This article walks through building a minimalist VisiCalc clone in C, covering the core data model (cells, grid), a recursive‑descent parser for formulas, dependency handling via repeated recalculation, and a text‑based UI using ncurses. It explains how to parse cell references, evaluate expressions, and implement a simple modal interface with commands, editing, and navigation. The post culminates in a working terminal spreadsheet that supports basic functions like @SUM, @ABS, @INT, and @SQRT, and demonstrates how to render the grid, status bar, and edit line. It also discusses limitations and possible extensions, linking to the full implementation on GitHub.
A recent study shows that one large language model (LLM) demonstrates impressive linguistic analysis abilities, rivaling those of human linguistics graduate students. Researchers tested LLMs on complex linguistic tasks, including recursion and phonological rule inference, revealing that OpenAI’s o1 model performed significantly better than others, challenging conventional views on the limits of AI in understanding language.
