It turns out necessity really can be the mother of invention. Just ask Dan Bricklin — who co-created VisiCalc, the first computer spreadsheet.
Prior to VisiCalc, personal computers were basically novelties kids played games on. But the electronic spreadsheet, which let non-mathematicians manipulate hundreds of numbers with a single keystroke, showed how a computer was invaluable. Businesses raced to buy them.
Even Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said that VisiCalc software, originally written for the Apple II computer, "propelled the company's success more than any other single event." Jobs said that "If VisiCalc had been written for some other computer, you'd be interviewing someone else right now."
Bricklin says he's proud his software helped spark the digital revolution. "Most people didn't get it, because when they looked at computers, they didn't see how it could help them," he told Investor's Business Daily. His invention changed that practically overnight.
Dan Bricklin: Turn Your Passion Into A Driver
Bricklin, 72, grew up in Philadelphia. His father ran a print shop and his mother was a teacher. He had a rebel's streak as a child of the '60s. He proudly sported long hair when he slept in the mud at Woodstock. But his real focus was less on rock 'n' roll than science — particularly computers.
It was always that way. His peers read the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. But Bricklin poured over science fiction and Popular Electronics magazines. Bricklin knew he was lucky. He discovered his passion at a very early age and single mindedly pursued that dream his whole life — revolutionizing the economy's digitalization.
"I would beg, steal or borrow computer time," he said. He even took the key to his high school's computer room so he could sneak in after hours. To get better at programming computers, he made sure he had access to them.
At age 16, Bricklin enrolled in a National Science Foundation course at the University of Pennsylvania. Most importantly, the college was near an ENIAC, one the world's first general-purpose computers.
"It's where I learned more about programming and discovered I was really good at it," he said.
Stay Flexible
Bricklin entered MIT as a math major. But relatively early on, he switched to what was then the shared computer science major curriculum. He earned a bachelor's in electrical science.
At MIT, Bricklin worked in the lab where the MULTIC (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) Project was developed. It was a general purpose time-sharing utility that proved an important influence on computing.
Computers then were huge, room-size monoliths. But visionaries had a brighter view of the future. "Bill Gates and Paul Allen, their goal was to get a computer on every desk, maybe in every home," Bricklin said of the Microsoft co-founders. "That was their goal and it was considered audacious."
See A Way To Help The Masses Like Bricklin Did
Meanwhile, early home computers hopelessly struggled to find a valuable use. Games were great. And moms could impractically store recipes. But that was about it.
But Bricklin bought into the dream. He focused on building programs that would improve the lives of their users. "We were trying to make the (computer revolution) happen. We were building things regular people would be able to use," he said. "That's the stuff I was always working on. That's my background."
At first he developed simple math and language programs. He worked on an early Cold War program to develop a system to help people share computing time. He also created an early word processor he used to write his thesis. It was here that he met Bob Frankston. Frankston, years later, would collaborate with him on VisiCalc.
Don't Lose Sight Of Your Dream
When Bricklin graduated in 1970, he went to work for Digital Equipment Corporation, better known as DEC. At the time, DEC's mini computers cost around $18,000 in 1970 dollars. Usually, only engineers used them to speed their calculations. But Bricklin knew more was possible.
"Someone said this could be made into a general business computer," Bricklin said. "We can add word processing and business software. And that's what I ended up being involved with."
He worked on a program that computerized typesetting — an early word processing program. Bricklin and his team made the software easy to operate. He simplified everything from setting margins to paper size so newcomers to computers — basically everyone at the time — could easily master it.
Strike Out On Your Own Like Bricklin
Bricklin harbored another dream, though. "I always wanted to start my own business. My father was an entrepreneur who ran his own business," Bricklin said. "My friend Bob (Frankston) and I always wanted to run our own business."
However, the pair had a Hollywood idea of how to begin. "You know, in the movies they'd say, 'Hey, let's put on a play, let's put on a show.' And then they'd do that. Well, that was us. 'Let's start a business.' "
But there was a problem. Bricklin didn't know how to start a business. "When I went to MIT, I learned a lot about computers that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. I found out it really helped to go to school to learn about stuff," he said. "I figured I'd go to business school to learn about business."
He'd saved enough money to take time off. Both MIT's Sloan School of Business and Harvard's MBA program accepted him. Bricklin chose Harvard primarily to broaden his network.
Study Hard
Bricklin attended a Harvard business class. In doing so, he "got to see what (the university's) case method was really like and that was really cool," he said. But it would also pinpoint a huge need — one he could answer.
"In the case method, you get written material that describes a particular situation," Bricklin said. Cases include raw data and students are asked to solve a particular problem. Participating in the class discussion dictated grades students got.
So Bricklin and his classmates spent time running numbers and attempting to work out solutions. But there was a problem. If they discovered just one incorrect number in their computations during class, they had to manually recalculate all the numbers in their projections on the fly. That meant starting at the beginning again. It took too long.
"If you make a mistake, you can't participate and you're marked on class participation," Bricklin said. "So I got to daydreaming about what you might call word processing with numbers."
"I started dreaming about a magic blackboard that would remember the calculations that were behind something," he said. "And if you changed one number everything would recalculate."
Bricklin: Prove The Impossible
Bricklin was certain it could be done. But he checked with his professors. Some including James Cash encouraged him. Others doubted him. Ironically it was a skeptical professor who introduced Bricklin to Dan Fylstra, who ran a software publishing company called VisiCorp.
Fylstra had an extra Apple II. He let Bricklin and Frankston borrow it. Together they built VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet. They then founded a company called Software Arts and licensed VisiCalc to VisiCorp.
Frankston did most of the coding. He recalls how he "relied on Dan's management skills. A key part of our success was his empathy," Frankston said. "Even when the company was running into problems and we had to lay people off, people empathized with us rather than feeling betrayed."
Rise Above Challenges
Government rules caused a huge problem for the young Software Arts. Authors couldn't patent software. So it was only a matter of time before others copied what Bricklin devised.
He sold Software Arts to rival software company Lotus, maker of Lotus 1-2-3, another early spreadsheet. And while Bricklin didn't score a gigantic financial haul, he received major industry recognition.
And he's still at it, building software regular people can use. He is president of Software Garden, which makes software tools, such as Note Take HD, that converts hand written notes on the Apple iPad.
"We were developing tools that regular people can use to take a computer to solve their problems," he said. And in many ways, he still is.
Dan Bricklin's Keys
- Created VisiCalc, the first computer spreadsheet program.
- Overcame: Wondering whether it would all work out.
- Lesson: "We were trying to make the (computer revolution) happen. We were building things regular people would be able to use."
