Recommendation for a super simple guide to Calc?

[RichardWall]

All the tutorials and guides I’ve read so far are either way too advanced or way too “introductory”. Never have I had such a problem getting a relevant guide for software for a new user. You would think the first thing they would talk about in a spreadsheet program is how to program each column’s function. After all, that IS the whole point of a spreadsheet program, right? Enter figures in a column and things occur automatically. That’s why we use them…I think.

So can anyone point us nuubies to a simple guide for doing that without 90 pages of drivel on:
What the guide will teach me.
Why the guide was written.
Who the guide was written for.
What the credentials of the author are and the history of the author in minute detail.
And on and on. (Sort of like this post!)

[anon73440385]

You are absolutely free to not use the software. It is that simple and you absolutely got no right to demand anything as if voluntary developers are some kind of a vendor, which you pay for using a piece of software, which is being developed so other people may benefit (or not) .That’s the nature of free software… All your comments are pure offense of people spending their free-time in developing this software suite and your statements are demonstration of an entitlement mentality.

[JamesJoseph]

I disagree that it’s “offense”. He’s just giving his opinion, not being offensive. That’s how creativity works. It’s called “feedback”, and it’s appreciated. Otherwise nothing much will ever change in this world. Cheers!

[mikekaganski]

@JamesJoseph: have you read the comments below the answer by @Lupp to say so? Of course, calling people who provide the suite to the world for free and without any strings attached “brain dead” is totally appreciated.

[Lupp]

The proper entry point can be very different for different users depending on where they come from.

You may visit a short collection of short tutorials for unexperienced userst feeling short of time.
You find one here: https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewforum.php?f=96/. Best start with Ten concepts that every Calc user should know.

However: This can never give enough to someone wanting to create definitely useful spreadsheets, and it also may not stress sufficiently what kinds of usage were tried by the thousands of times without much success.

Probably you will write the guide you are looking for one day yourself. Don’t forget then to forego the credentials of the author.

[RichardWall]

All beginners want is how to add, subtract, multiple and divide. Just basic math. And its really only add and subtract for 99% of first users. Of course the logical way to design a program like this is to take the most used functions (addition & subtraction) and offer it automatically as an option. One column adds, one column subtracts, the third column is the sum. So simple. That would help 99% of first users right away. That would be logical. They can’t even label the program logically. Its scalc.exe instead of calc.exe. A perfect example. I will never understand why techies seem to think in such convoluted fashion. Its a spreadsheet program. So call it spreadsheet.exe. Or LOspreadsheet.exe. The text part should be LOWord.exe. But no. swriter.exe is chosen. Why put an s in front? I’m sure someone has a bizarre answer for this kind of thinking. Sorry for the rant. I just see this everywhere in software design and its responsible for why its not used more.

[RichardWall]

For you brain dead designers out there, please contemplate this:
Good design is intuitive RIGHT AWAY. Basic functions and their superiority should be evident immediately. As the user progresses they opt for more features. But if you design it so a short novel has to be read (often multiple times) before basic use you are eliminating 95% of your prospective users. This type of design doesn’t mean it in any way restricts what options you want to include. Its like peeling off layers of an onion. There’s more to see the deeper you go. I mean, this is the point of writing software right? For maximum usage? To get paid by people for using it? You do have to eat, right?
Put yourself in the place of the new user. Pick a subject you may be completely unfamiliar with. Say creative writing. You need to write something with particular layout and just want to know how to lay it out that way. Shouldn’t be hard, right? But in almost all text programs it IS hard. Its not intuitive!

[RichardWall]

There’s a lot of really great talent out there that is not being recognized because designers are not thinking like first time users. Maybe they feel this is beneath them. Well the money these first time users have in their pockets is something the designers need, sooner or later. And the only way you’re going to get paid is if a lot of people use your products. Sure there’s a few first time users that are very adept at picking up new concepts but the vast majority simply are not.

[RichardWall]

And thank you Lupp for your recommendation. I’m going through it now. Its pretty concise.

[Lupp]

Quoting @RichardWall: “For you brain dead designers out there, please contemplate this:…”
Whom are you talking to? Thsi is a site for users asking questions and users trying to help with answers. Basically it is “Peer to Peer”, but you won’t understand that. .
Sorry! To answer such a narcissistic nasty flail at all was wasted time.
Rest well on you “great talent”.