| ★ APPLICATIONS ★ DIVERS ★ THE CRACKER 2/CRACKER2 ★ |
THE CRACKER 2 (8000Plus) | Cracker II (Amstrad User) |
When talking about the Cracker it is perhaps easier to say what it doesn't do rather than what it does. It doesn't go and make a coffee while you are trying to plough your way through the manual. Apart from that it is difficult to think of many areas where it is weak. It does the things that spreadsheets are supposed to do with a few extras in very sophisticated mathematical functions such as statistical analysis. But it can also be used as a database, which will sort your data numerically or alphabetically and will even print names and addresses on labels for you. When you go to the bank manager to get your loan , not only can you show him your neatly printed cash flow projections but you can show your profits over the last five years beautifully printed in one of six different graphs. Choose the best one to hide the fact that your profits have dropped steadily over that period and you are sure to impress. The price that you pay for this variety of features and seemingly endless flexibility is that Cracker is not the easiest program to get to grips with. The manual is daunting and at 264 pages is indigestible. You actually do get used to Cracker's commands very quickly and it has an invaluable 'Help' facility to steer you through the most difficult parts. But remember that unlike other spreadsheets, with Cracker you make up your own spreadsheet from scratch. This means you choose the number of columns, the width, the depth, whether columns should take text or numbers and many other vital decisions so that you can get a spreadsheet exactly as you want it. So you need to have a fair idea of what you are trying to do before you can set it up, although you can add columns, add to the depth and change the designation of the cells later on. On the other hand the beginner shouldn't be put off by the more exotic features. Once you have come to grips with the idea of setting up your spreadsheets you can build a library of your favourite matrices (yes - that is the plural of matrix) and to cover all your needs. One handy feature is a number of sample spreadsheets and graphs. Even if you can't grasp the meaning of the manual it is often clear enough when you see the operation in action. Why not try the sample graphs in all the various styles? For sophisticated analyses of your spreadsheet data, and neat graphical report, Cracker is a cracker. 8000Plus
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