About the Founder

Dan Allison

Lead Architect & Founder of Calculist

Systems Engineer Productivity Specialist Functional Programming Advocate

Dan builds software for people who think in systems, not documents. His work on Calculist focuses on turning plain-text structure into something programmable, composable, and mathematically reliable.

That means treating an outline as more than a writing surface. It becomes a lightweight computational model for budgets, planning, analysis, and decision-making without the friction of a traditional spreadsheet.

The Vision

"Most outliners are digital paper. I wanted to build a computational engine. Calculist is my answer to the gap between structured thought and mathematical logic. It's for people who don't just want to store their notes, but want to make their notes work for them."

What Dan Builds Into Calculist

  • Recursive logic that works naturally with nested thought, not against it.
  • Minimal interfaces that stay fast even when the underlying model becomes complex.
  • Programmable structures that let a note behave like a live analytical system.
  • Deterministic outputs for people modeling budgets, timelines, research, and operational planning.

The goal is not to imitate spreadsheets or conventional notes apps. It is to give technical thinkers a simpler environment where hierarchy, logic, and numbers can live together without unnecessary UI weight.

Biography

Building a programmable outliner for power users

Dan Allison is a software architect and the creator of Calculist, a unique programmable outliner designed for power users. With a background in systems engineering and a deep interest in Tools for Thought, Dan has spent the last decade refining the intersection of hierarchical data and reactive math.

Frustrated by the limitations of traditional spreadsheets and the static nature of popular note-taking apps, Dan developed the Calculist Engine. His goal was to create a minimalist environment where users could model complex budgets, scientific data, and project timelines directly within a nested list structure.

Areas of Expertise

Where structured thought meets executable logic

Computational Outlining

Designing systems where text hierarchy dictates mathematical inheritance.

Systems Thinking

Building tools that mirror the way complex, interconnected ideas are formed.

Functional Programming

Applying recursive logic to everyday productivity workflows.

Data Sovereignty

Championing open-source tools that prioritize user ownership over SaaS bloat.

Featured Projects

Core systems behind the Calculist approach

The Calculist Core

A recursive mathematical parser for hierarchical lists.

Logic-Based Templates

A library of living outlines for project ROI, freelance budgeting, and scientific modeling.

Open Source Advocacy

Frequent contributor to GitHub repositories focused on productivity software and extensible logic engines.