But in this post we explain how Google could still win the spreadsheet game by buying eXpress Corp.

"forget about Google - they are having probs!

So here is good old fashioned xls"

The rule for start-ups - confidence takes a long time to win and a second to lose.

Google could win by buying eXpress Corp. We reviewed the product here. It is a natural bridge product for Google. They can get clients onto a collaborative Excel and then switch them to a mature all Google product when it is really ready for prime time.

Or Microsoft or Yahoo could buy eXpresso. No, I do not have any interest in eXpresso - I wish I did :-)

Then again, Google could just buy stronger Expresso and give it to their programmers and tell them to work harder and faster :-)

The problem with spreadsheets that their system is trying to address has to do with those who need to derive data from multiple spreadsheets (two or more). Although it's easy enough to perform sorts, build macros, and create formulas within one spreadsheet, when needing to compare values in multiple spreadsheets the process becomes more difficult.

The company's app, The Semantic Discovery System for Excel, or just SDS for short, will look for similar columns or rows between the sheets and then "semantically" connects them. They don't appear to just be throwing that term around either - the app uses the same W3C Semantic Web technologies (RDF, OWL, SPARQL) to help you capture "meaning, intelligence, and knowledge" from the data saved in your spreadsheets.

Do We Need Semantic Desktop Apps?

Does SDS solve a business problem that is not yet being addressed through current technologies? In my experience, the short answer to this question is "no." (But wait, there's more...)

Typically, when a business has need of comparing and analyzing large amounts of data, the solution is to turn to a database product that can then be queried and from which custom reports can be pulled. And a business doesn't need to spend a lot of money on a robust solution to do so - even a smaller business can create a database by using inexpensive desktop software.

However, the difference between using a database technology and "semantically connecting" some spreadsheets comes down to for whom this product is being built. In the past, databases and other business intelligence apps were built as if the creators knew that the only person using them would be an I.T. guy or gal. SDS, instead, aims to satisfy the needs of the non-technical end user.

Is this another example of tech populism at work? It certainly looks like it. Yet, in this case their market is small - a non-technical user who's also a power user with Excel? There's usually some overlap there. Not to mention, by the time you've achieved "power user" status, you've often also figured out how to do more complicated things in Excel...like, say, formulas that work across spreadsheets, for example - the very pain points this app is trying to address.

Still, it's an interesting concept to think of taking the semantic web capabilities and integrating them into everyday programs to add a layer of intelligence to these programs as well. Done correctly, it could improve the capabilities of our favorite software apps without making the programs overly complex, which is what typically happens when you add more features.

What do you think? Is the Semantic Desktop (that is, semantically-enabled desktop apps) right around the corner? Or is this product and those like it too niche to find an audience? Let us know what you think in the comments.

eXpresso was named as one of PC World's 25 Most Innovative Products of the Year for 2007. PC World succinctly summed the product up: "[it] allows Excel users to share their spreadsheets, online or off." eXpresso is different from the web office contenders that you normally hear about on ReadWriteWeb for three reasons:

eXpresso say they want to replace Powerpoint as well. I think that’s a mistake. I would urge them to go long and deep on the Excel front. There is little logical connection or synergy between Excel and Powerpoint. The whole Powerpoint paradigm is flawed and will get replaced by Screencast and YouTube type presentations, in my opinion.

Excel really is a unique product. It could be a winner for a long time to come with some simple updating. Microsoft currently seems to want to push integration through SharePoint. Thats not want users want. The IT guys may like that and tell Microsoft thats the right way to go but Microsoft did best when the listened to users more than to IT.

Users don’t care a hoot about SharePoint but if you try taking away Excel you will hear muttering about “over my dead body”. So many start-ups have tried to create a programming environment that ordinary business people can use and nobody has succeeded. Excel delivers on this promise and has for a long time. A novice can be productive in minutes. An expert can find endless ways to add sophistication and capability.

Collaboration really is the missing piece. I used Xcellery first for a simple sales forecasting application where 4 people had to enter forecasts. It worked a treat and there was no set up or re-training required. Millions of people have the same need.

Collaboration is also easy with Excel as there is an obvious unit for the locking - a cell. This is much harder with Word and Powerpoint.

Two real world stories illustrate the power of Excel. One was the CEO of an outsourcing company who said that one of the first things they looked for was a high level of proficiency in Excel. Without that it was, pass. The other was a comment by a vendor selling high end financial trading systems about Excel replacing the browser. The IT guys in the room were aghast with horror at the idea. The users were “yep that’s right”. Excel has handled real time updates pretty well for traders for over a decade; long before Ajax.