Hands on: Google Spreadsheets

feminazi writes "Google spreadsheets are more powerful than you might think, according to Richard Ericson. The free, Web-based service doesn't currently offer encryption, but the clean interface has standard drop-down menus, icons and buttons (just when MS is switching to "ribbons"). You can use it to work with existing files and "Formatting is simple, direct and fast. ... Sort, does precisely what you'd expect." Most importantly, it has most of Excel's functions -- including some that aren't listed or documented." We covered the launch of this program last week.

Comments

Improv

[jefu]

Yet another spreadsheet!

Wheee!

Now if they'd built an online version of Improv, or "advance" (if I remember the name correctly), I'd be more interested and impressed. Why not explore the "spreadsheet space" a bit more - what if it were built around constraint propagation (so changes would propagate both ways)?

I know, I know. People expect the standard sort of spreadsheet, they know how it works, they've already pushed past the hump of the learning curve, so they don't want to learn anything different.

The point of another spreadsheet

[krod4]

What is the point of having another spreadsheet? We have an industry leader, Excel. Not only is this google offering lagging 10 years behind in features and usability, it is plain ugly! If people actually believe we need another spreadsheet-program (which we really don't), then they should start making something that not actually sucks.. I have yet to see something even resemble Excel in usability.

Re:Enter the Ribbon

[I'm Don Giovanni]

LOL
You had no idea what the "ribbon" is (you still don't, BTW), and yet after 5 minutes of reading about them, you feel prepared to make all sorts of pronouncements about how useless they are. Typical know-it-all slashdotter. LOL

Of course, if the ribbon had been invented by Apple, Google, OO.o, or any other of the companies about which you have wet dreams, you'd be praising them to high heaven. Too funny!