[Hidden-tech] Spread Sheet app?

[Robert Heller]

At Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:20:40 -0400 "DAVID F. FARKAS" <david at farkas.com> wrote:

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> 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
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Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
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