[ale] [EXTERNAL] Re: In case you missed it

Jim Kinney jim.kinney at gmail.com
Wed Oct 14 13:22:01 EDT 2020


I used Lotus Ami Pro word processor. One floppy. Worked like a champ.

On October 14, 2020 11:28:05 AM EDT, JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>Lotus 123 was the up and coming "killer app" for IBM PCs and had
>supplanted VisiCalc so I never used the latter.  I did have a personal
>Adam Computer (Coleco's offering back in the day) which had Coleco Calc
>installed.  It was woefully painful to use compare to 123 on PC
>compatibles.
>
>Lotus made Symphony as an extension of 123 (it had the features of 123
>plus others not in 123).  In the late 80s I had a boss bring SuperCalc
>in as he thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I used
>to kid him that it was actually a communist plot to reduce America's
>technological superiority.  :-)
>
>He told me once that there was nothing Lotus could do that SuperCalc
>couldn't.  I had him pull up the copy of Symphony I'd installed on his
>PC then attach via serial to our UNIX based Property Management System
>using its built in terminal emulator.   He admitted SuperCalc couldn't
>do that.  - I didn't tell him 123 couldn't either.  :-)
>
>There was another one around in those days I think from Borland.   It
>seemed to be OK as well but I never saw the need to go away from Lotus
>until MS began giving Exel away.   (Even then I resisted but eventually
>corporate America killed Lotus.  Interestingly after that MS no longer
>saw the need to give away office software.)
>
>
>
>
>>     On 10/09/2020 11:06 PM Jim Kinney via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>     I used sc on a slackware install.
>> 
>>     On October 9, 2020 10:51:08 PM EDT, James Taylor via Ale
><ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> 
>>         > > 
>> >         However, now that I think of it, SuperCalc. 
>> >          
>> > 
>> >             > > > 
>> > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >                     > > > > > James Taylor via Ale
><ale at ale.org> 10/9/2020 10:49 PM >>>
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >             > > > 
>> > >         > > 
>> >         dBase II on an Osborne.
>> >         Not a spreadsheet, but close enough for then.
>> >          
>> > 
>> >         James Taylor
>> >         678-697-9420
>> >         james.taylor at eastcobbgroup.com
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> > 
>> >             > > > 
>> > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >                     > > > > > Scott Plante via Ale
><ale at ale.org> 10/9/2020 2:19 PM >>>
>> > > > > 
>> > > > >                 > > > > 
>> > > >             > > > 
>> > >         > > 
>> >         I had Visicalc on my TRS-80 Model 4! :-P
>> > 
>> >         On Thu, Oct 8, 2020 at 11:51 AM JEFFREY LIGHTNER via Ale
><ale at ale.org>
>> >         wrote:
>> > 
>> > 
>> >             > > > I got my start doing spreadsheets in Lotus 123
>Version 1.A when I was in
>> > >             Accounting. One can do fairly sophisticated modeling
>and programming
>> > >             within spreadsheets but even I knew when to move to a
>database tool.
>> > > 
>> > >             Paradox anyone? :D
>> > > 
>> > >             Back in the 80s if one submitted a hand written form
>with calculations on
>> > >             it, any errors were immediately pointed out by at
>least one recipient..
>> > >             However as things moved to spreadsheets printed out
>people would assume
>> > >             they were completely correct because "computers don't
>make mistakes" and
>> > >             not notice very obvious issues caused by bad formulas
>or just bad input.
>> > >             GIGO is real.
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             On 10/07/2020 7:06 PM Jim Kinney via Ale
><ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             BWAHAHAHA!!!
>> > > 
>> > >             crash....
>> > > 
>> > >             On October 7, 2020 3:17:31 PM EDT, DJ-Pfulio via Ale
><ale at ale.org> wrote:
>> > > 
>> > >             But, but, but I can connect to the 5TB production
>Informix DB
>> > >             with Excel using an ODBC driver. That's completely
>awesome!
>> > > 
>> > >             What? You mean when I do that, production transaction
>rates drop
>> > >             80%? No way! I don't believe you.
>> > > 
>> > >             /s
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             On 10/7/20 2:33 PM, Beddingfield, Allen via Ale
>wrote:
>> > > 
>> > >             I've been fighting the "a spreadsheet is not a
>database, and Access
>> > >             is not much better" war for about 25 years.
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             From: Ale
>> > > 
>> > >             <ale-bounces at ale.org> on behalf of Pete Hardie via
>Ale <ale at ale.org>
>> > >             Sent: Wednesday, October 7, 2020 1:26 PM To: Jim
>Kinney; Atlanta
>> > >             Linux Enthusiasts Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ale] In
>case you missed
>> > >             it
>> > > 
>> > >             Once again, I repeat my frequent assertion that a
>spreadsheet is not
>> > >             a database, and your admin assistant probably does
>not have a
>> > >             CS/Programming degree
>> > > 
>> > >             On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 2:19 PM Jim Kinney via Ale
>> > >             <ale at ale.org<mailto:ale at ale.org>> wrote: Excel blew
>up in the faces
>> > >             of UK healthcare.
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >            
>https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/05/excel_england_coronavirus_contact_error/
>> > >             ---------------------------------------------
>> > >             Ale mailing list
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>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > >             --
>> > >             Computers amplify human error
>> > >             Super computers are really
>> > >             cool_______________________________________________
>> > >             Ale mailing list
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>> > > 
>> > >         > >         ---------------------------------------------
>> > 
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>> > 
>> >         ---------------------------------------------
>> > 
>> >         Ale mailing list
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>> > 
>> >     > 
>>     --
>>     Computers amplify human error
>>     Super computers are really
>cool_______________________________________________
>>     Ale mailing list
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>>     https://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
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>> 

-- 
Computers amplify human error
Super computers are really cool
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