ViewSheet is a spreadsheet program produced in the 1980s by Acornsoft for use with the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron microcomputers. It was distributed as a pre-installed ROM with some computer models, such as the Master. ViewSheet was written by Mark Colton.
Description
ViewSheet supports spreadsheets of up to 255 by 255 cells in size. Each cell can contain a number, formula or text label. Cells are referred to as slots in the official Acornsoft documentation. The program is supplied with a keyboard card listing the various commands, which on the BBC Micro is placed under the clear plastic strip above the function keys.
The spreadsheet is entered by typing <code>*SHEET</code>. All BBC Micro screen modes are supported, and the background and foreground colours can be changed by use of <code>Ctrl-S,n,n,0,0,0</code> key sequences. and a book ViewSheet and Viewstore: A Dabhand Guide by Graham Bell was published by Dabs Press in 1989.
David Brown, in his review for The Micro User states that ViewSheet "succeeds in providing all the basic spreadsheet functions in a well presented package". Although, he also cites several shortcomings of the program, writing "In conclusion, Viewsheet's major failing is to provide adequate facilities for textual labelling." and finishes by noting "Acornsoft is capable of producing better programs".