Integrated software

In response to these limitations, vendors created multifunction "integrated" packages, eliminating the need to switch between programs and presenting the user with a more consistent interface.

[3] BYTE asked in 1984, "Why should owners of advanced, multifunction business programs that are supposedly easy to use and that claim to solve all problems be compelled to purchase a utility like Sidekick?

[5] The GUI on a Macintosh or Microsoft Windows, based around a desktop metaphor and typically enforcing a set of user interface guidelines for developers, enjoyed much greater consistency between standalone applications, removing one of the main motivations behind integrated packages.

[citation needed] Microsoft stated in 1985 that hardware limited the power of all-in-one programs, and that simultaneously using multiple applications like Excel under Switcher on the Macintosh—with common user interfaces and ability to share data—was preferable to "fully integrated" software.

[7] Developers of standalone products introduced integrated versions with additional abilities like Wordperfect Works, which was based on an earlier competitor to AppleWorks made by Beagle Bros.