Author Topic: Best spreadsheet (Read 94,391 times)

Niefer · « **on:** June 20, 2007, 01:30 PM »

I'm using spreadsheets (mainly Excel) for a long time - I'm an economist all the time playing with numbers - starting from DOS's SuperCalc. During the last 10 years I tried many spreadsheet programs including famous and not-famous, commercial and free, final and beta: Gnumeric, OpenOffice.org Calc, KSpread, Spread32 and so on.

Personally I tend to use freeware (especially portaple) soft, but MS Excel is just an exclusion - it's best of all completely. I can say that I'm even holding on Windows only because there is no alternative of Excel in Linux (I hope it's a matter of time).

Also there is a nice review of word processors . I'd like to see a similar review about spreadshets.

Please post your opinion about the best spreadsheet programs. I want to create a poll on this term but I just don't know "how to create a poll".

Excuse my English.

Darwin · « **Reply #1 on:** June 20, 2007, 02:12 PM »

Niefer - go to the General Discussion forum and click on the "Post New Poll" link at the right of the top of the forum index (see screen cap below!) - it's very easy from there.

[attachthumb=#]

Niefer · « **Reply #2 on:** June 20, 2007, 05:54 PM »

There is no "POST NEW POLL" there. You see my problem?

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** June 20, 2007, 06:02 PM »

Currently the forum is set up to only allow polls from supporting members, just to cut down on polls posted as spam.

Niefer · « **Reply #4 on:** June 20, 2007, 06:14 PM »

mouser: Ok now it's clear. But then could you start such a poll (not a spam) for me and other spreadsheet lovers?

mouser · « **Reply #5 on:** June 20, 2007, 06:26 PM »

Let's just let people make suggestions here in this thread, since i don't have the slightest idea which software to add to the poll.

So all you spreadsheet users, please tell us what programs you like best for working with spreadsheets!

Niefer · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2007, 08:36 PM »

Like the word processors review, I can define 3 groups of spreadsheet programs:

1. Big boys:
Microsoft Excel 2003 and OpenOffice.org 2.x Calc. Maybe there is another great spreadsheet program, I don't know...
My opinion: Excel is excellent.

2. The Rest:
Some are for DOS, some are not for Windows, some require Java, some are beta, some are abandoned etc.
Gnumeric is close to those above but still not so powerful. Also Spread32 is very small and quite good equipped.
And there are many not-so-pro level programs (alphabetical): Abykus, GS-Calc, Bean Sheet, CleanSheets, ConCalc, EasyCalc, Enable, Jeks, Lotus 1-2-3, Lucid 3D, MultiPlan, PlanMaker, QuattroPro, SuperCalc, Sharp Tools Spreadsheet, Sphygnic, SpreadCalc, SpreadPro, VisiCalc, VistaCalc...
My opinion: Spread32 - fast and full off functions..

3. Online:
These are - attention! New - online spreadsheets and offices and desktops (Web2).
Google Docs & Spreadsheet, ThinkFree Office, Zoho Sheet, DesktopTwo, AjaxXls, GHoSt, EditGrid, NumSum...
My opinion: ThinkFree - almost desktop power.

Ok I think the poll must contain only software from the 1st group.

CWuestefeld · « **Reply #7 on:** June 20, 2007, 08:46 PM »

As long as dinosaurs can go on the list, let me mention Enable. It's been gone for well over a decade, but I still haven't seen some of its nifty features replicated. In particular, its 3D model is much purer than any other spreadsheet I've ever seen. The spreadsheet really is a cube, and you can do operations that drill through multiple layers as naturally as with rows and columns.

Another nifty blast from the past was Lucid 3D, which used a hierarchical model. Any cell could be exploded into a new spreadsheet, and the value of the cell would be the result of calculations in that explosion sheet, carrying its value out via a designated cell.

Darwin · « **Reply #8 on:** June 20, 2007, 11:15 PM »

In the "rest" category, you can add SoftMaker's PlanMaker, which is the companion to TextMaker (and only availble, I believe as part of SoftMaker Office 2003/2006 or Ashampoo Office 2003/2006 - same package, different branding). It's very fully featured and stable.

ad-min · « **Reply #9 on:** September 09, 2007, 07:44 PM »

Yes, I really can recommend Softmaker's PlanMaker 2006

It's a great product. Just give their demo version a try. I think you won't regret it

They also plan to release Presentations, an excellent alternative to MS Powerpoint, later this year.

Darwin · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2007, 07:53 PM »

Just thought of another alternative (that I have never used...) that I don't see in niefer's original list: the spreadsheet component of Wordperfect Office.

PS I'm running the beta of Presentations as well - very impressive. I'm going to try it in a class for the first time tomorrow!

ad-min · « **Reply #11 on:** September 09, 2007, 08:02 PM »

Yes, I love their products. Fast, easy to use and nevertheless very powerful.

