Re: The problem with not owning the software

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

On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 01:10:42 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
 

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

On Sat, 4 Jan 2025 02:19:07 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
 

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

On Thu, 2 Jan 2025 12:09:28 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:
 

... suggests that people don't do much other than open up Word and
Excel.

 
In the professional world that's pretty accurate.

 
Doesn’t sound like that adjective “professional” extends to the actual
quality of results, then.

 
Based on what, exactly?

 
Based on the known issues with over-reliance on Microsoft products.

 
Such as? Excluding the gene name issue, which is pretty niche.

 
It’s affecting a whole lot of research work
<https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-016-1044-7>.
 
Then there was the massive screwup over underreporting of COVID-19
figures in the UK, which went undetected for months
<https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/10/excel-glitch-may-have-caused-uk-to-underreport-covid-19-cases-by-15841/>.
 
The Austrian Social Democratic Party’s botched election of a new
leader
<https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/06/austria_election_excel_blunder/>.
 
How many Excel screwups can you commit in just one job?
<https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/12/excel_anesthetist_recruitment_blunder/>.
 
Is it a good idea for a Formula 1 team to use Excel to manage its
parts inventory?
<https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/03/formula-1-chief-appalled-to-find-team-using-excel-to-manage-20000-car-parts/>.
 
There are entire websites devoted to compiling errors caused by using
Microsoft Excel.

I'm the first to admit that poor use of excel can have serious
implications. It is part of my lectures to University students. My
"favourite" example is the misapplication of economic austerity during a
recession:
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/lifestyle/george-osborne-plunged-uk-into-austerity-due-to-an-error-on-a-spreadsheet-335732/

The error caused a reverse in the sign of the outcome meaning that
austerity was actually harmful to the economy rather than beneficial as was
originally claimed.

Having said all that, claiming that using MS Office is "unprofessional" is
laughable.