If I had to choose only one application
for my business, it would be a
spreadsheet. Besides performing math
calculations on rows and columns of
numbers, today's spreadsheets can
store and retrieve records like a database,
format documents and graphics
like a word processor, and produce
outlines and time lines like a scheduling
program.
Over the years,
the best use of spreadsheets I've seen
has come from Turtle Creek
Software. The company started out
with a Macintosh product called
MacNail, which uses a set of templates
for the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
(both Mac and Windows versions).
The latest version of MacNail
can perform estimates, calculate payroll,
track job costs, schedule jobs,
and create material lists — in short,
it can practically run