Microsoft Excel has been referred to as 'the best application ever written for Windows.' You may or may not agree with that statement, but you can't deny that Excel is one of the oldest Windows products and has undergone many re- incarnations and face-lifts over the years. Cosmetically, the current version-Excel 2007-barely even resembles the original version. However, many of Excel's key elements have remained intact over the years, with significant enhancements, of course.
This chapter presents a concise overview of the features available in the more recent versions of Excel, with specific emphasis on Excel 2007. It sets the stage for the subsequent chapters and provides an overview for those who may have let their Excel skill get rusty.
Note If you're an old hand at Excel, you may want to read only the section on the Excel user interface and ignore or briefly skim the rest of the chapter.
Spreadsheets comprise a huge business, but most of us tend to take this software for granted. In the pre-spreadsheet days, people relied on clumsy mainframes or calculators and spent hours doing what now takes minutes.

Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston conjured up VisiCalc, the world's first electronic spread- sheet, back in the late 1970s when personal computers were unheard of in the office environment. They wrote VisiCalc for the Apple II computer, an interesting machine that seems like a toy by today's standards. VisiCalc caught on quickly, and many forward-looking companies purchased the Apple II for the sole purpose of developing their budgets with VisiCalc. Consequently, VisiCalc is often credited for much of Apple II's initial success.
Then Came Lotus
When the IBM PC arrived on the scene in 1982, thus legitimizing personal computers, VisiCorp wasted no time porting VisiCalc to this new hardware environment. Envious of VisiCalc's success, a small group of computer enthusiasts at a start-up company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, refined the spreadsheet concept. Headed by Mitch Kapor and Jonathon Sachs, the company designed a new product and launched the software industry's first full-fledged marketing blitz. Released in January 1983, Lotus Development Corporation's 1-2-3 proved an instant success. Despite its $495 price tag (yes, people really paid that much for a single program), it quickly outsold VisiCalc and rocketed to the top of the sales charts, where it remained for many years. Lotus 1-2-3 was, perhaps, the most popular application ever.

Most people don't realize that Microsoft's experience with spreadsheets extends back to the early 1980s. In 1982, Microsoft released its first spreadsheet-MultiPlan. Designed for computers running the CP/M operating system, the product was subsequently ported to several other platforms, including Apple II, Apple III, XENIX, and MS-DOS. MultiPlan essentially ignored existing software user-interface standards. Difficult to learn and use, it never earned much of a following in the United States. Not surprisingly, Lotus 1-2-3 pretty much left MultiPlan in the dust.

Excel partly evolved from MultiPlan, first surfacing in 1985 on the Macintosh. Like all Mac applications, Excel was a graphics-based program (unlike the character-based MultiPlan). In November 1987, Microsoft released the first version of Excel for Windows (labeled Excel 2 to correspond with the Macintosh version). Excel didn't catch on right away, but as Windows gained popularity, so did Excel. Lotus eventually released a Windows version of 1-2-3, and Excel had additional competition from Quattro Pro-originally a DOS program developed by Borland International, then sold to Novell, and then sold again to Corel (its current owner).
Excel Versions
Excel 2007 is actually Excel 12 in disguise. You may think that this name represents the twelfth version of Excel. Think again. Microsoft may be a successful company, but its version-naming techniques can prove quite confusing. As you'll see, Excel 2007 actually represents the tenth Windows version of Excel. In the following sections, I briefly describe the major Windows versions of Excel.
EXCEL 2
The original version of Excel for Windows, Excel 2 first appeared in late 1987. It was labeled Version 2 to correspond to the Macintosh version (the original Excel). Because Windows wasn't in widespread use at the time, this version included a runtime version of Windows-a special version with just enough features to run Excel and nothing else. This version appears quite crude by today's standards.
EXCEL 3
At the end of 1990, Microsoft released Excel 3 for Windows. This version offered a significant improvement in both appearance and features. It included toolbars, drawing capabilities, worksheet outlining, add-in support, 3-D charts, workgroup editing, and lots more.

