StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Dan Bricklin and Visicalc - Case Study Example

Cite this document
Summary
This study discusses invention VisiCalc, as Dan Bricklin was not satisfied with the progress of the computer-related innovations. His invention of the VisiCalc spreadsheet brought recognition not only to his name but the company he worked for – Apple Computer…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.6% of users find it useful
Dan Bricklin and Visicalc
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Dan Bricklin and Visicalc"

Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Dan Bricklin Dan Bricklin invented visicalc, as he was not satisfied with the progress of the computer related innovations.He invented visicalc in 1978 to simplify the complicated spreadsheets. His invention of the visicalc spreadsheet brought recognition not only to his name but the company he worked for – Apple Computer.The credit of inventing visicalc goes to both -- Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, as Dan Bricklin helped Bob Frankston in writing the programming for his novel electronic spreadsheet.

It was the time when Dan Bricklin was pursuing his master degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. They started a company by the name of Software Arts Inc., to develop this product (Belis par. 2).Bricklin was awarded the Grace Murray Hopper Award by the Association for Computing Machinery in November 1981 to reward him for his innovative product but Bricklin could not get it patented till 1981, as before that the Supreme Court did not allow patents of software programs (Belis par. 5). Great thing about Dan Bricklin was that in stead of feeling the financial loss for not getting visicalc patented, he was proud that he had helped the world through the innovation.

His satisfaction rather than monetary benefits mattered to him the most (Belis par. 6).VisicalcVisicalc was the first spreadsheet invented by Dan Bricklin and his companion Bob Frankston. The visicalc spreadsheet program was opened for the public in 1979, to run on an Apple II computer. Visicalc brought in a new parameter in application software; before the arrival of visicalc, microprocessor computers got the desired support from BASIC and some games. With the introduction of visicalc, it was categorized as the fourth generation software program.

Earlier calculations were done through manual spreadsheets, which required time and financial resources. Any change in a single digit required re-computing the entire sheet, including each single cell. Visicalc made it possible to change any cell resulting in automatic re-computing of the whole sheet (Belis par. 1).The past Apple machines could not provide answers because there were limited tools. Continuous debugging was the only resolve to single out the problem by looking at memory in the restricted debugging, which was slower than the DOS DEBUG, as lacking symbols.

It was a time-consuming process of patching and retesting and then re-programming, downloading, and testing again and again (Belis par. 3).The II version of visicalc became available in the fall of 1979 and the process for writing versions for the Tandy TRS-80, Commodore PET, and the Atari 800 began afterwards. Computer retail stores started selling visicalc at US $100 in October 1979 (Belis par. 4).Visicalc was bought very soon by Lotus Development Corporation. Here, it was developed into the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet for the PC in 1983.

(Belis par. 5).Future progress on visicalc was made by Mitch Kapor, the founder of Lotus who released the famous Lotus 123 spreadsheet in 1983, enriching it with his past programming expertise with visicalc to develop 123, which was based on visicalc. Work CitedBelis, Mary. “The First Spreadsheet - VisiCalc - Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.” 30 January 2012. About.com < http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa010199.htm> http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa010199.htm 2012

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words, n.d.)
Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1588210-write-a-one-page-research-paper-on-each-of-the-following-terms-dan-bricklin-visicalc
(Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1588210-write-a-one-page-research-paper-on-each-of-the-following-terms-dan-bricklin-visicalc.
“Dan Bricklin and Visicalc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1588210-write-a-one-page-research-paper-on-each-of-the-following-terms-dan-bricklin-visicalc.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Dan Bricklin and Visicalc

Visial Fields Research

In the paper “Visual Fields Research” the author analyzes visual fields as the spatial array of the visual sensations available for the observations in psychological experiments.... He states that the field of view consists of everything at a particular given time period, causes light to fall on the retina....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Porter's forces analysis

Using the framework proposed by Michael Porter, conduct a mission-driven analysis of Baruch College/Zicklin School of Business.... Where and when relevant, please include any macro-environmental forces that can impact each of the five forces within the Porter model. … It is important that your essay be an application of the theory to the Zicklin School of Business rather than a discussion of the theory itself....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Stylistic arangements of experience

Yeats, when he is overwhelmed by this miraculous and mysterious world, speaks of the ‘stylistic arrangement of experience' that has helped him to hold reality and justice in a single thought.... Most writers and artists delve into their own experiences to draw inspiration… Only a writer who can arrange his experiences in a realistic or symbolic manner can do justice to his experiences, which can be horrifying, soothing, or foretelling....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

THE VARIOUS TYPES OF SPREADSHEET PROGRAMS

Evolution of spreadsheets: Spreadsheets came into market in 1979 with the introduction of visicalc, the software allowing personal computer users the flexibility to perform simple operations without recourse to a mainframe computer.... Since the time coming into market, the spreadsheets have been generally recognized as a valuable and effective aid in business decision making....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Entrepreneurs: Creative Insubordinates

Entrepreneurs: A Masterpiece of Nature and Nurture dan bricklin's remarkable story of entrepreneurship is a framework of nature and nurture mishmash.... As the son of a creative entrepreneur, dan bricklin was able to observe the actual running of a business dedicated to printing press.... For instance, if dan bricklin was not born in a family of entrepreneurs, he will still have the capability to learn and take on board useful ideas which is manifested in his enthusiasm in tinkering equipment to make a resourceful technological creation....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Compare and Contrast Paulo Feire - William Brickman in APA style

However, their views and concerns hardly ever converged.... While Freire's basic focus was the relation between education and socio-economy, Brickman's scholarship was on comparative education at… It is fair to say that these two areas are worlds apart.... Yet, the work of both thinkers is integral to modern thought on education....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Strategic Management Issues

This would determine whether such an entity enters the market early, referred to as early movers or late, referred to as late movers.... According to Peng (2012), businesses could… Others could choose to enter late so as to gain from the experience of others.... Whatever the case, success is not a guarantee. First mover advantages refer to those benefits that a firm could achieve by First, such firms benefit from gaining market share and further positioning themselves in best locations....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Strategic Management - Strategic Audit Format

Crisis in the sector: The computer industry was affected by the sub-prime crisis that took place in the United States and Europe.... The financial sector is one of the main sources of investment for the computer industry.... However, there was a sharp decline in investment of… The computers were then sold at a discounted price and the industry suffered huge losses....
19 Pages (4750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us