the main program, a copy protected backup program disk, and a disk of sample files. This requires multiple swaps of the start-up and program or backup disks. Lotus Jazz Release 1 cannot be run from a hard drive or dual 400K floppy disk drives. If the start-up or both of the main program disks fail, the software is unusable.
The terminal emulation module is integrated with the spreadsheet module, allowing users dialing into corporate mainframes to have onscreen reports be parsed directly into spreadsheet columns for later editing and refinement.
Reception
Lotus sold 20,000 copies of the original version of Jazz, while Microsoft sold 200,000 of Excel.
In an extensive Macworld review in 1985, Gordon McComb wrote, "It is well thought out, but has both strong and weak points."
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