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Like a lot of Linux zealots who ran Linux everywhere for 20 years, I hated most things associated with legacy Microsoft, because of EEE, and what they did throu
by TheRealDunkirk 6y ago
Like a lot of Linux zealots who ran Linux everywhere for 20 years, I hated most things associated with legacy Microsoft, because of EEE, and what they did through SCO. However, I had to relax my attitude about 10 years ago, when I realized that I owed my entire career to Excel.
I've mostly made a living by being an engineer who creates proper, focused software tools for other engineers to use, and almost every program I've written is because there was a crappy Excel tool trying to cope with the problem, and falling over due to size and unshareability. That's when I write a website in Rails, or a WinForms .NET application, keep adding features until users stop asking for fixes, then move on to the next one.
Of course, there's been ebb-and-flow in my career, but the bulk of it has been driven by the fact that Excel is so seductive, and easy to start something useful. Then, like a lot of Microsoft products, leaves you hanging when it's time to get serious. So, credit where it's due. Whatever you can say about it's shortcomings, they've been my bread and butter for 27 years, and counting.
- F_J_H 6y ago>> "Then, like a lot of Microsoft products, leaves you hanging when it's time to get serious." This is like a moving company saying their small moving vans "left them hanging" once they outgrew them and started doing national vs. local moves. A tool that proves useful at one stage is not useless because it can't be as useful at ALL stages. The great thing about Excel as it enables you to do the one thing that kills most start-ups, projects, etc., which is simple to start.
- aksss 6y ago> the one thing that kills most start-ups I thought you were going to say taxes and bookkeeping. :D
- TheRealDunkirk 6y agoI mean... that's kind of exactly what underlies my whole comment.