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Coming from finance where we've been trying to wean FO off excel, every time I see things like this, I'm reminded why we shouldn't get comfy relying so heavily

Coming from finance where we've been trying to wean FO off excel, every time I see things like this, I'm reminded why we shouldn't get comfy relying so heavily on Excel: https://www.businessinsider.com/excel-partly-to-blame-for-trading-loss-2013-2?r=US&IR=T https://www.businessinsider.com/excel-partly-to-blame-for-tr...

wslh 3y ago
It is a grey area, spreadsheets are great but at some point you are building a mammoth with it. I also find Excel, and Google Sheets outdated on its own "form-factor". It would be great to hear from the HN community about ways to improve spreadsheets. For example, adding new types and easier integrations with other systems. Also having views/forms. Lotus Notes was revolutionary in this aspect. Excel is the measure because they have a good engine. Probably we need to create a great DAG engine and put the spreadsheet over it.
- bradrn 3y ago
  > It would be great to hear from the HN community about ways to improve spreadsheets. I’m working on this! Very early days so far, and I have nothing much to show for it yet, but I do have some ideas on integrating static type inference and proper data structures into spreadsheets. My initial prototype is at [0]: it’s horrifically buggy in just about every way (don’t even try to get it working!), but the screenshot should give some idea of what I’m thinking should be possible. [0] https://github.com/bradrn/nexo https://github.com/bradrn/nexo
- operator-name 3y ago
  There's https://pyspread.gitlab.io/ https://pyspread.gitlab.io/, which uses python. On the more programmable side you've got Jupyter with https://github.com/ipyflow/ipyflow https://github.com/ipyflow/ipyflow and https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl.
  - pcthrowaway 3y ago
    Grist looks similar, and also interesting: https://www.getgrist.com/ https://www.getgrist.com/ The tables are sqlite tables, so the schema has to be rigid, while I think they also offer views that allow you to make more user-friendly views. They also let you run Python inside the formula
- calvinmorrison 3y ago
  I thought a general purpose spreadsheet language would exist. Would be cool to see programs 'operate', visually
- duped 3y ago
  > Probably we need to create a great DAG engine and put the spreadsheet over it. Why a DAG? You might want recursion. We have pretty great computational models already, I think that what you're talking about is an interface into such a model (a statically typed language) through a spreadsheet like interface, which isn't totally revolutionary. The problem is making something that can unseat a behemoth like Excel. The only things that seem to have made a dent are Sheets (on price) and services that unbundle Excel into no-code/low-code products where you make your money by not being as powerful.
monkeydust 3y ago
Thats 10 years old! I remember that story. Working in this space I have seen a lot of excel 'systems' get replaced with what we would qualify as proper applications (with all the overhead that comes with that). Of course, traders will miss the nimble nature of being able to update the pricing models themselves instead of having to put a ticket in, but it's prevented a magnitude of other blow-ups that have happened somewhere in the multiverse.

wslh 3y ago

It is a grey area, spreadsheets are great but at some point you are building a mammoth with it. I also find Excel, and Google Sheets outdated on its own "form-factor". It would be great to hear from the HN community about ways to improve spreadsheets. For example, adding new types and easier integrations with other systems. Also having views/forms. Lotus Notes was revolutionary in this aspect. Excel is the measure because they have a good engine. Probably we need to create a great DAG engine and put the spreadsheet over it.

bradrn 3y ago
> It would be great to hear from the HN community about ways to improve spreadsheets. I’m working on this! Very early days so far, and I have nothing much to show for it yet, but I do have some ideas on integrating static type inference and proper data structures into spreadsheets. My initial prototype is at [0]: it’s horrifically buggy in just about every way (don’t even try to get it working!), but the screenshot should give some idea of what I’m thinking should be possible. [0] https://github.com/bradrn/nexo https://github.com/bradrn/nexo
operator-name 3y ago
There's https://pyspread.gitlab.io/ https://pyspread.gitlab.io/, which uses python. On the more programmable side you've got Jupyter with https://github.com/ipyflow/ipyflow https://github.com/ipyflow/ipyflow and https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl https://github.com/fonsp/Pluto.jl.
- pcthrowaway 3y ago
  Grist looks similar, and also interesting: https://www.getgrist.com/ https://www.getgrist.com/ The tables are sqlite tables, so the schema has to be rigid, while I think they also offer views that allow you to make more user-friendly views. They also let you run Python inside the formula
calvinmorrison 3y ago
I thought a general purpose spreadsheet language would exist. Would be cool to see programs 'operate', visually
duped 3y ago
> Probably we need to create a great DAG engine and put the spreadsheet over it. Why a DAG? You might want recursion. We have pretty great computational models already, I think that what you're talking about is an interface into such a model (a statically typed language) through a spreadsheet like interface, which isn't totally revolutionary. The problem is making something that can unseat a behemoth like Excel. The only things that seem to have made a dent are Sheets (on price) and services that unbundle Excel into no-code/low-code products where you make your money by not being as powerful.

monkeydust 3y ago

Thats 10 years old! I remember that story. Working in this space I have seen a lot of excel 'systems' get replaced with what we would qualify as proper applications (with all the overhead that comes with that). Of course, traders will miss the nimble nature of being able to update the pricing models themselves instead of having to put a ticket in, but it's prevented a magnitude of other blow-ups that have happened somewhere in the multiverse.