[AccessD] I was not going to post this

Tina Norris Fields tinanfields at torchlake.com
Sat Mar 2 11:35:17 CST 2013


Oh my, yes!  How could we have overlooked Visicalc?  We had that on the 
Honeywell word-porcessing stations that we installed in 1982-ish (1982, 
3, or 4).  I thought that was the best thing ever.  Saw Lotus 1-2-3 for 
the first time, when?  About 1985 or 6 I think.
T

Tina Norris Fields
tinanfields-at-torchlake-dot-com
231-322-2787

On 3/2/2013 8:46 AM, jack drawbridge wrote:
> Come on John, you remember Visicalc.....
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 8:23 AM, John W Colby <jwcolby at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> That said, Excel still holds the honour of the killer PC application that
>> got the whole show out of the IT department and into the hands of everyday
>> users. It really did give power to the people and I will always love it for
>> that.
>>
>> And here I thought Lotus 123 did that.
>>
>>
>> John W. Colby
>>
>> Reality is what refuses to go away
>> when you do not believe in it
>>
>>
>> On 3/1/2013 8:42 PM, Darryl Collins wrote:
>>
>>> Yep, with you 100% on that one John (or 110% as some Excel users I know
>>> would say ;) ).
>>>
>>> Personally I still think of these tools as I first did back in the early
>>> days of MS Office.  The database is for storing the data and shrinking down
>>> the vast raw data into the bits you require to look at via views / queries
>>> / whatever.
>>>
>>> Excel is for doing the analysis, Pivots, charting, number mashing and
>>> playing with scenarios.
>>>
>>> Word is for doing the final presentation (or maybe (god forbid),
>>> Powerpoint).
>>>
>>> Too many folks try to do it all in one application.
>>> I have seen spreadsheet attempted in word tables.
>>> Databases in Excel is real common.
>>> the list goes on...
>>>
>>> That said, Excel still holds the honour of the killer PC application that
>>> got the whole show out of the IT department and into the hands of everyday
>>> users.  It really did give power to the people and I will always love it
>>> for that.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ______________________________**__________
>>> From: accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>[
>>> accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>]
>>> on behalf of John W Colby [jwcolby at gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Saturday, 2 March 2013 2:52 AM
>>> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>>> Subject: Re: [AccessD] I was not going to post this
>>>
>>>   us meek Excel hacks will be still be making money and in demand long
>>>> after MS Access is retired from general use and Access devs are extinct.
>>>>
>>> LOL, ain't that the truth.  I still prefer databases though.  Each has
>>> its place, it's just that
>>> Excel so often ends up being turned into a database which it doesn't
>>> Excel at (pun intended)
>>>
>>>
>>> John W. Colby
>>>
>>> Reality is what refuses to go away
>>> when you do not believe in it
>>>
>>> On 2/28/2013 8:48 PM, Darryl Collins wrote:
>>>
>>>> hehehehe, It is ok Bill, as an amatuer hack I am used to be insulted ;)
>>>>   And whilst that maybe indeed the case we are mere dabblers in the dark
>>>> arts of VBA - us meek Excel hacks will be still be making money and in
>>>> demand long after MS Access is retired from general use and Access devs are
>>>> extinct.
>>>>
>>>> So all good really ;) .  Arthur, please stick around on Excel - L, you
>>>> will fit right in and your skills, experience and contributions will be
>>>> appreciated.  Besides, I usually find you highly entertaining as well as
>>>> educational - and not just with VBA stuff either.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers
>>>> Darryl.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ______________________________**__________
>>>> From: accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>[
>>>> accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>]
>>>> on behalf of William Benson (VBACreations.Com) [vbacreations at gmail.com]
>>>> Sent: Thursday, 28 February 2013 9:04 PM
>>>> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
>>>> Subject: Re: [AccessD] I was not going to post this
>>>>
>>>> Art, you take one thread (or a couple) and then kick an entire Listserv
>>>> to
>>>> the curb? You ought to be ashamed   ;-)
>>>>
>>>> Plus you just insulted both me and Darryl...
>>>>
>>>> Meanie.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>
>>>> [mailto:accessd-bounces@**databaseadvisors.com<accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com>]
>>>> On Behalf Of Arthur Fuller
>>>> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 4:11 AM
>>>> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>>>> Subject: [AccessD] I was not going to post this
>>>>
>>>> For some reason I ended up joining a list about Excel
>>>> EXCEL-L at peach.ease.lsoft.com),  mistaking it for one our our lists. Wow
>>>> was
>>>> I wrong/ These people need more than a lifetime of help. Unfortunately,
>>>> as I
>>>> age, I don't have that much time.. .
>>>>
>>>> To be fair, it's a user's group not a developer's group, and it does shed
>>>> some light on the differenence.
>>>>
>>>> The scary part is that some of these people fancy themselves as "Quants",
>>>> short for Quantitative Analysts, which means that they are risking the
>>>> hard-earned money that others have made and invested in this or that
>>>> fund.
>>>> And I am aware of many of their algorithms, having once worked for a
>>>> Bermudian hedge fund, which at least had the sense to use SQL Server
>>>> rather
>>>> then Excel.
>>>>
>>>> This seriously frightens me. These Excel listers, save on or two, don't
>>>> even
>>>> know that there is a difference between a Range and an Array.
>>>>
>>>> The prospect that these people are playing with millions of dollars of
>>>> money
>>>> belonging to other people is truly frightening. The up-side is that I
>>>> have
>>>> invested zero dollars in the opinions of these fools; the down-side is
>>>> that
>>>> many several millions have, and I fear for their prospects.
>>>>
>>>> I guess what I am saying is this: if you want to realize what a valuable
>>>> group this one is, just go visit that one for a minute or two. To think
>>>> that
>>>> these people are waging millions of other people's dollars on their
>>>> "feelings" is ghastly.
>>>>
>>>> Hold onto your wallet; trust no one, especially if they come bearing a
>>>> spreadsheet.Yes, there are tools available to audit spreadsheets, and I
>>>> trust them. But in their absence. do not trust anyone. These people are
>>>> jokers, fools or scammers. Take your pick.
>>>>
>>>> I do not fancy myself as an Excel guru. But once I learned the model, I
>>>> had
>>>> no problem doing some fancy footwork in Excel. Bur rhis goes to way that
>>>> there is a difference between a programmer and a user. The frightening
>>>> part
>>>> is that users equipped with Excel are making decisions involving
>>>> millions of
>>>> other people's dollars.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Arthur
>>>> Cell: 647.710.1314
>>>>
>>>> Prediction is difficult, especially of the future.
>>>>      -- Niels Bohr
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>



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