You're both right. Spreadsheets are already a (poor) programming paradigm called Functional Reactive. I say it's poor but it does something amazing: it doesn't require structure, planning, and forethought; and it can be used by anyone. The problem is that these constraints pull at each other: make it more powerful and you make it less useful.
I think it's only when you make a complete rewrite from the bottom up in another paradigm that you can extend the power while retaining the usefulness.
'I think it's only when you make a complete rewrite from the bottom up in another paradigm that you can extend the power while retaining the usefulness.'
True, but again, look at the users. People with very poor IT knowledge and very scared of change. Any new solution pointing at this market will have to:1) be as easy to use as excel; 2) much better than excel (why change otherwise?).
I think that being better than excel overall is impossible, but looking into specific businesses and uses it should be.
David, if you have something better than excel in mind, I'll be glad to hear that.
Personally, I have been giving it a lot of thought and I can't come up with a complete better solution. But other (Palo, Hyperion) seems to make money on solutions that do not change the excel paradigma.
I think it's only when you make a complete rewrite from the bottom up in another paradigm that you can extend the power while retaining the usefulness.