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From: Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-11,comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Re: The problem with not owning the software
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2025 12:09:24 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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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.