Blist: database as a spreadsheet
January 30, 2008
Demo 2008 is where all the cool new technology toys are showcased. If new technology interests you then Chris Shipley’s Demo show is the place to be. I’ve met Chris on a couple of occasions and she’s a seriously smart people connector.
I can’t be at Demo in person but it doesn’t stop me getting a front row seat courtesy of BitGravity’s excellent streaming video. How the world is collapsing? My colleague Dan Farber wrote up Blist, a database that behaves like a spreadsheet:
Blist allows you to store lists of infinite length in a cell, store documents, and set photos, checkmarks and ratings as column types. You can even have a table in a cell, create pick lists with icons, and show thumbnails of Web URLs. Searches can be initiated by dragging and dropping items for the query.
First glance suggests this is a welcome addition to the stable of applications that endeavour to take 20 year old technology paradigms and turn them on their head.
As a profession, we should be at least aware of these developments. Despite the Microsoft hegemony, many potential users avoid this kind of application because they’re just too hard to understand. Simply because vendors like Blist are outside the mainstream does not mean we should dismiss their efforts. If anything, we should try them and see where they add client value. That’s the essence of innovation.
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