5 ms·

.xlsx and openpyxl For The Win! Cross-platform; copious spreadsheet applications; no-one needs training; scales.

zelphirkalt 3y ago
I see it more like: (1) A huge dependency in the project for reading Excel files. (2) Everyone needs training, as usually people in my profession have rarely if ever any need for Excel. (3) Visuals != contained text, so the config might be different from what you see on screen as the config value. (4) No proper version control, even a csv file would be better. (5) scales? lul, have fun trying to solve merge conflicts. Also don't come with any Excel git plugins. It will only make the bad decision worse.
- baq 3y ago
  xlsx is zipped xml. it might actually work. your profession must be very weird, though - knowing about git merge conflicts and not knowing how to use excel sounds like an empty venn diagram.
  - zelphirkalt 3y ago
    I wrote "usually people in my profession have rarely if ever any need for Excel". But I will explain. Many software developers usually have no need for something like Excel. Either they use some free/libre alternative, because they know about it existing, or they use an actual programming language, or some might even use something like Emacs org-mode spreadsheets, or they use some library like Pandas for things, where it is reasonable to get out the tools. Software developers are also more likely to be aware of the technical debt incurred by storing anything inside Excel formats and will avoid it, if they are wise. As such many software developers rarely use Excel, if at all. I personally don't use it at all. All my simple spreadsheet needs are covered by Libreoffice Calc or Emacs org-mode. If I had to use Excel now, I would not know the names of functions (translated perhaps, because Excel does that silly stuff) or how to reference cells (Is it $ and then the number? And : as a separator between col and row?). So yeah, to properly use it, many of us would have to learn at least a little of it. Many if not most cases of Excel usage are actually due to people not knowing the alternatives, or perhaps knowing they exist, but not having the knowledge to use them (like with programming and quickly dishing out a few Pandas calls or Emacs org mode spreadsheets).
    - baq 3y ago
      FWIW when I say Excel, I mean one of the big spreadsheet tools. Excel is like Python: the second best tool for a lot of problems. There are problems which take five minutes to solve in the shell or in a text editor (maybe less now when LLMs can straight produce certain solutions with a simple prompt) and they take 10 seconds in a spreadsheet including copy and paste. I really recommend spending some time with Excel just as I recommend reading the table of contents of your primary DBMS’ manual. I’d actually argue that being able to solve a problem quick and dirty in excel and in then in a more proper way in pandas is a good thing.
    - abenga 3y ago
      All my life I have used Excel, OO Calc (now LO), and Google Sheets interchangeably and I have found experience in one carries across both the others pretty seamlessly. I actually think of them as just one thing. Formulas are pretty much the same, especially.
  - NateEag 3y ago
    I have resolved many, many git conflicts. I am perennially lost in all but the very simplest spreadsheets.
    - baq 3y ago
      If it helps, you can think of excel as a purely functional programming language with a 2D UI for memory visualization and editing.

I see it more like: (1) A huge dependency in the project for reading Excel files. (2) Everyone needs training, as usually people in my profession have rarely if ever any need for Excel. (3) Visuals != contained text, so the config might be different from what you see on screen as the config value. (4) No proper version control, even a csv file would be better. (5) scales? lul, have fun trying to solve merge conflicts. Also don't come with any Excel git plugins. It will only make the bad decision worse.

baq 3y ago
xlsx is zipped xml. it might actually work. your profession must be very weird, though - knowing about git merge conflicts and not knowing how to use excel sounds like an empty venn diagram.
- zelphirkalt 3y ago
  I wrote "usually people in my profession have rarely if ever any need for Excel". But I will explain. Many software developers usually have no need for something like Excel. Either they use some free/libre alternative, because they know about it existing, or they use an actual programming language, or some might even use something like Emacs org-mode spreadsheets, or they use some library like Pandas for things, where it is reasonable to get out the tools. Software developers are also more likely to be aware of the technical debt incurred by storing anything inside Excel formats and will avoid it, if they are wise. As such many software developers rarely use Excel, if at all. I personally don't use it at all. All my simple spreadsheet needs are covered by Libreoffice Calc or Emacs org-mode. If I had to use Excel now, I would not know the names of functions (translated perhaps, because Excel does that silly stuff) or how to reference cells (Is it $ and then the number? And : as a separator between col and row?). So yeah, to properly use it, many of us would have to learn at least a little of it. Many if not most cases of Excel usage are actually due to people not knowing the alternatives, or perhaps knowing they exist, but not having the knowledge to use them (like with programming and quickly dishing out a few Pandas calls or Emacs org mode spreadsheets).
  - baq 3y ago
    FWIW when I say Excel, I mean one of the big spreadsheet tools. Excel is like Python: the second best tool for a lot of problems. There are problems which take five minutes to solve in the shell or in a text editor (maybe less now when LLMs can straight produce certain solutions with a simple prompt) and they take 10 seconds in a spreadsheet including copy and paste. I really recommend spending some time with Excel just as I recommend reading the table of contents of your primary DBMS’ manual. I’d actually argue that being able to solve a problem quick and dirty in excel and in then in a more proper way in pandas is a good thing.
  - abenga 3y ago
    All my life I have used Excel, OO Calc (now LO), and Google Sheets interchangeably and I have found experience in one carries across both the others pretty seamlessly. I actually think of them as just one thing. Formulas are pretty much the same, especially.
- NateEag 3y ago
  I have resolved many, many git conflicts. I am perennially lost in all but the very simplest spreadsheets.
  - baq 3y ago
    If it helps, you can think of excel as a purely functional programming language with a 2D UI for memory visualization and editing.