Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets, are, in my opinion, a high-water mark for the design[1] of digital tools[2].

It seems like there are three key points:

The spreadsheet is incredibly simple, both in terms of the abstract idea of an infinite grid, and the interface that follows.
The abstraction naturally suggests a function, the formulas you can create to manipulate information follow directly from the clean and simple abstraction.
The interface is reactive; any modifications immediately update any dependencies. You're interacting with the abstraction at the same level both mentally and through the interface.

Last updated Wed Mar 09 2022 in Berkeley, CA

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