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The biggest problem with Excel is version control, because a spreadsheet is just a file (.xls are binary, .xlsx are XML but not human-readable), and people shar

by kyllo 13y ago

The biggest problem with Excel is version control, because a spreadsheet is just a file (.xls are binary, .xlsx are XML but not human-readable), and people share it as an e-mail attachment. This is what makes it a horrible, unmaintainable mess. This is also the advantage that Google Docs Spreadsheets have over Excel. The data is cloud-hosted and automatically keeps a revision history, allowing non-technical users to collaboratively edit without having to learn about version control. But most companies don't allow their employees to upload company data into Google Docs, and with good reason, especially in light of the NSA spying scandal.

doppenhe 13y ago
SkyDrive and Office 365 provide this for the Microsoft suite.
- kyllo 13y ago
  Right, but with the disadvantage of not having a free version, and they still have the same downside as Google Docs, which is that your cloud-hosted data is accessible by the NSA, who may then share it with other government agencies. Or it could simply be compromised if there were a security breach in the application. On the other hand, as soon as you e-mail an Excel spreadsheet outside to anyone outside your corporate intranet, the NSA can see that data too, if they want.
lucozade 13y ago
It's really not the NSA or GCHQ that most companies are concerned about, at least in this regard. They're concerned that confidential information will be become available to competitors, the public etc. Companies are generally much more afraid of Anonymous and Lulzsec than the NSA. The concern with the NSA, if they have one, is usually the perception that customer/client information that they hold internally being abused.
- kyllo 13y ago
  Right, anyway the point being that cloud-hosting the spreadsheets resolves the biggest problem with Excel, which is version control, but it introduces a new problem, which is data security on servers that you don't control.
rwallace 13y ago
The ideal solution would be multipronged: 1. All the code is open source; you can host on your own servers if you want. 2. If you want to host on your own servers and you're a commercial outfit, you probably want a support contract. 3. If you don't want to be bothered with that and you don't mind about the NSA, you can use it as a cloud service on our servers with a minimal version for free and a commercial version for a subscription fee.

by kyllo 13y ago

doppenhe 13y ago

SkyDrive and Office 365 provide this for the Microsoft suite.

kyllo 13y ago
Right, but with the disadvantage of not having a free version, and they still have the same downside as Google Docs, which is that your cloud-hosted data is accessible by the NSA, who may then share it with other government agencies. Or it could simply be compromised if there were a security breach in the application. On the other hand, as soon as you e-mail an Excel spreadsheet outside to anyone outside your corporate intranet, the NSA can see that data too, if they want.

lucozade 13y ago

It's really not the NSA or GCHQ that most companies are concerned about, at least in this regard. They're concerned that confidential information will be become available to competitors, the public etc. Companies are generally much more afraid of Anonymous and Lulzsec than the NSA. The concern with the NSA, if they have one, is usually the perception that customer/client information that they hold internally being abused.

kyllo 13y ago
Right, anyway the point being that cloud-hosting the spreadsheets resolves the biggest problem with Excel, which is version control, but it introduces a new problem, which is data security on servers that you don't control.

rwallace 13y ago

The ideal solution would be multipronged: 1. All the code is open source; you can host on your own servers if you want. 2. If you want to host on your own servers and you're a commercial outfit, you probably want a support contract. 3. If you don't want to be bothered with that and you don't mind about the NSA, you can use it as a cloud service on our servers with a minimal version for free and a commercial version for a subscription fee.