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I'd productize this more as the next level of "spreadsheet" than of "programming language". These kinds of visual programming things always seem to come out wi

I'd productize this more as the next level of "spreadsheet" than of "programming language". These kinds of visual programming things always seem to come out with lots of fanfare but then never get used for real work. The spreadsheet, however, is by nature reactive, relational, visual, impromptu, yada yada. But even though spreadsheet tech has added lots of functionality over the years, it's still essentially based on an old paper grid. I could see a product like this challenging that old basis with something more modern. But it still has to do all the stuff regular spreadsheets can do too. And ensuring that it can, and in an intuitive fashion, should probably be the first priority.

mch82 9y ago
Or start by doing enough of the stuff Excel can't do easily or at all and then grow into what you've described. For example: * Plot 3d (x,y,z) and 4d (x,y,z,time) graphs * Hook into data streams * Multi-user editing * JSON-like data structures beyond 2d row-column data structures * Improved output formatting
- daxfohl 9y ago
  I'd be happy enough with floating sheets. To resolve those common things where you've got two different sections, like an analysis with a summary section below it. It's annoying because e.g. changing the column width on the top part also changes the column width on the independent thing below it. A tool that lets me put multiple independent sheets on the same page would be great. If the tool can be programmed to run image processing algorithms on the same page, that's fine too. I'd view "IO" as almost equivalent to "Macro" in that instance. Though not quite. I'd like to be able to have e.g. $A$1 be a filename and $A$2 be the image in file $A$1, and that to be understood as a "pure" transform, even though under the hood it's got to open the file. So "application-scope purity" rather than process-scope purity.

mch82 9y ago

Or start by doing enough of the stuff Excel can't do easily or at all and then grow into what you've described. For example: * Plot 3d (x,y,z) and 4d (x,y,z,time) graphs * Hook into data streams * Multi-user editing * JSON-like data structures beyond 2d row-column data structures * Improved output formatting

daxfohl 9y ago
I'd be happy enough with floating sheets. To resolve those common things where you've got two different sections, like an analysis with a summary section below it. It's annoying because e.g. changing the column width on the top part also changes the column width on the independent thing below it. A tool that lets me put multiple independent sheets on the same page would be great. If the tool can be programmed to run image processing algorithms on the same page, that's fine too. I'd view "IO" as almost equivalent to "Macro" in that instance. Though not quite. I'd like to be able to have e.g. $A$1 be a filename and $A$2 be the image in file $A$1, and that to be understood as a "pure" transform, even though under the hood it's got to open the file. So "application-scope purity" rather than process-scope purity.