Sarasota PC Monitor
Excel 2007: The Missing Manual
A Book Review
by Reviewers name
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.The revolutionary electronic Spreadsheet was the "killerapp" that transformed the personal computer from a hobbyist's plaything into a serious business tool. It took the form of a primitive, flawed, clunky tool called VisiCalc which stood for Visible Calculator. Introduced in 1979, it made the business world take the microcomputer seriously and propelled Apple into the computer mainstream.
VisiCalc had obvious defects, but it was far superior to manual calculation. The program had copywrite, but not patent protection so competitors quickly took the concept, changed the layout along with other minor alterations and claimed to have a superior product. Into the marketplace came Lotus 1-2-3, SuperCalc, MultiPlan, and a spreadsheet module in Apple Works.
Microsoft noticed this and in 1985 introduced Microsoft Excel for the Mac OS in 1985. A similar version for Windows 2.0 was released in 1987. Since then Excel has evolved into the dominant spreadsheet for these platforms and has been so since version 5 in 1993.
Excel 2007: The Missing Manual, by Mathew MacDonald is essential for anyone who works with spreadsheets, but does not have ready access to technical assistance. Small businesses and anyone who wants to organize household information will find this book indispensable.
Over time Excel has grown in power and function, but the user interface has remained consistent with each new version. Microsoft has completely redesigned the look and feel of the program with a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate and use. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is practically non-existent, so finding and figuring out what to do with these features is needlessly difficult.
This manual is a handy reference and instruction guidebook whether you're building a basic spreadsheet or engaged in advanced data analysis. Readers are treated to a one-of-a-kind learning experience, much like having private lessons with the author. Anyone with any level of experience can use this book immediately without being intimidated by an arcane style of writing.
The author's breezy, have-some-fun-while-you-learn style makes it easy to calculate how many days remain to your spouse's birthday. If you like more complexity, you can make Excel suggest an optimum investment portfolio based on the rate of return you want and your risk tolerance. If you really like to complicate things you can program Excel with XML (don't ask).
If you can't live without Excel on your computer, you need this book. It can be obtained from its well-known publisher at discount for our members. Get 35% off from O'Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, Syngress, or YoungJin products you purchase directly from O'Reilly. Free ground shipping on orders of $29.95 or more in the US. Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938
Excel 2007: The Missing Manual Mathew MacDonald
Pogue Press, O'Reilly Media" $39.99, 831 pages,
ISBN-10: 0-596-52759-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-596-52759-4 :
Copyright 2007. This article is from the March 2007 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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