Dan Bricklin talks about the history of the spreadsheet, how he came to develop the VisiCalc code, history, dreams, and challenges that led to the revolutionary invention. Ted lecture (12 min video).
From the beginning of his career as a student at MIT, Bricklin has been working on innovative projects on computing, computer languages, and interfaces for people who do not know computers. To start his own business, Bricklin dreams about creating a working board that will enable automatic calculations so that when one number is changed – all the others will change too, if necessary. From his father he learns to prepare a prototype to get feedback from potential customers, lower costs, and solve problems in advance.
During his studies at Harvard, he begins to create the sheet. Coding problems lead him to the grid structure, indicating cells by numbers and letters – like the geographical maps grid. VisiCalc was first announced in June 1979. It was received with a bit of disdain but over the years it became clear how the VisiCalc “application” forever changed the way people use computers for both private businesses and organizations.
To create a significant change, says Bricklin, we all need to bring a unique history, skills, and needs and build a prototype to discover and solve key problems.