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I have the original install disks for BoeingCalc, the precusor to the more famous VisiCalc (Excel) but they're unreadable using consumer grade tech. Probably th

I have the original install disks for BoeingCalc, the precusor to the more famous VisiCalc (Excel) but they're unreadable using consumer grade tech. Probably the only public copy of the software that I'm aware of.

kevingadd 7y ago
If you contact the Internet Archive, they might be interested in the disks and might have the necessary hardware to copy them. Try Jason Scott, maybe.
- drankula3 7y ago
  Yeah, a single iso can be recovered from multiple disks with different damaged sections using software like ddrescue[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ddrescue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ddrescue
acqq 7y ago
> BoeingCalc, the precusor to the more famous VisiCalc No way: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc VisiCalc: Initial release 1979 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperCalc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperCalc SuperCalc: Initial release 1980 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplan Multiplan: Initial release 1982 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3 Lotus 1 2 3: Initial release 1983 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Calc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Calc Boeing Calc: Initial release 1985 (6 years after VisiCalc). As it was released, it could read "standard" VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 documents, according to Computerworld: https://books.google.at/books?id=97eagSKygYsC&pg=PA48&redir_esc=y https://books.google.at/books?id=97eagSKygYsC&pg=PA48&redir_... What's interesting about Boeing Calc is that it allowed storage of its documents "online". But it was surely only for specific local setup, so it was probably "on the local server."
- hadlock 7y ago
  Ah, I think what I was remembering was that you could have multiple worksheets/"tabs" and run calcs between them, like modern excel. I don't think visicalc supported that level of complexity until later.

kevingadd 7y ago

If you contact the Internet Archive, they might be interested in the disks and might have the necessary hardware to copy them. Try Jason Scott, maybe.

drankula3 7y ago
Yeah, a single iso can be recovered from multiple disks with different damaged sections using software like ddrescue[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ddrescue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ddrescue

acqq 7y ago

> BoeingCalc, the precusor to the more famous VisiCalc No way: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc VisiCalc: Initial release 1979 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperCalc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperCalc SuperCalc: Initial release 1980 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplan Multiplan: Initial release 1982 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_1-2-3 Lotus 1 2 3: Initial release 1983 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Calc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Calc Boeing Calc: Initial release 1985 (6 years after VisiCalc). As it was released, it could read "standard" VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 documents, according to Computerworld: https://books.google.at/books?id=97eagSKygYsC&pg=PA48&redir_esc=y https://books.google.at/books?id=97eagSKygYsC&pg=PA48&redir_... What's interesting about Boeing Calc is that it allowed storage of its documents "online". But it was surely only for specific local setup, so it was probably "on the local server."

hadlock 7y ago
Ah, I think what I was remembering was that you could have multiple worksheets/"tabs" and run calcs between them, like modern excel. I don't think visicalc supported that level of complexity until later.