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Excel is the non-programmer's perl, basically. Simple, gets shit done, woefully, terribly ugly at times, but it doesn't really matter. I'd love to see the non-programmer's Python.


Interestingly, someone recently posted on HN that they're trying to integrate Python into Excel: https://datanitro.com/blog/2013/2/12/future/

Not ideal, but it's a step up from VBA.


That's not really what he was saying though.

Python was being compared to Perl, and if excel is perl, he wants to see Python, whatever that may be.


Perl: "There is more than one way to do it."

Some ways Excel lets you organize data: (1) chaotically on one worksheet, (2) with different data sets in different worksheets, (3) in tables (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/overview-of-exc...).

Python: "There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it."

Perhaps Excel/Perl*Python wouldn't have any of Excel's organization tools exactly but would instead have only independent tables that could be made larger and smaller as needed.

Edit after reading some comment about databases:

Perhaps this program would be a front-end of sorts for databases or could act as one. That might be unrelated to the Perl/Python difference, but it could be a useful feature.


I feel something like subtextual.org may fit this bill. There's some interesting stuff going on there incorporating the text/cell nature of Excel, but with some more intuition.


I'm sure that's not what csixty4 meant but....

Changing the programming language of Excel from VBA to Python will not do anything except increase the number of articles with Python coding on http://thedailywtf.com



Perhaps Lotus Improv?


Quantrix perhaps.


Matematica? (Wolfram Research)


Probably "vendors".




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