View source for IBM Lotus Freelance Graphics

{{Short description|Presentation computer program}}
{{Infobox Software
  | name = IBM Lotus Freelance Graphics
  | logo = Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8 icon.png
  | screenshot = Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8.png
  | screenshot size = 300px
  | caption = 
  | developer = [[IBM]]
  | latest_release_version = 9.8 + Fixpack 6
  | latest_release_date = 2002
  | operating_system = [[Microsoft Windows]]
  | genre = [[Presentation program]]
  | license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
  | website = {{URL|http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/smartsuite/freelance.html|Freelance Graphics}}
}}{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
'''Lotus Freelance Graphics''' is an [[information graphic]]s and [[presentation program]] developed by [[Lotus Software]] (formerly Lotus Development Corp.) following its acquisition of Graphic Communications Inc in 1986.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Lotus Freelance Graphics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PzsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Lotus+Freelance+Graphics%22&pg=PA115 |journal=[[InfoWorld]] | date=28 June 1993 |volume=15 |issue=26 |pages=174 |issn=0199-6649}}</ref> It was first released for [[DOS]] and [[OS/2]] operating systems, then later released as part of the [[Lotus SmartSuite]] for [[Microsoft Windows]]. (In a reference to its original developer, Graphic Communications Inc., Freelance's executable file was named ''GCIFL''.)

Pre-Windows versions of Lotus Freelance Graphics included mouse support (provided a mouse driver for the [[Operating system|OS]] had also been installed). However, many users considered the [[Vector graphics|'points and vector']] graphics application easier and faster from the keyboard, as it utilized many [[keyboard shortcut]]s.

The Windows-compatible version allowed users to create and compile [[Writing|text]], [[digital image]]s, [[diagram]]s, basic [[drawing]]s and [[chart]]s (such as [[bar chart]]s and [[pie chart]]s) into a digital [[Slideshow|slide show]]. It was originally a drawing tool, but was enhanced to include charting by either manually inputting data or importing data from the [[Lotus 1-2-3]] spreadsheet program.

Freelance worked within [[DOS]] to produce slides comparable to those of [[Microsoft PowerPoint]], a program originally created for the [[Macintosh]]. Because Lotus opted to develop Freelance for OS/2, Microsoft got a head start developing and promoting the Windows version of its application. When [[IBM]] then acquired Lotus, Microsoft used a licensing issue to delay IBM's access to the Windows 95 code base, allowing Microsoft Office to be released six months ahead of Lotus SmartSuite. As a result, when OS/2 failed to gain widespread adoption, Freelance became a little-used application.

Freelance was eventually grafted into a new version of 1-2-3 for Windows (Smart Suite), but by then PowerPoint and Excel had become dominant. Freelance's files were much smaller (typically 50 KB for a full presentation) compared to the competition's, allowing 20 or more presentations to be stored on a single floppy disc. However, the quality of the Freelance product eventually deteriorated as IBM's support of SmartSuite dwindled.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=ljsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=lotus+graphics+gci&pg=PA22 Infoworld article 28 Sep 1987]
*[https://earnstream.net/how-to-work-from-the-internet-and-earn-money/ How to Work from the Internet and Earn Money: A Comprehensive Guide online earning methods]{{|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (to view .prz files, 1.5MB)
*[http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21180536 IBM Fix list for SmartSuite for Windows 9.8 and fix packs]

{{Presentation software}}
{{Lotus Software}}

[[Category:Presentation software]]
[[Category:Technical communication tools]]
[[Category:Office suites for Windows]]
[[Category:Lotus Software software|Freelance Graphics]]
[[Category:IBM Lotus SmartSuite|Freelance Graphics]]
[[Category:OS/2 software]]


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