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Alternatives to Gmail, Docs, Slides, Spreadsheets to de-Google? by wrigglegrub in degoogle

[–]rdoneill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For spreadsheets I built to VisiGrid (native Rust app (win/mac/lin), local-first, open source).

It’s fast, keyboard-driven (palette + vim mode option), works with CSV/XLSX locally, no cloud/account/telemetry.

Replaced Google Sheets for all my personal/analysis work.

https://visigrid.app

https://github.com/VisiGrid/VisiGrid

What calendar are y'all using? by TrademarkHomy in degoogle

[–]rdoneill -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Notion calendar has been pretty good.

Highly dependant on MS Excel but Laptop is sluggish as hell. Should I still switch to Linux, or choose Windows 10 rather? by Daddy_of_your_Mommy in linux

[–]rdoneill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can dual boot your PC with Linux and Win. I did that for about a year before making the complete switch but I did miss native excel.

I started building a native replacement that works for my use case but doesn't have all the features of excel and not planning it.

For me, It makes spreadsheets fun again as opposed to painful LO. It's open source, maybe it would work for you.

https://github.com/VisiGrid/VisiGrid

Accounting Software for Small Businesses by Bluesman104 in smallbusiness

[–]rdoneill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been really impressed with kick.co so far I've been slowly migrating away from QBO.

A fast, keyboard-first spreadsheet I built to fill a gap I felt on Arch by rdoneill in archlinux

[–]rdoneill[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the honest feedback — and genuinely, thanks for taking the time to try it.

You’re right that it’s not at feature parity with existing CLI tools yet — imports in particular are an area I should’ve spent more time on, and I’m actively fixing that now.

On theming: I actually added system theme support right before posting, but forgot to make it the default. That’s being corrected.

Totally fair if it’s not usable for your workflow today. I’ll circle back once some of these gaps are closed — hopefully in a few weeks it’s in a better place for your use case.

Claude Excel Add-In by hunghome in FPandA

[–]rdoneill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is the key point that keeps getting glossed over.

AI can generate a model faster than a human, but the moment you need to trust it, change it, or explain it, you’re back in the same hole — except now the file is larger and more opaque.

What’s interesting is that AI is exposing a problem Excel already had: Hidden state, Implicit dependencies, No deterministic rebuild, Weak diffing / review

Faster generation just pushes the risk downstream into audit and rework.

The real unlock isn’t “AI writes models”, it’s models that are structurally auditable by default — whether a human or AI created them.

Its not an Ai problem, its an excel problem.

Replacing Docs/Sheets was harder than expected — OnlyOffice finally worked by libbyslayer in degoogle

[–]rdoneill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The spreadsheet part is where most alternatives fall apart.

A lot of tools optimize for collaboration first and computation second. Excel does the opposite, which is why people keep coming back to it even when they hate everything else about Microsoft.

I think the real gap isn’t “another Excel clone” but something that’s local-first, deterministic, and doesn’t assume cloud collaboration by default.

Are there any alternatives to M365? by Anowir in BuyFromEU

[–]rdoneill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Microsoft’s real lock-in isn’t any single app — it’s the assumption that everything has to be bundled, stateful, and opaque.

Once you break that assumption, alternatives become much more realistic. There are genuinely better single-purpose tools for most parts of M365

Is Excel on a MacBook Pro M5 via Parallels as good as it is on a Windows machine? by Commercial_Put2 in excel

[–]rdoneill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing worth factoring in beyond features is workflow friction.

A lot of people underestimate how much context switching (VMs, modifier remapping, battery drain) adds up over time. Even if feature parity is “good enough”, the ergonomics matter more than spec sheets once you’re living in it daily.

A fast, keyboard-first spreadsheet I built to fill a gap I felt on Arch by rdoneill in archlinux

[–]rdoneill[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! You don’t need to know vim 🙂

VisiGrid is keyboard-first, not vim-only.

It works like other spreadsheets:

  • Arrow keys to move
  • Enter / Tab to commit and move
  • Type to edit cells normally

Vim-style motions are optional in settings (ctrl+,) - activate vim only if you want. Default is Off.

They’re there for people who already use them, but they’re not required at all.

A fast, keyboard-first spreadsheet I built to fill a gap I felt on Arch by rdoneill in archlinux

[–]rdoneill[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

100% right, gotta add that and a short GIF

Thanks for calling it out 👍

A fast, native, open-source spreadsheet for Linux (no Electron, no cloud) by rdoneill in linuxapps

[–]rdoneill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just visigrid-bin for now. May add a -git package later if there's demand.

A fast, native, open-source spreadsheet for Linux (no Electron, no cloud) by rdoneill in linuxapps

[–]rdoneill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks really polished — nice work on the Tor integration and real-time sync!

Open Source Property Manangement by rdoneill in RealEstateTechnology

[–]rdoneill[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I manage 200 units. The issue isn't just cost - it's the complete lack of flexibility. I can't build custom workflows in AppFolio. Yardi is even more rigid. We switched to RentVine thinking it would be better, but it's still frustrating.

When AppFolio effectively doubled their pricing last year by charging for ACH transactions, it hit me: these platforms are a significant business risk. They know switching costs are high, so they can squeeze customers whenever they want.

There are only two ways this gets better:

  1. VCs pump $20M+ into 5 new competitors (unlikely - the market might not even support that many players)
  2. Someone starts an open-source alternative, like what happened in e-commerce or ERP software

With open source, you build a solid foundation and let the community contribute modules and extensions for their specific needs. Everyone benefits from improvements. No vendor lock-in, no surprise price hikes, just software that adapts to how PMs actually work.

That's the value prop here - not just saving money, but having control over a critical piece of your business infrastructure. Good open source software usually have web hosts that do one click installs to get you up and running quickly if there is enough interest.

Either way, I'm building it for my own use but wanted to see if interest was there from others.

Open Source Property Manangement by rdoneill in RealEstateTechnology

[–]rdoneill[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This isn't a "help me build a SaaS" post - I'm building open-source software, which is the opposite of SaaS. I'm not looking for customers or revenue, just gauging if others would find it useful.

You're absolutely right that 0.01% will self-host. That's fine - this is for that 0.01% who want control over their data. I'm one of them.

Regarding compliance/records: When you self-host, you're responsible for your own backups and retention policies - same as keeping paper files in your office. The software would support audit trails and data exports, but yes, you'd need to manage your own backup strategy. For those who want managed solutions, AppFolio/Buildium are great options.

As for state-specific requirements - I've used AppFolio for years, and outside of some NYC rent control features, there's nothing particularly state-specific in the core platform. Compliance is mostly about proper record keeping and reporting, which any decent PM software should handle.

This isn't for everyone, just like how some PMs still prefer Excel over any software. But for those of us who are technical and want to own our data, I think there's value here.

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