bamford@ihuxw.UUCP (09/18/83)
I will shortly have a need for a spread-sheet calculator for an Altos
(Z80, CP/M) computer. Since I know zip about such programs and don't
care to get burned through ignorance, I am asking you, the net users,
to send me any comments you might have on such programs that you have
used.
If this question has been asked recently, please point me to the
results. I have only just recently developed an interest in these
programs so I may have ignored any previous surveys.
The kinds of things I am interested in are:
1) Ease of learning to use the program
2) Ease of use once the commands are mastered
3) Support from the publisher/distributor
4) Saving the "state" of the program - can everything be saved on
disk for later reference or modification or must all formulas
and values be reentered by hand?
5) Reliability - does a single typo cause the system to crash, erase
the disk, and smoke the power supply? How easy is it to recover
from a typo?
6) Can a calculation (possibly an infinite loop miscalculation) be
"broken" without crashing the machine?
7) Any other subjective comments are also welcome.
If there is sufficient interest, I will summarize and post to the net.
Thanks,
Harold Bamford (BTL @ Naperville, IL)
ihnp4!ihuxw!bamford
--
Harold Bamford
Bell Labs
Naperville, Illinois
(312) 979-0804
ihuxw!bamfordABN.ISCAMS@usc-isid@sri-unix.UUCP (09/20/83)
Good idea, and very interesting questions. I would be most interested in seeing responses to this. I've read all sorts of reviews, but I kind of enjoy the responses on a net like this -- some of which may be somewhat hasty or improperly worded, causing all sorts of FLAMEing! (Re recent Morrow Decision I exchange I inadvertently caused, "Why Buy An Apple", etc.) Keep it up - I love it. David Kirschbaum SGM, USA HQ XVIII Abn Corps
johnl@tekecs.UUCP (John Light) (09/20/83)
The October issue of Scientific American has the first of a new column called "Computer Recreation" (or something like that). It replaces "Metamagical Themas", which replaced "Mathematical Games". I haven't read it yet, but it appears to be a description of the structure of a spreadsheet program. While I have been able to infer a great deal about the insides, I am looking forward to reading more detail. I doubt if you will learn anything about any particular spreadsheet program, but you may be able to consider them more thoughtfully. John Light P.S. Is anybody going to miss Douglas Hofstader's column as much as I am?
johnl@tekecs.UUCP (John Light) (09/21/83)
The October issue of Scientific American has the first of a new column called "Computer Recreation" (or something like that). It replaces "Metamagical Themas", which replaced "Mathematical Games". I haven't read it yet, but it appears to be a description of the structure of a spreadsheet program. While I have been able to infer a great deal about the insides, I am looking forward to reading more detail. I doubt if you will learn anything about any particular spreadsheet program, but you may be able to consider them more thoughtfully. John Light Tektronix P.S. Is anybody going to miss Douglas Hofstader's column as much as I am?