[beat]

What I want is for people to stop using spreadsheets for anything but numbers.

There's a terrible habit just about everywhere computers are used to use Excel as a catch-all table generator for whatever grid-like data someone wants to capture (task lists, for example). It's a terrible tool for that - the cell editor is actively hostile to entering text. And frankly, I think the majority of Excel use is for exactly this sort of clunky, awkward crud, not actual spreadsheeting.

Rather than trying to build a better spreadsheet, build a better grid-oriented text capturing device with some spreadsheet functionality.

[codingfounder]

You have struck the nail on the head. I have wished for this exact thing - a better grid-oriented text capturing device - so many times. By inverting the focus, you have helped me look at it in a way that might just be the thing I needed. Thank you so much.

[beat]

Drop me a line at the email in my profile... I'm really interested in how you go about this. I've thought about exactly this product, but stuck on the "If you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" effect, which is why businesses use horrid Excel for this duty in the first place. How do you get them to buy in? Your multi-platform approach might be the answer.

ps: Have you used any of 37signals' products? Look to them for UI simplicity. I think there's a real danger in adding too much functionality here.