The Origins and Impact of Visicalc

[Recorded on 2003-04-08]

In the mid-1970s, Harvard Business School student Dan Bricklin sought a way to quicken the tedious process of updating spreadsheets. He and friend Bob Frankston designed what became the first electronic spreadsheet, VisiCalc.

Inspired by VisiCalc and other products, Mitch Kapor integrated a spreadsheet, a graphics program, and a database management program, creating Lotus 1-2-3. They had remarkable careers and they shared their insights and personal stories about the origins and impact of VisiCalc — a program with a much larger influence than is generally acknowledged.

Charles Simonyi moderated the discussion. He joined Microsoft in 1981 to hire and to manage the teams which developed Microsoft Multiplan, Excel, Word, and other applications.

Catalog number: 102695094
Lot number: X4870.2009