It Took Many Years And Billions Of Dollars, But Microsoft Finally Invented A Calculator That Is Wrong Sometimes

Comments

• Limonene@lemmy.world ⁨43⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

  Give Microsoft some credit! Excel has been able to come up with wrong answers for decades. For example, reporting 1900 as a leap year.

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• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  There’s an old story about the lead developer at Texas Instruments saying “I want a computer that fits in my pocket”. And then his staff dutifully measured the pocket to spec before proceeding to perform a feat of miniaturization that would revolutionize the modern world.

  I’m trying to imagine one of the techies, from way out in the back, saying “Does it have to get the right answer?” Then getting fired, walking off the job, and walking into Microsoft with 10x the salary the next day.

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• rekabis@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨hour⁩ ago

  “Microsoft Excel is testing a new AI-powered function that can automatically fill cells in your spreadsheets.”

  Every year, Microsoft gives me more reasons to permanently leave their products.

  Unfortunately, due to compatibility with financial and other Windows-only software I still need to run Windows, but I am down to two rigs and it might go down to one in the new year.

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  • tyler@programming.dev ⁨25⁩ ⁨minutes⁩ ago

    apparently you should be able to run any windows app with WinApps on linux, but I think they have a bug or something right now because I haven’t been able to get it to work.

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• jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  There are things that could be done to improve Excel. For instance, fully integrate python and allow it to be used to create custom functions. Then, maybe one day, VBA can ride off into the sunset where it belongs.

  Adding Copilot to Excel is not an improvement because Copilot and all other LLM based platforms frequently barfs out totally incorrect information about how to do something in Excel.

  “You do that using <X> formula.”

  No, I can’t, you worthless pile of shit because THAT FORMULA DOESNT EXIST.

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  • CameronDev@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Integrated python scripts in excel sounds like a malware developers dream.

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    • Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      And a nightmare for an application developer told to make some app with a spreadsheet for a database scale

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    • rollerbang@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I mean… Yeah, but the same can be said for VB?

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    • turkalino@lemmy.yachts ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Surely there’s some sort of sandboxing that could be done? Like just disallow sys calls entirely

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    • elvith@feddit.org ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      They foresaw that. That’s because python on Excel doesn’t run locally, but in the cloud and then returns the result to you: …microsoft.com/…/introduction-to-python-in-excel-…

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    • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Fair point. If course that’s already a problem with Excel. It would probably have to be disabled by default just like VBA macros.

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    • Godort@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Yeah, no doubt.

      Having access to visual basic is dangerous enough, let alone Python

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  • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Yea like what?

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    • FauxPseudo@lemmy.world ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Increase in workflow? Like there are more steps to perform the same task? Because workflow isn’t work volume or units if output. It’s the process that gets the work done.

      Did the increase in “workflow” get you more money or more work for the same money?

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    • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Lol you shared your personal experience and got downvoted… lmao even

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• Honytawk@feddit.nl ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Why would anyone use an LLM as calculator?

  That just doesn’t make sense.

  It is like using a calculator as typewriter because it can spell 80085.

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  • Rambomst@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Image

    So what you are saying is my car is a typewriter?

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    • GreenShimada@lemmy.world ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Microsoft might agree with this.

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    • echodot@feddit.uk ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I did this with my car when I got to that point and sent it to my girlfriend, but I photoshopped it so it said I was going over 100. Anyway I thought it was funny.

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  • jim3692@discuss.online ⁨8⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    To waste electric energy. All those power plants produce immense amounts of energy that needs to be consumed. If we didn’t have LLMs, the pollution of those plants would be for nothing. At least now, there is an attempt to put it in good use.

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  • tux0r@feddit.org ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Heh heh 80085

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    • echodot@feddit.uk ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      High brow humour indeed

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  • filcuk@lemmy.zip ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Well, there is a use case.
    I don’t know much about statistics. I can (i assume) as the ai questions in natural language that I would otherwise have to research how to calculate.
    Of course, I may get a result, but I won’t be any smarter. If that was the goal, then great.

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• Alaknar@sopuli.xyz ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  OK, I’m not really mad at this. I already used Copilot to design a table for me in Excel and it worked really well. It did everything for me, and I just had to copy-paste the formulas into their appropriate spots. If it’s built-in, possibly will work better.

  Not everybody needs to be an Excel expert, after all. Having that functionality might be actually beneficial.

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  • Lightfire228@pawb.social ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    How do you know those formulas are correct?

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    • percent@infosec.pub ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      By verifying that they’re correct…? 🤔

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  • nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    yes okay dad

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    • Alaknar@sopuli.xyz ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Any time, nutsack.

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• zeropointone@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Such a complicated way just to add more RAND() to formulas.

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• jaemo@sh.itjust.works ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Our very own economic Butlerian jihad.

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