|
Version |
Released |
Comments |
|
1 |
1985 |
Version 1, for the Macintosh was released. |
|
2 |
1987 |
The first Windows version was labelled "2" to
correspond to the Mac version. This included a
run-time version of Windows. |
|
3 |
1990 |
Included toolbars, drawing capabilities,
outlining, add-in support, 3D charts, and many
more new features. |
|
4 |
1992 |
The first "popular" version. Included lots of
usability features. |
|
5 |
1993 |
A major upgrade. Included multi-sheet workbooks
and support for VBA.** |
|
7* |
1995 |
Known as Excel 95.
The first major 32-bit version of Excel**.
Feature-wise, it's very similar to Excel 5. |
|
8 |
1997 |
Known as Excel 97. A new interface for
VBA developers, UserForms, data validation, and
lots more. |
|
9 |
1999 |
Known as Excel 2000. Can use HTML as a
native file format, "self-repair" capability,
enhanced clipboard, pivot charts, modeless user
forms. |
|
10 |
2001 |
Known as Excel 2002, this is part of Office XP.
It has a long list of new features, but most of
them will probably be of little value to the
majority of users. Perhaps the most significant
feature is the ability to recover your work when
Excel crashes.
|
|
11 |
2003 |
Known as Excel
2003, the new features in this version are:
(a) improved support for XML, (b) a new "list
range" feature, (c) Smart Tag enhancements, and
(d) corrected statistical functions. Most users
will not find the upgrade worthwhile. |
|
12 |
TBC-early 2007 |
When Excel "12"
(Excel 2007)
arrives sometime in the first few months of 2007, it
looks as if it will represent a BIG step
forward - probably the largest for 10 years.
Based on the early
beta version of the product a lot of
improvements are being made. Although the
interface is radically changed, with for the
first time Word, Excel and PowerPoint sharing a
common look-and-feel, a lot of the underlying
features and commands should remain the same.
However we
anticipate that experienced users are in for a
steep learning curve, at the end of which,
Microsoft assures us, users will enjoy fewer
mouse clicks and thus better efficiency!!! |
* There was no Excel
6. Beginning with Excel 7, the version numbering was
changed so all of the Microsoft Office applications
would have the same version number.
** There was also a
32-bit version of Excel 5, but it was not widely
distributed. |
