VisiCalc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
|---|---|
 An example VisiCalc spreadsheet on an Apple II. |
|
| Developed by | VisiCorp |
| Latest release | VisiCalc Advanced Version / 1983 |
| OS | Apple II, CP/M, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore PET, MS-DOS and PC-DOS |
| Genre | Spreadsheet |
| License | Proprietary EULA |
| Website | www.danbricklin.com |
VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program available for personal computers. It may well be the application that turned the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool.[1] VisiCalc sold over 700,000 copies in six years.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Conceived by Dan Bricklin, refined by Bob Frankston, developed by their company Software Arts[1], and distributed by Personal Software in 1979 (later named VisiCorp) for the Apple II computer, it propelled the Apple from being a hobbyist's toy to being a much-desired, useful financial tool for business[1]. This likely motivated IBM to enter the PC market which they had been ignoring until then. After the Apple II version, VisiCalc was also released for the Atari 8-bit family, the Commodore PET (both based on the MOS Technology 6502 processor, like the Apple), TRS-80 (based on the Zilog Z80 processor) and the IBM PC[1].
According to Bricklin, he was watching his university professor at Harvard Business School create a financial model on a blackboard. When the professor found an error or wanted to change a parameter, he had to tediously erase and rewrite a number of sequential entries in the table, triggering Bricklin to realize that he could replicate the process on a computer using an "electronic spreadsheet" to view results of underlying formulae[3].
[edit] Successors
Though the electronic spreadsheet was a revolutionary idea, Bricklin was advised that he would be unlikely to be granted a patent, so he failed to profit significantly from his invention. At the time, patents were not available for software in the United States, so it was thought that the product could only be copyrighted, and as copyright deals with form rather than idea, competitors could quickly copy the concept and just present the result in a different layout without infringing the copyright.
Charles Babcock of InformationWeek argues that in perspective, “VisiCalc was flawed and clunky, and couldn't do many things users wanted it to do.”[4] Soon, more powerful clones of VisiCalc were released, including SuperCalc (1980), Microsoft's MultiPlan (1982), Lotus 1-2-3 (1983), and the spreadsheet module in AppleWorks (1984). With Microsoft Excel (introduced for the Macintosh in 1985 and for Windows 2.0 in 1987), a new generation of spreadsheets was born. Due to the lack of a patent, none of the developers of the VisiCalc clones had to pay any royalties to VisiCorp.
The idea was prominent enough that an entire spreadsheet was shipped as C source code as a mere application "sample" of Borland's Turbo C compiler: the TurboCalc.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Hormby, Thomas (2006-09-22). VisiCalc and the rise of the Apple II. Low End Mac. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ Secrets of Software Success: Management Insights from 100 Software Firms Around the World, ISBN 1578511054 (1999)
- ^ Coventry, Joshua (2006-11-02). Interview with Dan Bricklin, Inventor of the Electronic Spreadsheet. Low End Mac. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ What's The Greatest Software Ever Written? - Technology News by TechWeb
[edit] See also
- Triumph of the Nerds, A documentary hosted by Robert X. Cringley that featured the creators of VisiCalc and their contribution as the first killer app for the personal computer.
- Timeline of computing 1950–1979
[edit] External links
- Dan Bricklin's Own VisiCalc Website – With history information as well as downloadable PC version
- Implementing VisiCalc – By Bob Frankston, on his website
- Three Minutes: Godfathers Of The Spreadsheet – PC World interview with the creators of VisiCalc
- Techdirt: What If VisiCalc Had Been Patented?
