Visicalc flashback

[- Bobb -]

I just got an email from one of my financial newsletters about a
portfolio reallocation "selling ... reducing its exposure from about
17%
to 6% of assets. In turn, we will use the proceeds to initiate a new 11%
stake in ... ". I went off to my excel financial spreadsheet and changed
17% to 6% etc and as I saw the numbers changing I remembered back to
when Visicalc first came out. Is anyone else old enough to remember how
awestruck we were ? ALL that saved time ! I have 6 columns of numbers
that key off that first field and everything just changed so gracefully.
I typed 6% over the 17% and <CR> - done. Copy/Insert line - Pasted a
stock name and 11% next to it <CR> and I'm done !

I remembered seeing Dan Bricklin on PBS a few years ago. It was a
computer special and he was one of the Visicalc code-writers - who
didn't patent the program thinking that noone would make money off it -
ouch! He was talking about all the programming that went into designing
it, but how much time it saved when it was completed: especially in the
days of the pencil !!

Dan , if you're out there - thanks.

[bgeier]

I was in short pants WAY back then, but I remember it.


BTW, do you not worry about dating yourself with posts like that?
Should we address you as "Sir" as a sign of respect for our elders?

[- Bobb -]

I was about 20+ years ago ... not that long. But yes - " Sir Bobb" would
do fine.

"bgeier" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>
> I was in short pants WAY back then, but I remember it.
>
>
> BTW, do you not worry about dating yourself with posts like that?
> Should we address you as "Sir" as a sign of respect for our elders?
>
>
> --
> bgeier
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