Lies, damn lies and statistics . . .: the use and abuse of business graphics

After a brief review of the history of graphing data for analysis the authors give a general overview of business graphics. It is noted how, on microcomputers, business graphics programs have evolved through three distinct generations and are presently entering a fourth. First-generation graphing programs tended to be single-purpose and produced dot-matrix results. Second-generation graphing features included a greater selection of chart types and more exact control over text treatment. Current third-generation business graphics, exemplified by Microsoft Excel, features transparent export of graphical data into a variety of desktop publishing and paint/drawing programs for embellishment. Fourth-generation products have even more options, including nearly identical match between screen and output resolution. Techniques for representing data graphically are briefly mentioned