about the spreadsheet calculator,
a spreadsheet that is available
under Linux.
I'm a big fan of the spreadsheet
calculator, more commonly known
as sc. I'll call it sc from now on.
The great beauty of sc is that you
type commands and your hands never
leave the keyboard.
How is this done? Mostly by making everything
a keystroke command rather than a mouse
command.
In fact, I've never ever used a mouse
with sc at all.
No mouse? How do you do anything without
a mouse?
It's very easy living without a mouse once
you get the hang of it. The downside, though,
is you have to remember a lot of commands.
Those who are familiar with the vi editor,
which is also available under Linux, will know
what I'm talking about. Using vi, or
using the more modern vim editor, enables
you to work without using a mouse.
I have nothing against using a mouse. However,
the cost of using a mouse is high if you are
using software that you use frequently for hours
on end.
What are the advantages of a mouse? You don't
have to know anything. A mouse is great because
it knocks down barriers to entry.
What barrier to entry? The barrier that keeps
you from using the software the first time you
encounter it.
So, to summarize, a mouse is great if you are
using software that you use infrequently. Why?
Because you don't have to remember too much. All
you need to do is find one menu and then another
and then click on a menu item.
That's what is so great about a mouse. You can
discover how to use the software without having
to read a manual.
However, a mouse can also be highly seductive. You
can be seduced into thinking you are working
more efficiently than you actually are.
Back to sc. The sc spreadsheet
allows you to work without a mouse. You can
type one command after another without your
hands ever leaving the keyboard.
Here are some examples of what I mean. Here
are some of the things you can do with sc
without ever having to take your hands off
of your keyboard:
- Enter data in a cell
- Choose to format data for
that cell with dollars signs
or commas or whatever. - Move to another cell
- Copy a row of cells to
another row - Merge in a bunch of cells
from another spreadsheet - Delete a hundred rows
- Insert a hundred blank
rows - Do a copy and paste of
a group of cells from one part
of the spreadsheet to another.
My life would be so much more painful
without the spreadsheet calculator
known as sc.
It's so painful for me to think of
cutting and pasting groups of cells
with a mouse.
I'm so glad I don't have to do this!
Some years ago, I was a member of a
stockmarket club. For many different
reasons, I used an Excel spreadsheet.
I would do exactly the same thing today.
I would use an Excel spreadsheet today
if I had to do the same job all over
again.
However, that was because I was preparing
a report that had to be presented
to others. When working with other
people, I think it is wise to use
software that other people are more
familiar with.
I'm not dogmatic about this kind of thing.
I use whatever software is most appropriate.
Here's where sc excels (pun
unintentional). sc is great
when you are doing spreadsheet work
that only you will see.
For example, I use sc to rough
out all my figures before filling out
a tax form. If I had to do the same
thing with Excel, I probably
would not bother.
I'd find another way.
With sc, using a spreadsheet
as a scratchpad is so easy once you
know the commands.
You just type sc name-of-spreadsheet
and start working without delay.
There's no delay as you look for an icon
to get started and there is no startup
delay. Everything is right there in
front of your eyes.
I scratch out all my tax forms (which
are many) in one spreadsheet file that
is less than 100K in size.
That's right, you can work all day on
a spreadsheet at lightning speed and
your file will likely be less than 100K
in size.
In fact, I have a spreadsheet that is over
three thousand lines long that would take
me days and days to re-create. This is a
spreadsheet I used at one time to do
inventory control for my local church
bookstore.
The bookstore spreadsheet is less than half
a megabyte in size. Again, it is over
three thousand lines long.
So, as you can see, sc has a very
very light footprint.
There are many many cases where I use sc
where if I had to do it with another spreadsheet
program, I would not bother.
I don't use sc to make extra work
for myself. I use it to make things easy.
I remember the many hours it took me to
do the stock market portfolio report on
the Excel spreadsheet. While
Excel was exactly the right tool
for that particular job, it was very very
time consuming.
My Excel spreadsheet was less than
100 lines long. Yet, it was very very
time-consuming working with it. I spent
several hours a month updating that thing.
However, the Excel spreadsheet also
produced a great result in terms of printing
and formatting. I have no regrets having
used it.
However, so many times ,what I'm trying to
accomplish is much lighter. In those
cases, sc is the lightweight choice
for me.
If I only want to scratch out a few figures,
sc is the right choice for me.
Ed Abbott
