Scientists rename genes to stop Microsoft Excel from misreading them as dates (2020)

2020 article with this update:

Update October 24th, 2023, 11:25AM ET: Microsoft has updated Excel on Windows and macOS, adding a toggle to turn off automatic data conversion. The original version of this article continues below.

I think implicit conversions is the other billion dollar mistake in computing. It just shows up as a subtle source of mistakes in so many places. JavaScript, MySQL, YAML, Excel, PHP, just to make a few off the top of my head, have all caused countless bugs and security exploits due to implicit conversations of data which can be interpreted in multiple ways, and where the system happened to pick the wrong one.

So let me get this straight: Scientists would rather rename genes, than to simply use a tool other than MS Excel?

As a computer scientist this sounds ridiculous. Especially that they restrict themselves to Latin letters and Arabic numbers.

I guess many people here will point out that they should use other tools. I think we should help them in any way.

They could also prefix every gene with Gn so it cannot be confused with other acronyms (e.g., GnDEC12). It not only breaks parsing by computers but also by humans who might read offensive words into it. Depending on the structure of data this prefix could even be compressed with 0 bits.

> So let me get this straight: Scientists would rather rename genes, than to simply use a tool other than MS Excel?

It's not that they'd rather.

They understand that a trillion dollar corporation cannot supply the most basic tool they need for work, despite trying for 40 years. They just can't effect change. The real problem behind it all is that they allow themselves to be bullied. Despite holding multiple PhDs they cannot actually exercise rational choice.

The scientists work in an organisation where a suit called Kevin and a middle aged lady in a cardigan called Mavis choose what software they use. Kevin and Mavis are "IT experts".

Kevin and Mavis choose Microsoft because they think it is "reputable", and they like the colours, and because HR have had "Microsoft Office" as a mandatory hiring requirement since 1990.

Mostly though, they don't want to upset Colin who is head of IT, Colin still thinks Windows XP was the best thing ever and goes a funny shade of red when anyone mentions Linux (or anything else he doesn't understand). Bless him, he's close to retirement anyway.

Meanwhile Tom the MD, whose "door is always open" invites the scientists and engineers into a "consultation". They tell him that Microsoft and Google offer 1990s solutions to twenty-first century needs, that their products are unfit for purpose, unstable and insecure too. They even produce a report of all the software they need along with suppliers, budgets and installation guides. Colin has gone a very worrying shade of purple.

Six months later the square root of fuck-all has happened. An uncomfortale quiet hangs in the air. Someone nobody ever heard of called Isabella, who actually works for "strategy and brand" in the parent company - and is married to some Microsoft guy - over-rode the whole thing.

Tom mumbles something about preferred suppliers and compliance. Kevin and Mavis assure the scientists that Microsoft are going to fix everything in the next update. Colin is restored to a smug pink. Science will have to wait.

Big Tech is a complex cultural problem.