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If you use a computer (either your own or someone else's) you almost certainly
use an Office Suite. The common ones are Microsoft
Office, Lotus
SmartSuite, and Corel
WordPerfect
Suite. These are all exceptional programs, but they certainly aren't cheap,
usually priced at no less than $200. This is kind of expensive for the average
person. Of course, you could use NotePad or WordPad to type up letters, but
what do you do if you need a spreadsheet? There is no choice but to buy a program,
but what if you don't have $200? Give 602Pro
PC Suite a try.
I have to be honest with you, up until early 1999 I had never
heard of Software 602 or their 602Pro PC Suite. At that time
I received an email from the company asking me if I would
like to do a review. I never took them up on their offer until
just recently, and I wish I had looked at it earlier.
Software 602, the creators of 602Pro PC, originated in Europe,
and in 1996 opened an office in the US. 602 Pro PC Suite is
an alternative to Office 97/2000 Standard. The only thing
it doesn't come with is a PowerPoint replacement. The suite
does come with:
The thing that impressed me the most with this program was
the speed. Most major office suites are too big and can be
a real performance drag on your system. The 602 suite runs
smoothly and quickly.
602Text ScreenShot
I currently have 2 computers, a PIII 450 with windows 98
SE and a 486 DX2-66 with Windows 95 OSR2 on it. Obviously
the PIII 450 is the one I use regularly. I was originally
going to test the 602Pro PC suite on the PIII. I then thought
that Office 97/2000 certainly doesn't run well on a 486. If
602Pro is supposed to be a replacement for Office 97 for the
average user, then I thought I'd test it on the 486. Also,
Office 97 is already on my PIII, so I thought it would be
best to install 602Pro on a system that is clean of the Microsoft
stuff. The installation went off without a hitch, and I was
immediately able to use the program.
602Tab ScreenShot
Software 602 claims that 602pro PC suite is fully office
compatible and from what I tested, it seemed to be. I opened
up some heavily formatted spreadsheets (including formulae
and multiple sheets) and they functioned as they should. I
also opened up a multiple page formatted word document and
it came up fine. I even opened up the Microsoft TechNet Y2K
spreadsheet that contains dropdown lists. The dropdown lists
didn't show up, but the content of the document was still
available and displayed properly.
602Photo ScreenShot
Of course there are going to be some differences in the programs,
and if you are familiar with a particular office suite (as
I am with Office 97), then using the program takes a bit of
getting used to.
602Pro PC Suite costs
$49.95 to download (approximately 12MB). If you are looking
for a reliable yet inexpensive Office Suite, then 602Pro PC
Suite is the one for you. You can download a trial at http://www.602pro.com/downloads/propc.html.
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