An online web based spreadsheet, wow.
Just the other day I was thinking about how useful it would be if you could really share and collaborate on spreadsheets. Really, I was thinking about that, I am either a huge nerd or I have too much time on my hands. Probably both. Actually I was thinking about it because I deal with a merry-go-round of spreadsheets when I do my monthly forecasting at work. It would be really really nice to have a central copy and version control so that all of us could update one spreadsheet and always be assured that everyone else is looking at exactly the same thing. Of course, some people might argue that is what CRM software is for, they would be wrong. CRM is for documenting the false picture you are presenting to upper management.
Ok, so I am thinking about this and then I notice an article on c|net about how the new version of Microsoft Office is going to have a new server based system for managing spreadsheets. Oh interesting I think and continue to read. After finishing the article I am not really sure how useful this will be to the people who work on the spreadsheets. Useful to the people who make sure the wrong folks don't look at certain data, but otherwise nothing revolutionary to see here.
Anyway I was thinking if you wanted to get really fancy with AJAX you could actually build a browser based spreadsheet. I know, I know, you are probably thinking, how cool could that be? Well, pretty cool. There are number of companies out there reinventing business tools and taking them to the web. I'm not sure that a spreadsheet alone is a real killer app, but it is something that you could couple to your larger web based software project to give customers a tool they probably thought they would never have online. And you would really be taking that extra step to ensure that the data in the sheet (which would actually be in a database behind the sheet) is always the same for everyone who views it.
Well it turns out that someone is already working on it. Check it out, looks like Ruby on Rails and of course AJAX. Its small and limited in functionality now, but I'll bet this turns into something big.
Ok, so I am thinking about this and then I notice an article on c|net about how the new version of Microsoft Office is going to have a new server based system for managing spreadsheets. Oh interesting I think and continue to read. After finishing the article I am not really sure how useful this will be to the people who work on the spreadsheets. Useful to the people who make sure the wrong folks don't look at certain data, but otherwise nothing revolutionary to see here.
Anyway I was thinking if you wanted to get really fancy with AJAX you could actually build a browser based spreadsheet. I know, I know, you are probably thinking, how cool could that be? Well, pretty cool. There are number of companies out there reinventing business tools and taking them to the web. I'm not sure that a spreadsheet alone is a real killer app, but it is something that you could couple to your larger web based software project to give customers a tool they probably thought they would never have online. And you would really be taking that extra step to ensure that the data in the sheet (which would actually be in a database behind the sheet) is always the same for everyone who views it.
Well it turns out that someone is already working on it. Check it out, looks like Ruby on Rails and of course AJAX. Its small and limited in functionality now, but I'll bet this turns into something big.
posted by Patrick at
3:27 PM
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