Mesa, the Mac OS X spreadsheet software with icon-based interface from P&L Software, has been updated and offers improved Excel support.
You can now import Excel files from any Excel version. Files with a .xls extension appear in the Open panel; files with no extension should be dropped on the application icon. Plus, you can now drag images (GIFs, JPEGs, etc) from the Finder or Desktop directly into your worksheets and reports.
Mesa is a traditional spreadsheet is the first Cocoa spreadsheet. It includes all standard spreadsheet features, such as multiple worksheets in a workbook, 100-plus functions, and charts, according to Lee Cox, P&L’s sales manager. Mesa has a icon-based interface, formula builder, customizable toolbar, report generation/printing, online help, import of Excel files, and import of Mesa 2 files from the NeXTSTEP and OpenStep platforms.
You can download the latest version of Mesa (dubbed 8/21) from the P&L Web site. It’s a 4.2 MB download and requires Mac OS X 10.0 or higher.
Mesa costs US$50 for students, $129 for a commercial single user license, and $15 for a 30-day evaluation license. Site licenses and upgrade licenses for Mesa 2 users are also available.