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From: relihanl@ul.ie (Liam Relihan)
Subject: Re: 4-D :: Treason Against YOU by Microsoft (Reply)
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References: <jaffo.136.0014CD94@onramp.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 11:05:38 GMT
Lines: 63


In article <jaffo.136.0014CD94@onramp.net>, jaffo@onramp.net (Jaffo) writes:

>Microsoft Excel is a GOOD product.  I'm sorry, I don't like them either, but 
>it's the truth.  It's a good product.  And as plazzy as it is, the GUI with 
>Windows does make some work easier.

I have reason to use Excel recently --- it is sheer unadulterated
garbage. I was doing some work with some reasonably large files (say 2
Megs each) on a Pentium with heaps of disk space and heaps of
memory. I spent a half day trying to get a few simple tasks
completed.

The task itself did not take the most time, it was:

1. The three system crashes and subsequent reboots
2. The divide-by-zero error
3. The periods during which Excel was autosaving and I could do little 
   or nothing else.
4. The periods during which Excel was printing and I could do little or 
   nothing else.
5. The time spend shuffling windows around
6. The time spend trying to locate a page in help for Excel where there was
   a bad hyperlink
7. The time spend using the mouse to gain focus on stupid little boxes so 
   you can type in them
8. The time spend "updating" fields
9. The time spend hammering my head off the keyboard and crying with rage

On a UNIX box with a spreadsheet, I would have had absolutely no
crashes, there would have been very few sizable delays on the part of the
spreadsheet and I would have got the job done within a couple of
hours (at most).


>Microsoft does do some things well.  Windows NT is a good, stable operating 
>system.  Yes, it requires too much overhead, but it does deliver a good 
>portion of what Windows promised to do.
>
>And no one else is giving Microsoft a serious challenge.
>
>OS 2 was a good try, but it's just too slow.  It does Multitasking 
>better, but 
>it's not as fast as "the real thing."
>
>If OS 2 ran Windows apps better than the original, people would be switching 
>to it in droves.

Not if Microsoft keep bawling loud enough about its future products.
and the computer media always try to give both sides a "fair deal",
i.e. equalise OS/2 and Windows by not emphasising critical differences
like multitasking, etc.



Liam
--
 Liam Relihan,                                        Voice: +353-61-202713
 CSIS, Schumann Building,        [space]                Fax: +353-61-330876
 University Of Limerick,                             E-mail: relihanl@ul.ie
 Ireland.                      http://itdsrv1.ul.ie/PERSONNEL/lrelihan.html


