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So I also teach this university course about the history of technology, where students also learn how to use spreadsheets.

This semester, some of my students were surprised to learn that (a) spreadsheets existed before Windows 🤨 and (b) even a DOS spreadsheet could do everything we learned on the modern spreadsheets, just differently in some cases.

In this demo, we'll compare LibreOffice Calc on Linux and Quattro Pro on DOS.

youtu.be/Z5LXMpcZjEw

@freedosproject Spreadsheet programs not only predated Windows, they predated the IBM PC.

The FreeDOS Project

@brouhaha Yes! I highlighted that to my students and they were surprised

First desktop spreadsheet: VisiCalc on Apple II (1979)

First computer spreadsheet program: LANPAR (1969)

@freedosproject @brouhaha and then there's the classic Invisicalc

Puts up a blank screen so nothing will distract you while you do the calculations in your head

@hyc @freedosproject @brouhaha CE Software from before the Mac! I had no idea about them then.

@hyc @freedosproject @brouhaha IIRC, someone used to sell a 0-byte executable for the CP/M that would rerun the last used program without having to reload it from disk. Some customers felt they had been cheated although the program did its job. (I can't find the story anymore.)

@goosey @brouhaha

It gets better with background: At the time, say you wanted a change in your company's budget software, it would take months to implement on the mainframe (programming, etc)

For those who could get it, LANPAR was huge because you could make your own budget plan in a weekend.

When VC came out, loads of companies bought Apple II computers just to run VisiCalc. Because now you could make your own budget plan in an afternoon.