4 ms·

Why the hell a spreadsheet? Why not use any scripting language you want with org-table/org-babel or with some ORM/driver to access datas?

• rusk 8y ago
  Because it's convenient, and I can share. Not to mention the fact that Excel isn't "just a spreadsheet". I could go on, but most of the other sibling comments here have expounded enough upon her virtues. EDIT LOL ORM/driver - because life's too short that's why
  • xte 8y ago
    Mh, for me just because life is too short I never really learned spreadsheet software (and I have seen many disaster made thanks to them, including important institutional and scientific ones) and I'm happy without them... Try to look for some Emacs demos on YT&c, perhaps you'll discover a different world :-)
    • glaberficken 8y ago
      Is that really a solid argument? Haven't you also seen numerous "disasters made" with other platforms / tools / programming languages "including in important institutional and scientific ones"? (no snark intended)
      • xte 8y ago
        Well, yes but far less... I see Ariane 5 disaster due to an overflow error, but never seen the International monetary found that publish a false study due to an excel calculus bug nor scientific studies with false result due to excel bugs... Spreadsheets IME are environment that really help human error and disguise them well enough... About solidity I can't answer having not enough data, I can only say that I still have to see anything more efficient than Emacs in the world and I see software since around twenty years...
        • jen729w 8y ago
          The IMF error was a problem with the way that the humans had weighted their numbers in Excel. It was a human error. Excel was the tool they used, but it was not the cause of the error.
          • xte 8y ago
            Yes, but it's UI, not as "excel" but as "spreadsheet" certainly help a lot... Try to "debug" a not so small spreadsheet vs a script+tabular data and compare the chances of get erroneous results that does not appear immediately as errors...
    • rusk 8y ago
      > Try to look for some Emacs demos on YT&c, perhaps you'll discover a different world :-) Ouch. I'm already a fairly proficient Emacs user. I also use vi. I find this kind of zealotry tiresome.
      • xte 8y ago
        Mh, so you find more comfortable work in a spreadsheet than an org-mode files with tables and optional org-babel block in your preferred language to manipulate data as native data structure if org table formulas are not enough nor comfortable? Personally I think there is no comparison, spreadsheets are normally uncomfortable UI to work with datas that even miller+bc&pipes is far superior... Org bring computation to another level...
        • rusk 8y ago
          > you find more comfortable work in a spreadsheet yes