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Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

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Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#31

Post by kspacewalk2 »

cardamomo wrote: post #11
hathym wrote: post #3

》Python calculations run in Microsoft’s Cloud No thanks!

That caught my attention too! I'm curious why they would choose this model.

The answer is in the question. They chose this model so that Python calculations would run in the Microsoft cloud, operating on data that resides in the Microsoft cloud. When your code runs on the cloud, they get paid. When your data lives in their cloud, they get paid.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#33

Post by alexriddle »

diffeomorphism wrote: post #17
bigfudge wrote: post #2

If this is true then it will be amazing and very widely adopted. Pandas in Excel would be cool. Fingers crossed.

Why? Libreoffice calc had python for years now and nobody cared: https://help.libreoffice.org/6.3/en-US/text/sbasic/python/py...

For someone working outside IT but who has coding skills, it's great. My previous work computers have been tightly controlled by IT and installing libreoffice on them wouldn't have been permitted.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#34

Post by RcouF1uZ4gsC »

cardamomo wrote: post #11
hathym wrote: post #3

》Python calculations run in Microsoft’s Cloud No thanks!

That caught my attention too! I'm curious why they would choose this model.

Because Python, with the required numerical analysis libraries is a pain to setup, and there are a ton of ways for it to get messed up.

Doing everything in the cloud massively simplifies deployment and support.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#35

Post by nologic01 »

I wish Libreoffice would have smelled the coffee long time ago. In principle scripting using Python is possible but exceedingly cumbersome/ugly and there seems to be no roadmap to improve on this.

The same warning applies to the linux desktop and all its apps more generally. Increasingly proprietary platforms will be rolling out advanced "AI" functionality extensions to classic apps that are cloud based, many of them via a Python API.

Its a pity that the various strands of the open source universe are so siloed. The potential of the sum being more than the parts is squandered.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#36

Post by unnouinceput »

bilsbie wrote: post #25

Off topic but why can’t we all go back to office 97? It basically does all the same stuff and it would be lightning fast on modern machines. You don’t even need internet to use it.

None's stopping you to use MSOffice '97. I still use it from time to time and current MSOffice is happily recognizing the format and converts it on the fly. Also there is a tool that you can install and see current formats to be able to open them in MSOffice '97.

As for why the rest of the world why would do that or not, is their choice, no?

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#37

Post by tigeroil »

brokencode wrote: post #22
cardamomo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That caught my attention too! I'm curious why they would choose this model.

Probably because Excel runs in a web browser nowadays and they want to avoid creating a separate way of running Python locally for a locally installed copy of Excel. Maybe they will in the future, but it makes sense to start with the approach that will work in both web and local installs.

Looking at what they're doing with Outlook I'd bet money that they intend to replace the desktop version of Excel with the web version sooner or later.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#38

Post by tzs »

This sounds like it provides a way for Excel to hand a bunch of data to Python code for processing and get back results, and vice versa.

That's probably extremely valuable to many people, but it does not seem to be what I hope for whenever I see something about bringing Python to Excel.

What I hope for is something that is like VBA but without the VB. I.e., a Python (or JavaScript) interpreter/JIT/compiler built into Excel exposing all the internal Excel objects and methods that VBA has access to. By "Python" I just mean the language and whatever subset of the standard library makes sense in Excel.

Re: Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

#40

Post by Bjartr »

diffeomorphism wrote: post #24

Wait just a moment. Libreoffice had python for years, but nobody cared and instead complained about needing 100% compatible VBA for "real work". Where are those people now?

Not offended that Excel can do more, but potentially still inconvenienced by Libreoffice not having the thing they are familiar with or are forced to work with?
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