Re: The problem with not owning the software

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Wed, 1/1/2025 2:31 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 16:45:04 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
 

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
 

On Mon, 30 Dec 2024 08:25:01 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
 

I'd bet a decent python script would do it in minutes, with a tiny
footprint and be reliable.

 
Even Microsoft realizes that now.

 
I presume you're referring to excel now including a python interpreter.
I don't think it's much of an improvement.

 
Obviously Microsoft is expecting its users to think otherwise. And it
wants to charge them for the privilege, so it must be expecting them to
believe it’s an improvement worth paying extra money for.
 
So either Python is that much better than VBA, or VBA is that much worse
than Python. Take your pick. ;)
 

 
   "Python in Excel is available in preview for Education users running the
    Current Channel (Preview) through the Microsoft 365 Insider Program. It's
    not currently available for the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel.
 
    It's rolling out to Excel for Windows first, and then to other platforms
    at a later date.
   "
 
And like the current Thunderbird rewrite activity, it's based on the notion
that "users want New and Shiny" and "abhor boomers and all they stand for".
Thus, the desired market demographic, is to shift to the younger crowd,
to keep the business running.

This has been MS's model for at least 30 years. Introducing features that
99% of people won't use and not fix bugs.

Python then, is just grabbing at the first shiny thing they can see.
There is an expectation that all the users have taken a Python course
at least once in their lives. Or, at least the people that count, have.

Doubtful it'll be useful as python for excel won't be standard, but
definition.

One of the benefits of using Python, is then LibreOffice can add that,
and files with scripting can be interchanged. It would solve a certain class
of problem we have with Excel, which is the exclusivity of VBA.

Sorry, but that's hopelessly naive.

LO should have stopped copying excel long ago and taken its users to a
better spreadsheet experience.

LO should work with Posit and build a proper analytical/statistical data
platform based around R.