EXCEL 4
Excel 4 hit the streets in the spring of 1992. This version made quite an impact on the marketplace as Windows increased in popularity. It boasted lots of new features and usability enhancements that made it easier for beginners to get up to speed quickly.
EXCEL 5
In early 1994, Excel 5 appeared on the scene. This version introduced tons of new features, including multisheet workbooks and the new Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro language. Like its predecessor, Excel 5 took top honors in just about every spreadsheet comparison published in the trade magazines.
EXCEL 95
Excel 95 (also known as Excel 7) shipped in the summer of 1995. On the surface, it resembled Excel 5 (this version included only a few major new features). However, Excel 95 proved to be significant because it presented the first version to use more advanced 32-bit code. Excel 95 and Excel 5 use the same file format.
EXCEL 97
Excel 97 (also known as Excel 8) probably offered the most significant upgrade ever. The toolbars and menus took on a great new look, online help moved a dramatic step forward, and the number of rows available in a worksheet quadrupled. And if you're a macro developer, you may have noticed that Excel's programming environment (VBA) moved up several notches on the scale. Excel 97 also introduced a new file format.
EXCEL 2000
Excel 2000 (also known as Excel 9) was released in June of 1999. Excel 2000 offered several minor enhancements, but the most significant advancement was the ability to use HTML as an alternative file format. Excel 2000 still supported the standard binary file format, of course, which is compatible with Excel 97.
EXCEL 2002
Excel 2002 (also known as Excel 10) was released in June of 2001 and is part of Microsoft Office XP. This version offered several new features, most of which are fairly minor and were designed to appeal to novice users. Perhaps the most significant new feature was the capability to save your work when Excel crashes and also recover corrupt workbook files that you may have abandoned long ago. Excel 2002 also added background formula error checking and a new formula-debugging tool.
EXCEL 2003
Excel 2003 (also known as Excel 11) was released in the fall of 2003. This version had very few new features. Perhaps the most significant new feature was the ability to import and export XML files and map the data to specific cells in a worksheet. It also introduced the concept of the List, a specially designated range of cells. Both of these features would prove to be precursors to future enhancements.
EXCEL 2007
Excel 2007 (also known as Excel 12) was released in early 2007. Its official name is Microsoft Office Excel 2007. This latest Excel release represents the most significant change since Excel 97, including a change to Excel's default file format. The new format is XML based although a binary format is still available. Another major change is the Ribbon, a new type of user interface that replaces the Excel menu and toolbar system. In addition to these two major changes, Microsoft has enhanced the List concept introduced in Excel 2003 (a List is now known as a Table), improved the look of charts, significantly increased the number of rows and columns, and added some new worksheet functions. For more, see the sidebar, 'What's New in Excel 2007?'.

KSpread is processing a number of applications (spreadsheet) that is open source and multiplatform. Open Source means that we are allowed to change the code to add features to the program. Multiplatform means it can run on different operating systems.

StarOffice Calc spreadsheets are applications that are multiplatform. StarOffice Calc has the ability to identify and clarify the data placed on the work sheet and help users to create charts from the data.

3.OpenOffice Calc
OpenOffice Calc spreadsheets is an application that is open source and multiplatform. OpenOffice Calc has a display window that is equipped with the menus and toolbar buttons, and designed to be easily used Research.

4.Gnumeric
Gnumeric is processing application numbers that are members of the GNOME Office and is open source and multiplatform. Gnumeric is an application processing a number of high quality developed in the project GNOME Office.

Abacus is a processing application requires only the numbers of memory is small and very easy to use. This application awanya developed as a student project at the University IST, Portugal.

6.WingZ
WingZ is angkayang processing application program is multiplatform and freeware although restricted to non-commercial use and not for resale.

WingZ processing application is not just a regular number. WingZ is engolah application number that comes with the tools to analyze the dynamic data with complete functions in the field of statistics, engineering, and finance as well as by the availability of multiplayer matrix work sheet.

7.XESS
XESS is processing a number of applications made ​​by AIS and is multiplatform. XESS issued in two versions, the version made ​​for peggunaan enterprise level companies and the Lite version is intended for individual users. For enterprise level users, XESS issued with 3 sorts of options. That XESS equipped with standard functions and is compatible with Lotus and Excel.XessPlus equipped with the ability to use Micro Add-Ins, and XessSDK equipped with the ability to do the programming.

8.Xxl
Xxl is processing a number of applications developed by the University of Nice and can djialankan in computers using the Unix operating system.

XXL has a GUI which is simple and easy to use. GUI is also equipped with complex functions that exist in alikasi tdak other number crunchers in general. Because these functions are rarely used by general users.

9.Lotus 1-2-3
Lotus 1-2-3 is a processing application to figures released by IBM and can be run on computers using Windows operating systems.

Lotus 1-2-3 has the ability to exchange documents with other applications such as Excel spreadsheets and the application of the oldest. Processing application-generated numbers latter designed to kompartibel with documents generated by Lotus 1-2-3.

10.Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel adalaha processing application figures released by Microsoft, the world's largest software company. Microsoft Excel can only run on the Windows operating system and not on other operating systems.

Excel has a view that comes with the menus and toolbar buttons that allows users to execute commands that he wanted.

Excel window is also equipped with Ttask Pane that allows users to seek help and assistance from the Help Excel Online, all this makes Excel is an application that is easy to use.
Excel is processing a number of applications most widely used. Therefore, other applications are built to be kompartibel to excel document.