--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, anon_couscous_ff > <no_reply@> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sparaig" <sparaig@> wrote: > > > > > > A company called VisiCorp invented the spreadsheet > > > and marketed it. Their product -- VisiCalc -- basically > > > created the entire PC revolution; people used to walk > > > into the early computer stores saying, "I want a VisiCalc." > > > The clerks would say, "No, what you want is a computer, > > > on which you can run VisiCalc." And the customer would > > > say, "Whatever. Just sell me a VisiCalc." > > > > Visicalc, as the killer app, made Apple -- the (IBM) PC > > was yet to come. > > And when it did, VisiCalc was one of the first applications > available for it. Dan Bricklin had VisiCalc ported to the > Intel chip before the PC was even released. > > > > (As another aside, after Lotus -- started by a TMer -- > > > > a quite disgruntled and non-practicing TMer by that time -- having > > left his 6-month course in the middle of the night tired with "this > > bs" -- paraphrasing. > > I should have said, "...started by a *smart* TMer..." :-) > > > > stole the entire spreadsheet market away from VisiCorp, > > > > But also designed 123 for the NEW IBM PC. And it became > > the killer app for the PC, Lotus "made" the PC (to a > > degree) the way Visicalc had "made" Apple. Right time, > > right place. > > But wrong facts, AFAIK. :-) VisiCalc had been available for > IBM PCs since 1981.
That could be. But I remember 123 as being THE ss app for PCs. Maybe visicacl was ported as 8-bit and 123 was 16-bit? Or something that made 123 JUST PLAIN better for the PC. >Lotus wasn't really widely available > until 1983. But it was better, and won. > > > However, I agree with your examples as a broad analogy. But > > other factors were also in play. > > Like the fact that Mitch Kapor actually tried to *sell* > his first versions of Lotus to VisiCorp and they turned > him down. Are you sure? And not confusing that take with the fact that he did sell a graphics add-on for visicalc to Visicalc. And used that money as start-up capital for 123. 6-months prior to its release, 123 had the BUZZ. The WSJ ran a front-page article on it. It had a bigback log demand long before it was released -- due to its superiority. It would have been silly to have tried to then sell it to VC given its market positioning. (I dropped my jaw upon reading the WSJ. "Holy shit, thats Mitch Kapor!. Hey, I know this guy." Several friends recommended I write him regarding a job. To be like employee #5. For some stupid reason, I made excuses why that was a lame idea. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
