iRows shutting down. How do I share my spreadsheets now?

November 15, 2006 9:27 PM

Well, the people at iRows are shutting down their service at the end of the year and I need to find a way to share my spreadsheets with other people. As usual, there are some problems

Now, I know about google spreadsheets, but I cannot use it because in order to view shared documents, the viewers have to have a google account. I am catering this to people who are not exactly tech savvy, so asking them to create a google account will not work.
Are there any other services like iRows that allow others to view your spreadsheets without them needing to sign up?

posted by killa62 to computers & internet (8 answers total)

Well, there is WikiCalc, which you can install and run yourself if you have hosting.

Never tried it myself.

That said, I doubt signing up for a google account requires any more tech savvy than operating web based spreadsheet.
posted by Good Brain at 9:41 PM on November 15, 2006

While I've not used it, this product may do what you are asking, on your own Windows webserver...
posted by tomierna at 9:43 PM on November 15, 2006

Perhaps EditGrid? I've never used it myself, but it appears to support public spreadsheets that you don't need an account to view.
posted by RichardP at 10:17 PM on November 15, 2006

Going back to Google Spreadsheets, under the Collaborate tab there is a box that says:

[] Let anyone view

Once you check this box, it provides an URL that allows the spreadsheet to be viewed by anyone, even if they do not have a login.
posted by rstory at 6:00 AM on November 16, 2006

Google spreadsheets does not limit you to people with Google accounts anymore. In addition to the "Let anyone view" option that rstory mentions, you can also share it with specific people who do not have a google account. You just enter their e-mail address and they get a custom link.
posted by winston at 7:00 AM on November 16, 2006

rstory and winston are incorrect. You need a google account to view (and enjoy) a google spreadsheet.

From Google -

After you've selected this option, the URL of the current spreadsheet will be shown in the sharing options area. You can email or IM this URL to people or post it as a link on a web page. Anyone with a Google Account and access to this URL will be able to view and enjoy your spreadsheet
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:01 AM on November 16, 2006

stupidsexyFlanders, I don't know where you're quoting from but it's out of date. I even tested it out before I posted. You can invite anyone with an e-mail address, they get a unique URL and don't need to log in. (and do you think rstory is hallucinative about that checkbox? because I see it too)
posted by winston at 1:02 PM on November 18, 2006

er, hallucinating -- stupid spellchecker.
posted by winston at 1:03 PM on November 18, 2006