I chatted with Gemini about it seems close:
"""It sounds like you were using the Jacquard J100 or J500 specifically as a "shared-logic" workstation.
...
The Software: AM Jacquard "Data-Rite"
While Jacquard was famous for its Type-Rite word processor, the spreadsheet-like functionality for bankers was likely a component of Data-Rite.
Here is why your description fits so perfectly:
Row-Column Text Format: Unlike modern spreadsheets that are "cell-centric," these early systems were often "record-centric." They functioned more like a flat-file database, with each row a record and each column a field.
The "Formula Bar": In Jacquard’s system, you didn't usually put a formula into an individual cell. You entered a "Procedure" or a "Calculation Rule" at the top of a column.
"Drawing Down": When you "drew the bar down," you were essentially telling the mini-computer to execute a Batch Process on the text file. It would sweep through the records, applying your math (e.g., Col C = Col A * Col B) to every row in the file."""
It was old when I got there. I never saw any manual; they barely let me touch it.
I chatted with Gemini about it seems close: """It sounds like you were using the Jacquard J100 or J500 specifically as a "shared-logic" workstation. ... The Software: AM Jacquard "Data-Rite" While Jacquard was famous for its Type-Rite word processor, the spreadsheet-like functionality for bankers was likely a component of Data-Rite. Here is why your description fits so perfectly: Row-Column Text Format: Unlike modern spreadsheets that are "cell-centric," these early systems were often "record-centric." They functioned more like a flat-file database, with each row a record and each column a field. The "Formula Bar": In Jacquard’s system, you didn't usually put a formula into an individual cell. You entered a "Procedure" or a "Calculation Rule" at the top of a column. "Drawing Down": When you "drew the bar down," you were essentially telling the mini-computer to execute a Batch Process on the text file. It would sweep through the records, applying your math (e.g., Col C = Col A * Col B) to every row in the file.""" It was old when I got there. I never saw any manual; they barely let me touch it.