zserge

zserge / kalk

Public

Modern VisiCalc clone for the terminal

zserge.compostsvisicalc
46
4
100% credibility
Found Mar 21, 2026 at 46 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
C
AI Summary

kalk is a minimal, single-file terminal spreadsheet inspired by VisiCalc, supporting cell formulas, CSV files, formatting, and row/column operations.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discover kalk

You find a simple spreadsheet program that runs in your terminal, perfect for quick calculations without fancy software.

2
📥 Get it ready

Download the files and follow the short guide to prepare it on your computer so it's ready to use.

3
🚀 Start the spreadsheet

Run the program, optionally opening an existing data file like your budget list.

4
✨ Enter your data

Use arrow keys to move around the grid, type numbers, words, or formulas like summing cells to watch calculations update instantly.

5
⚙️ Shape your sheet

Press slash for handy tools to add or remove rows and columns, change how numbers look, or copy patterns across cells.

6
🔒 Freeze headers

Lock top rows or side columns so they stay visible while scrolling through your data.

7
💾 Save your work

Save everything as a simple data file you can open later or share, then quit safely.

✅ Crisp calculations

You now have a lightweight, fast spreadsheet for budgets, lists, or math right in your terminal, anytime.

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Star Growth

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AI-Generated Review

What is kalk?

kalk is a terminal-based spreadsheet inspired by VisiCalc, written in pure C using ncurses for a no-frills interface. Fire it up with `kalk budget.csv` to load, edit cells with formulas like `+A1*B2` or `@SUM(A1...A10)`, and handle inserts, deletes, replicates, and frozen panes via slash commands like `/IR` for insert row or `/R` for copy with relative refs. It auto-adjusts cell references on row/column ops and saves back to CSV, perfect for quick number crunching in a modern unix style.

Why is it gaining traction?

In a world of bloated GUIs like Excel or Google Sheets, kalk stands out as a single-file, dependency-light tool that feels like github modern C—hackable, fast, and terminal-native. Features like absolute refs (`$A$1`), formatting (`/F$`), and smart replication make it punch above its weight for lightweight tasks, without the bloat of full frameworks. Devs dig the VisiCalc nostalgia with modern twists like CSV roundtrips that preserve formulas.

Who should use this?

Sysadmins SSH'd into servers for ad-hoc data analysis, scripters automating CSV reports, or embedded devs needing calc without X11. Ideal for vim/CLI workflows where you want Excel basics like sums and fills, but in a 10KB binary.

Verdict

Grab it if you crave a modern unix spreadsheet in C—MIT licensed, self-contained, with solid tests—but at 46 stars and 1.0% credibility, it's early-stage and niche. Fork and extend for your github modern profile; don't bet production data on it yet.

(198 words)

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