VisiCalc Assignment Software Arts

VisiCalc Assignment

VisiCalc Assignment

In June of 1979, Software Arts, a software publisher, announced VisiCalc to the world at the giant National Computer Conference in New York City. Why was this an important development for business?

It is a significant development to the business world as it firstly, VisiCalc help in moving personal computers in computers in business desks. The reason is that the initial computers required individuals to know the programming language to program it. However, the introduction of VisiCalc enabled everyone to program a computer efficiently. Secondly, it has also done work to be done faster and automatically. For instance, businesses initially used handwritten spreadsheets, which was tedious, but the invention led to an electronic spreadsheet.

Where and within what context did Dan Bricklin come up with the idea for VisiCalc?

Dan Bricklin wanted to start a company with his friend Bob, so he enrolled for an MBA at Harvard Business School to learn more about business. At Harvard, they were learning using the case method; thus, the homework was composed of numbers and words of calculations. However, on one frustrating occasion, Dan went to class after completing his task only to realize he made an error; hence all the numbers were wrong, so he could not participate in class on that day. He ended up daydreaming of a magic blackboard that could allow him to erase the number and put a new one in, and then all the other numbers could automatically change.

What is meant by the case study approach to learning business?

A case study approach for learning business is when a student is given several printed or written pages that describe a particular business situation. The document also has exhibits, which entail words and numbers composed to make sense for that specific situation. These scenarios are often real-life business situations aimed at teaching some learning objectives.

4. In his Ted Talk, Bricklin mentions some of the typical business projects that computer programmers worked on during the 1970s. What type of projects/applications did he mention? How did those projects differ from what Bricklin had been working on?

The 1970s primarily focused on developing mainframes for creating payroll systems, inventories, inventory systems, and bill-paying systems. But Bricklin had worked on interactive word processes and personal computations. Thus, he did not think about paper printouts and punch cards; he imagined a magic blackboard that could enable him to erase one figure and change it, which would automatically change other statistics.

What does Bricklin mean by "prototype" in the video?

Bricklin says that his father taught him about prototyping by showing him markups that he uses to figure out the placement on the page for the things that show he was printing. He could use these prototypes to get feedback from the customers. Thus, 'prototypes' refer to the act of creating simple versions of what you are trying to build. Thus it entails identifying fundamental problems and fixing them less expensively.

By 1982 VisiCalc's price had risen from $100 to $250. Several competitors appeared in the market, notably SuperCalc and Multiplan, each of which added more features and corrected deficiencies in VisiCalc. In 1983 Lotus 1-2-3 was launched by a competing software publisher. 1-2-3 was written by a former VisiCalc employee. Unlike the PC version of VisiCalc, 1-2-3 was written to take full advantage of the PC's increased memory, screen, and performance. Yet it deliberately attempted to remain as compatible as possible with VisiCalc, including copying its menu structure as far as possible to allow VisiCalc users to easily migrate to 1-2-3. The program was an immediate runaway success, and sales of VisiCalc evaporated almost overnight. 1-2-3 became the corporate spreadsheet of choice, and an industry was created of compatible add-on products. But by the year 2000, Lotus 1-2-3's market share had substantially shrunk and today is no longer sold by IBM. Please Google the topic of Lotus 1-2-3, determine what led to its demise, and explain the failure of this once standard electronic spreadsheet.

In the 1970s and 80s, spreadsheets were the majorly sold software. Thus, VisiCalc was used by several desktops designed for Apple II. However, IBM developed a PC in 1981 and ensured that VisiCalc could operate on its systems. However, in 1983, Lotus 1-2-3 was launched, and it took the position of VisiCalc in the market as most PC users embraced it (Francisco, 2014). Many people used it because it contained graphic packages, spreadsheets, and primitive database managers. As a result, the company began to buy its competitors and sue those it could not accept as a growth strategy. The organization also ceased to develop new software as the rivals could not compete against it based on its popularity.