Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Lister
No, I think Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston (VisiCalc) invented the first useful computer spreadsheet in 1979 (or at least, they are credited with it). Of course at that time, software could not be patented. And that's a shame really. While they made a double-fistfull of money, Lotus 123 stole the concept outright and put VisiCalc out of business.
Bricklin now runs a vanity site on the intertubes.
http://www.bricklin.com/
The less successful predecessors can be traced back to mainframes in 1961. |
Spreadsheets existed on paper well before they existed on computers. Implementing a previously existing pen and paper thing in software, while copyright-able, should not ever have been patent-able. Even the judge who's ruling paved the way for software patents regrets it's "unintended consequences"(*). Lotus won because they had a better product with more functions. Lotus did buy visicalc in 1985 and then retired it.
(*)
http://www.researchoninnovation.org/WordPress/?p=103