I am also looking forward to a new version of DataMaker, then their Office Suite would be complete

Darwin · « **Reply #12 on:** September 09, 2007, 08:05 PM »

I have a non-functioning link to DM in my SoftMaker Office 2006 apps toolbars. I've never been able to find out anything about it - is there a version already that is in beta?

ad-min · « **Reply #13 on:** September 09, 2007, 08:18 PM »

You can find some information here: http://www.softmaker.com/english/dm_en.htm

Some days ago they announced on their board that the public beta test for the complete new SoftMaker Office 2007 (including TextMaker, PlanMaker, Presentations and BasicMaker) will begin in some weeks.

After SoftMaker Office 2007 is ready and shipping they will start the public beta test of DataMaker in late autumn.

Darwin · « **Reply #14 on:** September 09, 2007, 09:25 PM »

Cool. Thanks ad-min, I'll check out the link you provided.

Plasma Man · « **Reply #15 on:** November 30, 2007, 03:08 PM »

SoftMaker is very good and solidly designed. They now have a USB version as well.

Another strong candidate for top spreadsheet is Quantrix:
http://www.quantrix.com/

Take the tour - if you find it gets a bit tedious after a few mins you can hop through the modules and see how it works.

Read about the key concepts behind the design:
http://www.quantrix.com/Whitepapers.htm

This is one of most interesting office apps I've seen for quite some time. Very refreshing to use after Excel.

cmpm · « **Reply #16 on:** December 03, 2007, 12:44 PM »

This one is free, though it's slow to load at first.
Java based.

I'm not a spreadsheet user, but I do use other parts of it.

http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #17 on:** December 03, 2007, 01:53 PM »

Quote from: Plasma Man on November 30, 2007, 03:08 PM

Another strong candidate for top spreadsheet is Quantrix:
http://www.quantrix.com/

Take the tour - if you find it gets a bit tedious after a few mins you can hop through the modules and see how it works.

Wow, Quantix looks fantastic. It's pretty revolutionary; I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft bought them and incorporated bits of their stuff into Excel.

One of the few times I've watched an online demo and wished I has a use for what I was watching. Very nice!

Darwin · « **Reply #18 on:** December 03, 2007, 02:54 PM »

Quantrix looks NICE. Unfortunately, it's a Pro tool with a price to match (in either the Standard or Pro flavour). I can't help thinking that it looks perfect for my PhD, though... and they do offer academic pricing... Right, nothing for it but to download a demo

urlwolf · « **Reply #19 on:** December 03, 2007, 04:33 PM »

I think excel 2007 has named cells, and pivot tables can do much of what the demo advertises as Quantrix-only.

Still, I'm salivating too...

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #20 on:** December 03, 2007, 04:36 PM »

Yeah, but Excel pivots are a pain in the butt to use... the demo makes it look absurdly easy in Quantrix.

In fact I can easily imagine myself accidently creating a million-cell Quantrix spreadsheet.

Darwin · « **Reply #21 on:** December 03, 2007, 06:44 PM »

I've already e-mailed them about academic licensing, so I'll let you know what they say, urlwolf. I've downloaded the demo and installed it but haven't done anything with it yet (other than to try opening/importing an excel file - no dice). My initial impression is that the GUI is beautifully thought out and executed. I have 30 days to wring it out and will report back with my progress.

PPLandry · « **Reply #22 on:** December 03, 2007, 10:21 PM »

Quote from: Ralf Maximus on December 03, 2007, 04:36 PM

Yeah, but Excel pivots are a pain in the butt to use... the demo makes it look absurdly easy in Quantrix.

In fact I can easily imagine myself accidently creating a million-cell Quantrix spreadsheet.

If what you're looking for is a grid to import/enter data and perform analysis (pivot tables and charts), SQLNotes will do that. It supports calculations too, even user defined functions (uses VBScript: if then else, do loops, instr, etc.), enforced at the field level (not at individual cell level). It will import spreadsheet data and allow you to save any number of pivot tables/charts on this data (printable and exportable). And the pivot is easier to use than Excel's. Excel and MSAccess can also link to SQLNotes data to create complex reports
www.sqlnotes.net and,
http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=10432.0

Best of all, it is free while in beta (with 500+ testers, it is very stable)

Darwin · « **Reply #23 on:** December 06, 2007, 03:23 PM »

Well... nothing to report about Academic pricing on Quantrix because I've yet to receive a response from them. On other fronts, AFAICT it will only import files in one of two proprietary formats, which means that all of my HUGE excel files filled with data would, presumably, have to be manually reentered into a new Quantrix Model. Ouch.

Time to start digging around in the help file (again, actually).

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #24 on:** December 06, 2007, 05:19 PM »

Darwin, just outta curiosity: have you tried highlighting sections of Excel and copy/pasting them into Quantrix?