[SGVLUG] article: best software ever written

[Greg Stark]

A lot of times a screwdriver does the job just fine.  The handle can be a
sort of hammer as well.  Add a hammer, and use the screwdriver as chisel!  I
am not saying that's the right thing to do, just that it gets the job done
in the time available. (screwdriver=spreadsheet, hammer=database)

I disagree with that top ten list.  That he add VisiCalc, then why not
mention WordStar, or Vulcan(Dbase) in the same breath.  These tools brought
powerful processing capability to the PC user world.  One no longer needed
to have a programmer write and process data for them.  How many lawyers,
managers, accountants, secretaries, academia are better off today because of
these tools?  Let's hear it for ed.

Greg 

-----Original Message-----
From: sgvlug-bounces at sgvlug.net [mailto:sgvlug-bounces at sgvlug.net] On Behalf
Of Michael Proctor-Smith
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 10:46 AM
To: SGVLUG Discussion List.
Subject: Re: [SGVLUG] article: best software ever written

On 8/16/06, Emerson, Tom <Tom.Emerson at wbconsultant.com> wrote:
> Odd that one of his criteria was how "groundbreaking" it was, yet he
> still chose Excel over VisiCalc -- he even admits VisiCalc was "the
> first of it's kind" and everything after that was a derivative, but
> excel took the prize "because it had more features and is what everyone
> uses today" -- sorry, no: before VisiCalc, NOBODY envisioned that sort
> of use of the computer; after VisiCalc, every data processing problem
> starts to look like a spreadsheet :(  [something about only having a
> hammer comes to mind...]

I don't know what your talking about every data processing problem
should be solved with a relational database! You are under estimating
the size of the hammer that should be used. Working on large machinery
tought me that if you think the problem can't be solved with a hammer
go get a bigger hammer.