# VisiCalc

> spreadsheet software

**Wikidata**: [Q725401](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q725401)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/visicalc

## Summary
VisiCalc is the first electronic spreadsheet program, created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979. It revolutionized personal computing by transforming the Apple II into a serious business tool. The software allowed users to perform complex calculations and financial modeling on a personal computer for the first time.

## Key Facts
- Created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979
- First electronic spreadsheet program in history
- Originally developed for the Apple II computer
- Published by VisiCorp
- Written in assembly language for performance
- Sold over 700,000 copies in its first six years
- Considered the "killer app" that drove Apple II sales
- Later ported to IBM PC, Commodore PET, and other platforms
- Used assembly language programming for optimal performance

### Q: What was VisiCalc's significance in computing history?
A: VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program and is considered the first "killer app" for personal computers, transforming them from hobbyist devices into essential business tools.

### Q: Who created VisiCalc and why?
A: Dan Bricklin created VisiCalc to solve his own problem of doing complex financial calculations for business school, with Bob Frankston helping with the programming.

### Q: What platforms did VisiCalc run on?
A: VisiCalc was initially developed for the Apple II, then ported to IBM PC, Commodore PET, Atari 8-bit family, and other platforms including HP series 80 and Sony SMC-70.

## Why It Matters
VisiCalc fundamentally changed how businesses operated by bringing powerful calculation and modeling capabilities to personal computers. Before VisiCalc, complex financial calculations required manual work with paper spreadsheets or expensive mainframe computers. The software's ability to instantly recalculate entire sheets when any value changed made it revolutionary. It created a new category of software that remains essential today, and its success helped establish the personal computer market as a serious business tool rather than just a hobbyist pursuit. Many credit VisiCalc with being the application that justified personal computer purchases for businesses, effectively creating the market for business software.

## Notable For
- First electronic spreadsheet program ever created
- Considered the first "killer app" that drove hardware sales
- Transformed personal computers from hobbyist devices to business tools
- Created the foundation for modern spreadsheet software like Excel
- Sold over 700,000 copies in its first six years, unprecedented for the time

## Body
### Development and Creation
VisiCalc was conceived by Dan Bricklin while he was a student at Harvard Business School in 1978. Frustrated with the limitations of manual calculations and traditional spreadsheets, he envisioned an interactive, electronic version. Bricklin partnered with Bob Frankston, and they formed Software Arts to develop the program.

### Technical Implementation
The software was written in assembly language to maximize performance on the limited hardware of the time. This low-level programming approach was necessary to achieve the real-time recalculation capabilities that made VisiCalc revolutionary. The program ran on multiple platforms including Apple II, IBM PC, and various CP/M systems.

### Business Impact
VisiCalc's release in 1979 created an entirely new software category and demonstrated the practical business value of personal computers. It was particularly successful on the Apple II, where it became the primary reason many businesses purchased the hardware. The software's success established the business software market and influenced the development of countless subsequent applications.

### Legacy
The concepts and interface pioneered by VisiCalc became the foundation for all modern spreadsheet software. Its grid-based layout, formula system, and automatic recalculation remain fundamental to how spreadsheet programs work today. The success of VisiCalc also established the model of software driving hardware sales, a pattern that continues in the tech industry.

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## References

1. [Source](https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1979-08/page/n153)
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013