# Anybody remember (and used) Visicalc? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 17, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762 "2011-04-17T22:02:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/21 "2011-04-19T02:38:07Z")
I remember the name VisiCalc, but I think it might be because a roommate used it. I learned word processing on a dedicated Wang word processor, and then used MultiMate and NotaBene. In the early '90s, I also used a dedicated NCR word processor. I used WordStar at some point, briefly, because a roommate had it. Also WordPerfect. The first spreadsheet program I remember using was Lotus. Moved to Excel before I really learned much in Lotus. I use Google docs and NeoOffice-J for simple stuff at home, but am most at home in Excel. Same answer for word processing, although Word 2007 has made it hard to find some features that I used to be able to find while blindfolded and with my hands tied behind my back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marc\_Xenos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Marc\_Xenos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marc_Xenos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/22 "2011-04-19T05:15:39Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > You’re clearly not a Jerry Pournelle fan. 🙂 Years ago, back when MTV was still new, I was at a trade show for the various cable TV channels. One exhibit (MTV, in fact) had a sign, “Have Your Picture Taken With Martha Quinn.” So I asked the lady operating the booth, “Who the fuck is Martha Quinn?” She answered (nicely), “I am.” So I’m not going to make THAT mistake again here. ---
**Author:** ![ImNotPaulAvery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@ImNotPaulAvery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImNotPaulAvery)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/23 "2011-04-19T05:41:08Z")
You can _legally_ download the original VisiCalc right here: > **[VisiCalc Executable for the IBM PC](http://www.bricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm)** > > No Summary It is just a tiny little 27k executable but it still works in Windows! It is a neat little program, I can only imagine what it did for people 30+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/24 "2011-04-19T06:48:38Z")
> [@ImNotPaulAvery](#): > > You can _legally_ download the original VisiCalc right here: > > [VisiCalc Executable for the IBM PC](http://www.bricklin.com/history/vcexecutable.htm) > > It is just a tiny little 27k executable but it still works in Windows! It is a neat little program, I can only imagine what it did for people 30+ years ago. It also works with [DOXBox](http://www.dosbox.com/) and [DOSEMU](http://www.dosemu.org/), which makes it a lot more cross-platform than a lot of software of that era was. ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/25 "2011-04-19T19:22:45Z")
Visacalc was the first spreadsheet program I knew about and the first one I used. I had a TRS80 Radio Shack Model 1 computer that used a cassette recorder as a mass storage device. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762/26 "2011-04-20T22:41:13Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I tried it a few times, but didn’t do any significant work on it. Have you used Wordstar (pretty sure that’s what it was called)? How about a dedicated word processor like a Micom? Oh, yes, Wordstar. It also was not easy to use. Some wag said it was like Darth Vadar: very powerful but everybody hated it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-remember-and-used-visicalc/578762.md?page=1)