[Year 12 IT Apps] For the other greybeards out there - Visicalc on Windows

[Savage, John L]

You’re right about it (spreadsheet technology) bringing the PC onto desktops. Who would have thought spreadsheets and Space Invaders would be the catalyst to such social change. We certainly didn’t in Telecom. I was the data transmission forecaster for NSW from 1976 through to 1981 (modems), we never saw it coming but then neither did IBM, Honeywell or Digital.

We had commissioned a range of sociologists, psychologists and engineers to suggest likely scenarios for the future (“Telecom 2000”). The scenario we were agreed on involved a shorter working week and a broader democratisation and citizen involvement in decision making. The field tests we did showed that people hated video phones and didn’t much care for Video conferencing! As for personal computers, who would want access to a spreadsheet at home? We saw the security and surveillance state as dysfunctional and consequently unlikely. How wrong were we?

Laurie Savage
http://accelerus.pvgc.vic.edu.au

From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Royce Williams
Sent: Wednesday, 16 July 2014 1:52 PM
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] For the other greybeards out there - Visicalc on Windows

I had thought I was the only one old enough to have used VisiCalc
The actual first Spreadsheet ever.

Probably the most important software ever.
Spreadsheets are the killer app that allowed PC into business.


Royce Williams
Sent from my Appleberry 4

On 16/07/2014, at 1:07 PM, Mark <mark at vceit.com<mailto:mark at vceit.com>> wrote:
I have recently found myself reverting to old versions of some software after finding the latest 'update' is worse than the previous version.

http://www.oldversion.com is your friend when an 'upgrade' of your favourite software betrays you.

Mark

On 16 July 2014 09:24, Savage, John L <savage.john.l at edumail.vic.gov.au<mailto:savage.john.l at edumail.vic.gov.au>> wrote:
Hi,

Here’s a link to a working version of the original VisiCalc. I remember using it to generate sales forecasts when I worked in Telecom in (76-83). Ah, the Apple IIE with RAM boosted to 64KB. Before Visicalc I drew up tables of figures and calculated by hand/desktop calculator/slide rule.

http://www.danbricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm

Laurie Savage
Assessment & Reporting Coordinator :: Pascoe Vale Girls College


--

Mark Kelly
mark AT vceit DOT com
http://vceit.com

The two most important things to remember in order to become powerful are:
1. Never tell your competitors everything you know.


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