Very interesting, I see what you mean by pulling you in, it’s definitely intriguing. I love a good spreadsheet even if I use it at the most elementary level - I have yet to create or use a formula - I do know how to turn a column of numbers into dollar amounts - pretty cool.
It was a spectacular piece of reporting. I still can't wrap my head around how The Post just tossed you all in the dustbin and abdicated is position as a globally respected home for journalism.
The bit about hot keys btw made me nostalgic for the days before Microsoft leveraged it's OS monopoly to homogenize application software.
There was a time when Lotus 123 and Quattro Pro battled for spreadsheet supremacy, and WordPerfect and Harvard Graphics had no equals in the word processing and presentation space, respectively.
Those days, no self-respecting power user relied on a mouse for anything. Your fingers built a muscle memory for rapidly navigating around a document at speeds no mouse could approach. Microsoft Office slowed everything down, complicated a lot of the shortcuts, and through anticompetitive practices, put the real software pioneers out of business.
Thanks for all this! I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it, too, but also on to better things.
And this is a fascinating perspective on the early days of spreadsheets. I am kicking around some ideas to continue this line of coverage, so I may drop you a line at some point to pick more at what you’re laying out here.
Any time. The PC came out a few months after I graduated high school. By the time I got my MBA 7 years later, spreadsheets were part of the curriculum.
Anyone using index match over XLOOKUP in 2026 is no spreadsheet champion of mine
Let's get you in the ring. I could make some calls.
What a fun recap of a truly fascinating competition!
Very interesting, I see what you mean by pulling you in, it’s definitely intriguing. I love a good spreadsheet even if I use it at the most elementary level - I have yet to create or use a formula - I do know how to turn a column of numbers into dollar amounts - pretty cool.
Keep writing - Keep sharing!
You’re a few clicks away from being a real Excel master huh?
It was a spectacular piece of reporting. I still can't wrap my head around how The Post just tossed you all in the dustbin and abdicated is position as a globally respected home for journalism.
The bit about hot keys btw made me nostalgic for the days before Microsoft leveraged it's OS monopoly to homogenize application software.
There was a time when Lotus 123 and Quattro Pro battled for spreadsheet supremacy, and WordPerfect and Harvard Graphics had no equals in the word processing and presentation space, respectively.
Those days, no self-respecting power user relied on a mouse for anything. Your fingers built a muscle memory for rapidly navigating around a document at speeds no mouse could approach. Microsoft Office slowed everything down, complicated a lot of the shortcuts, and through anticompetitive practices, put the real software pioneers out of business.
Thanks for all this! I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it, too, but also on to better things.
And this is a fascinating perspective on the early days of spreadsheets. I am kicking around some ideas to continue this line of coverage, so I may drop you a line at some point to pick more at what you’re laying out here.
Any time. The PC came out a few months after I graduated high school. By the time I got my MBA 7 years later, spreadsheets were part of the curriculum.