History Of The Excel - Where it came from

In this Article you will learn

• A Brief History About Spreadsheets.
• Journey of Spreadsheet ! Evolution of Excel.
• Why Excel is favourite of Developers.

A Brief History About Spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets have been used by accountants for hundreds of years. Nowadays we all are using Spreadsheet software for calculations ind its easy and quick also. There was really a era where modern spreadsheet were not available, would you able to think, how people are doing their job. This is a really tough task. Back then people relied on clumsy calculators and spend hours  doing what now takes only minutes.

The First Electronic spreadsheet of the history The VisiCalc.

Professor Richard Mattessich pioneered the development of computerised spreadsheets for use in business accounting in 1961. But The world’s first electronic spreadsheet, VisiCalc, was came in to the picture by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1978. Back then personal computers are unheard and out of reach of most professionals. Visicalc was developed for the Apple II. But VisiCale was just like nothing if we compare today's standard. VisiCalc essentially laid the foundation for future spreadsheets, and you can still find its row-and-column-based layout and formula syntax in modern spreadsheet products like Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Kingsoft Spreadsheet, OpenOffice etc.

VisiCalc Get populer in veri short time, and many forward-looking companies purchased the Apple II for the sole purpose of developing their budgets with VisiCalc. Consequently, VisiCalc is also a pillar for much of the Apple II’s initial success.

In the meantime, another class of personal computers was evolving; these PCs ran the CP/M operating system. Sorcim a US based company developed SuperCalc, which was a spreadsheet that also attracted the companies.

In 1981 IBM personal computers cam into the picture, Both VisiCorp and Sorcim modified with a PC virsion of their softwares. By current Standards both VisiCalc and SuperCalc were extremely clumsy.

• You cannot increase cell width.
• If you want to enter lengthy titles, then you have to use multiple cells.

See The Picture of VisiCalc

Nevertheless, the ability to automate the budgeting tedium was enough to lure thousands of accountants from paper ledger sheets to floppy disks.

Next Step of the Journey - Lotus 1-2-3

After the VisiCal Success, Many of the developers are trying to develop a application like this. Few among them Mitch Kapor, Jonathan Sachs and the company designed a new product and launched the software industry’s first

full-fledged marketing blitz. They have advertise every ware for the same.

Specification of Lotus 1-2-3

• Lotus 1-2-3 improved on all the basics embodied in VisiCalc and SuperCalc.
• First program to take advantage of the new and unique features found in the powerful 16-bit IBM PC AT
• 1-2-3 bypassed the DOS calls and wrote text directly to display memory.
• More Responsive and dynamic.
• The online help system.
• Dynamic menu bars, and many more.

Next Step of the Journey - Quattro Pro

Quattro Pro was launched by Borland International. Borland International came into the industry in 1987 with the Quattro Pro. 

Specification of Quattro Pro.

• Menu system was better then others.
• Low Cost.
• Familiar Commands like Lotus 1-2-3.
• Familiar with Macros.
• Work In multiple worksheet at a time.
• Movable and resize able windows.

Final Step The Evolution of Excel

Microsoft was also launched spreadsheet application in 1982 called MultiPlan. MultiPlan was launched for Apple II, Apple III, XENIX, and MS-DOS. MultiPlan essentially ignored existing software user-interface standards. Difficult to learn and use,it never earned much of a following in the United States. Not surprisingly, Lotus 1-2-3 pretty much left MultiPlan in the dust.

Evolution of Excel

Excel Evolved from Multiplan. Excel was a graphics-based program. Microsoft released the first version of Excel for Windows in 1987.

Excel first macro languave enabled