undefined | Better HN

0 pointssuperb_dev1y ago0 comments

Python in excel is a feature I would only expect to be used by power users. Someone who spends a lot of time in excel. Calling these people “non-programmers” isn’t true, excel itself is a pretty esoteric programming language.

I personally don’t think python is the problem here, but if their users can learn python they can certainly learn lua.

0 comments

smcin1y ago

That's exactly what I said above: most Excel users are non-programmers. Hence Python in Excel would only be used by a subset of Excel power users.

Moreover, having to pay $$ recurring subscriptions for that stack to run open-source software (Python) they could run for free elsewhere mean it'll only be used by commercial/enterprise Windows-stack users who are already locked into some legacy workflow/data built around/glued to Excel. For example, financial users, or users who have some expensive license seat of some enterprise product(s). Means an even smaller subset of users.

We're saying the same thing.

superb_devOP1y ago

Are we? I’m arguing that lua would have been a better choice than python.

Any traditional programming language that you put in excel is going to be a feature mostly for power users, and I think they could pick up lua just as easy as python

jimbokun1y ago

They could, but a lot more people already know Python than Lua.

smcin1y ago

Most Excel users (not the power users, just the 1.1 billion everyday ones, including many of the enterprise ones) don't know how to program in any language. You're coming at this with a HN mindset.

"Python vs Lua" is not even on their radar. And even if it was, their criteria would be dominated by platform lockin and compatibility with other licenses (e.g. commercial SQL, Tableau, MSFT, etc.). Not by "which open-source language?"

extr1y ago

IMO you're the one coming in with an HN mindset. Python has massive mindshare even among people who have never programmed. It is the numeric computing language du jour. In any given financial company there are definitely already python users. Lua, a language primarily known for plugin scripting, with no numeric computing libraries, that has zero mindshare among non career programmers, is not even in the conversation.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

smcin1y ago

That's exactly what I said above: most Excel users are non-programmers. Hence Python in Excel would only be used by a subset of Excel power users.

We're saying the same thing.

superb_devOP1y ago

Are we? I’m arguing that lua would have been a better choice than python.

Any traditional programming language that you put in excel is going to be a feature mostly for power users, and I think they could pick up lua just as easy as python

jimbokun1y ago

They could, but a lot more people already know Python than Lua.

smcin1y ago

Most Excel users (not the power users, just the 1.1 billion everyday ones, including many of the enterprise ones) don't know how to program in any language. You're coming at this with a HN mindset.

extr1y ago

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse