VisiCalc on the Apple II

Summary

Unless Dan Fylstra had the world's largest vest pockets, Steve Jobs's story about "Dan Fylstra walked into my office and pulled a diskette from his vest pocket" to introduce the spreadsheet in 1977 is apocryphal.The punchline, that VisiCalc propelled the Apple II to its early success, is supported by the earnings calls. While VisiCalc remained exclusive to the Apple II, estimates say that 25% of all Apple II sales (at $10K a pop, in 2025 money) were solely for the purpose of running VisiCalc. An un-patented gift to the world, it would go on to be subsumed by the very industry it spawned. What's surprising in looking at VisiCalc today is how much it got right, straight out of the gate. Dan Bricklin's clear product vision, combined with Bob Frankston's clean programming produced a timeless, if clunky by modern standards, killer app.Here at Stone Tools, "clunky" does not equal "useless." I have copies of Spreadsheet Applications for Animal Nutrition and Feeding and VisiCalc and I'm ready to ration protein to my swine.Historical RecordThe term "spreadsheet wars" is so oversaturated I just couldn't bring myself to use it as the theme for the timeline graphic.My Testing RigAppleWin 1.30.21.0 on Windows 11"Enhanced Apple //e" (128K)"Use Authentic Machine Speed""Enhanced disk access speed (all drives)"VisiCalc VC-208B0-AP240-column display (80-column won't start)Let's Get to WorkFirst, Happy Spreadsheet Day for those who practice. Did you buy a big sheet-cake to celebrate? Wait a second. Spreadsheet. Sheet-cake. Spreadsheet-cake. Did I just invent something new?!No, of course I didn't.To understand VisiCalc's legacy, I'm working through the tutorial that shipped with the software. I think it's important to look at how the software pitched itself to customers. Then, I will examine Spreadsheet Applications for Animal Nutrition and Feeding by Ronald J. Lane and Tim L. Cross. I want perspective on how it can be used to assist business owners of all types, not just the white-col...