The Origins and Impact of VisiCalc

n the mid-1970s, Harvard Business School student Dan Bricklin sought a way to quicken the tedious process of updating spreadsheets. He and friend Bob Frankston designed what became the first electronic spreadsheet, VisiCalc. Inspired by VisiCalc and other products, Mitch Kapor integrated a spreadsheet, a graphics program, and a database management program, creating Lotus 1-2-3. They had remarkable careers and will share their insights and personal stories about the origins and impact of VisiCalc — a program with a much larger influence than is generally acknowledged.

Charles Simonyi will moderate the discussion. He joined Microsoft in 1981 to hire and to manage the teams which developed Microsoft Multiplan, Excel, Word, and other applications.