

Why Excel still dominates the market - sutterbomb
http://damngruchy.tumblr.com/post/49806461415/supermassiveasshole-i-was-teaching-my-grandma

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lifeguard
It should say, 'because Excel is bundled with MS Office, the only software Joe
Sixpack can buy at the computer store'. Monopoly also has a long tail.

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sutterbomb
Sure, there are many reasons. My point for posting is that one of those
reasons is that people with any skill set can, and do, pick it up and bend it
to whatever purpose they desire.

There have been a number of HN discussions over the past few months debating
why "inferior" products like Excel can continue to dominate while solutions
that are "better" are constantly struggling to find market share. Having a
program that is somehow useful for everyone from major banks to 80 year old
retirees is an important factor in the longevity of this software - even if it
isn't necessarily the perfect tool for every use case.

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lifeguard
Free spreadsheets have been available for many years. Excel was feature
complete in 1998. Monopoly perpetuates it.

