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VB(A) is like Python. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. (* if you think it's pretty, it's because you are inexperienced and don't know the many bette

VB(A) is like Python. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. (* if you think it's pretty, it's because you are inexperienced and don't know the many better alternatives *) Any tool with a good ecosystem (tools/libraries/integrations) which allows you to get real work done is useful. Visual Basic as a desktop app development system (or MS Access which added DB benefits) was very useful in a large number of scenarios. And when you outgrew that, you must have had enough money to pay to scale up to a "real" solution. Without a doubt, a HUGE TON of money has been made using VBA based systems. From my own experience (as a mostly-outsider finance dev), my biggest Excel/VBA rewrite was for a company that made $$$$ before, during, and after 2008 doing credit default swaps. Sure the Excel workbook took 5 minutes to open (before I rebuilt it), but VBA was doing a lot of heavy lifting. And the people with the knowledge were making big bucks for the company and themselves with bonuses. This is really a lesson. Whether the tools are ideal or not, what matters more is if they are accessible to people not specifically trained to use such tools. Again, that's why Python has become #1 outside the client web browser. It doesn't mean the tools are the best, but it means they do the job and are accessible.

asdfman123 3y ago
Future civilizations will marvel at the intricate grandeur of our Excel spreadsheets
- guappa 3y ago
  They won't be able to read our media, and if so they won't be able to decode the excel format.
  - personalityson 3y ago
    Excel format is just a zipped collection of XML files
    - orthoxerox 3y ago
      That's the new one. The old one is 90% direct dumps of C++ structs.
raverbashing 3y ago
> if you think it's pretty, it's because you are inexperienced Python is pretty and I say using spaces beats using curly brackets, begin/end or if/else or other block marking strategies Experience is also knowing that pretty or not has some subjective component to it VBA evolved in "harsh" conditions, which kind of explains some of its weirdness though.
bigtunacan 3y ago
Python is arguable a pretty language and it's also a fully featured language with support for classes, first class functions, and yet manages to remain relatively simple and approachable. But even that isn't why it's popular. It has the most robust data science tools available which has created a steamroller effect and decent web frameworks in Django and Flask. Python has also replaced Java as "the first learning language" at many universities. So there are many reasons for it's rise in popularity. VBA not so much.
jampekka 3y ago
Python is no Scheme, but it's definitely pretty as programming languages go and for many cases there are no better alternatives. Based on about 25 years of programming with tens of languages.

asdfman123 3y ago

Future civilizations will marvel at the intricate grandeur of our Excel spreadsheets

guappa 3y ago
They won't be able to read our media, and if so they won't be able to decode the excel format.
- personalityson 3y ago
  Excel format is just a zipped collection of XML files
  - orthoxerox 3y ago
    That's the new one. The old one is 90% direct dumps of C++ structs.

raverbashing 3y ago

> if you think it's pretty, it's because you are inexperienced Python is pretty and I say using spaces beats using curly brackets, begin/end or if/else or other block marking strategies Experience is also knowing that pretty or not has some subjective component to it VBA evolved in "harsh" conditions, which kind of explains some of its weirdness though.

bigtunacan 3y ago

Python is arguable a pretty language and it's also a fully featured language with support for classes, first class functions, and yet manages to remain relatively simple and approachable. But even that isn't why it's popular. It has the most robust data science tools available which has created a steamroller effect and decent web frameworks in Django and Flask. Python has also replaced Java as "the first learning language" at many universities. So there are many reasons for it's rise in popularity. VBA not so much.

jampekka 3y ago

Python is no Scheme, but it's definitely pretty as programming languages go and for many cases there are no better alternatives. Based on about 25 years of programming with tens of languages.