My thesis in this talk is based on the assumptions on this slide. People use computers in their work without any expectation that it will be necessary to learn programming or computer organization.

Spreadsheet applications are among the most widespread uses of computers because they allow decision makers to ask valuable "what-if" questions and examine the consequences of specific decisions.

My thesis is that the basic notion of a spreadsheet can be modified in fundamental ways by using optimization research to produce new tools required by a wide range of the most complex decisions.