At Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:20:40 -0400 "DAVID F. FARKAS" <david at farkas.com> wrote: > > MIME-Version: 1.0 > > ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee. > ** You too can help the group > ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. > ** If you did, we all thank you. > > > > > > Hi folks... > > Anyone know of a simple Windows freeware or shareware spread sheet > application with a limited feature set and small footprint that will > open and save in XLS format? > > There used to be a few around and I have not found one lately. Most > of what I do does not require the moxie of Excel and I like to keep a > few spreadsheets open, but not use as much system fire power. Given Microsoft's anti-reverse engineering clause in their EULA, it is unlikely you will find anything *legal* (as freeware or shareware), unless you look for something out of Europe (where reverse engineering cannot be restricted under Europe's copyright law), and there you might find a *Linux* application. The only one *I* know of is Star Office, which Sun acquired and also provides Open Office. Open Office == MS Office for all practical purposes, both in terms of basic functionallity, feature set, and (to some extent) footprint. OO *probably* has a somewhat smaller footprint than MS Office, esp. under a Linux environment, but it is not going to be very much smaller. The only *legal* XLS compatible software for MS-Windows is going to be commercial software where the vendor has signed a NDA with Microsoft. There is little point in making a *less* featurefull commercial spreadsheet program than Excel, unless it is a special purpose function (i.e. an XLS importor for something like Quicken or something like that). I suspect that you are mostly out of luck. (I'm guessing that the 'used to be a few around' programs have been quashed by Microsoft, either sued/threatened for copyright infringment or else just steamrolled by MS Office itself.) Do you really *need* XLS compatibity? Why? There are several 'lightweight' spreadsheet programs out there, but they are likely not XLS compatible. > > Suggestions? Thanx. > David > > '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' > > Snowmen Fall from Heaven Unassembled > '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' > "Miracles are not contrary to nature, > only contrary to what we understand > about nature." > ~ Saint Augustine > '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' > "There are two ways to live. You can > live as if nothing is a miracle or you > can live as if everything is a miracle." > ~ Albert Einstein > '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' > No trees were destroyed by sending this > message. However, a significant number > of electrons were sorely inconvenienced. > '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' > MIME-Version: 1.0 > > _______________________________________________ > Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net > Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net > > You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list. > If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members > page on the Hidden Tech Web site. > http://www.hidden-tech.net/members > > -- Robert Heller -- 978-544-6933 Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database heller at deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk