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> Why do you think Excel is so ingrained into all kinds of ... Because it works. Programmers underestimate and put down excel all the time, but I think it's a

> Why do you think Excel is so ingrained into all kinds of ... Because it works. Programmers underestimate and put down excel all the time, but I think it's actually how many projects they end up with get started. Someone had a problem, solved it for themselves using excel, got noticed, expanded the solution to other problems until the excel solution itself became the problem and then... it ends up as a project for you. There's nothing wrong with that. It does the job, and it's not like the first course of action when there's a problem should be to assemble a scrum team with a cast of characters like a sitcom, and blow a million dollars to implement a bespoke software solution. Sometimes excel is just enough (and then some).

plafl 7y ago
My first job consisted in updating Visual Basic code behind an Excel file that specified the hydraulic circuit for an aircraft. It was a simplified version of the circuit for use in a simulation that was used to calculate pressure loss based on several valve and pipes parameters. The results were exported to a txt file to be loaded by the simulator. Also in the same project I remember another Excel file with mechanical calculations that actually updated a nice graphic that simulated all the linkages and different extensions of the actuators and computed forces at different points. The unholy alliance of elegant Lagrangian mechanics with Visual Basic. I hope to never touch Basic again but it was a valuable lesson about getting things done and I'm glad I took it so early in my career.