Comments on: Calculating with Incense and Spreadsheets http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/blog/?p=81 How to get off, where to get off, and why you should stay off Microsoft, with news and tips on alternatives Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:00:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Joe Webb http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/blog/?p=81#comment-58455 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 22:29:34 +0000 http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/blog/?p=81#comment-58455 Read and loved the book. Have been playing around with Ubuntu more aggressively since I read it, and enjoying it greatly. Regarding the spreadsheet in your book (with the TRUE and FALSE statements) that Excel miscalculates, I have found that other products have failed the test as well. Google online spreadsheet = PASSED Thinkfree online spreadsheet = PASSED Zoho online spreadsheet = PASSED GNUmeric open source spreadsheet = FAILED Evermore Office spreadsheet = FAILED For the ones that failed, it almost makes you wonder if they've pirated MSFT's code! I no longer have WordPerfect or Lotus suites on my system, nor some of the others like Ability or Softmaker. Have you tried the test on them? Did Excel EVER get it right, perhaps in DOS? I just bought a Dell Axim, and I should have stayed with Palm... Outlook changed a whole bunch of things -- I use it only for calendar and contacts. Is there a good alternative for that, and perhaps an alternative to Windows Mobile for the device? Thanks so much for a great book. I've been using OpenOffice for four years. Word won't start on my computer because it conflicts with my iFeel mouse. I have to keep Word 2000 on my system just in case I need it, the last version the came close to working. Regards Joe Webb Harrisville, RI Read and loved the book. Have been playing around with Ubuntu more aggressively since I read it, and enjoying it greatly.

Regarding the spreadsheet in your book (with the TRUE and FALSE statements) that Excel miscalculates, I have found that other products have failed the test as well.

Google online spreadsheet = PASSED

Thinkfree online spreadsheet = PASSED

Zoho online spreadsheet = PASSED

GNUmeric open source spreadsheet = FAILED

Evermore Office spreadsheet = FAILED

For the ones that failed, it almost makes you wonder if they’ve pirated
MSFT’s code!

I no longer have WordPerfect or Lotus suites on my system, nor some of the others like Ability or Softmaker. Have you tried the test on them? Did Excel EVER get it right, perhaps in DOS?

I just bought a Dell Axim, and I should have stayed with Palm… Outlook changed a whole bunch of things — I use it only for calendar and contacts. Is there a good alternative for that, and perhaps an alternative to Windows Mobile for the device?

Thanks so much for a great book. I’ve been using OpenOffice for four years. Word won’t start on my computer because it conflicts with my iFeel mouse. I have to keep Word 2000 on my system just in case I need it, the last version the came close to working.

Regards
Joe Webb
Harrisville, RI

]]> by: admin http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/blog/?p=81#comment-58256 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:22:22 +0000 http://www.tonybove.com/getoffmicrosoft/blog/?p=81#comment-58256 Excel Error that OOo Handles Just Fine The following is an email comment from drjoewebb at drjoesblog.com (You can read the entire post and comments at "<a href="http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?p=196345#196345" target="blank_" title="See Excel Error that OOo Handles Just Fine" rel="nofollow">See Excel Error that OOo Handles Just Fine</a>" ijn OOoForum.org, the OpenOffice.org forum): I ran that spreadsheet in other programs, and this is what i got 602PC Suite = PASSED Ability Office = FAILED EditGrid online spreadsheet =PASSED Evermore Office spreadsheet = FAILED GNUmeric open source spreadsheet = FAILED goBeProductive Suite = PASSED Google online spreadsheet = PASSED Lotus 1-2-3 = PASSED OpenOffice/StarOffice = PASSED Softmaker Planmaker = FAILED Thinkfree online spreadsheet = PASSED WordPerfect Office Quattro Pro = PASSED Zoho online spreadsheet = PASSED including excel, 9 passed and 5 failed Gnumeric (and Excel?) sum up dates, but they refuse to sum up booleans. I tested with Gnumeric. It seems that this program is aware of booleans. They show TRUE/FALSE with any numeric format. Calc shows 0 or 1 with any numeric format but "Boolean". So "Boolean" is just a number format in Calc, whereas Gnumeric does not know such a number format at all. Gnumeric boolean is not equal to number: =1=True() -->FALSE =0=False() -->FALSE until you convert =1=N(True()) -->TRUE =1=N(False()) -->TRUE Calc: =1=True() -->TRUE =0=False() -->TRUE Excel Error that OOo Handles Just Fine

The following is an email comment from drjoewebb at drjoesblog.com (You can read the entire post and comments at “See Excel Error that OOo Handles Just Fine” ijn OOoForum.org, the OpenOffice.org forum):

I ran that spreadsheet in other programs, and this is what i got

602PC Suite = PASSED
Ability Office = FAILED
EditGrid online spreadsheet =PASSED
Evermore Office spreadsheet = FAILED
GNUmeric open source spreadsheet = FAILED
goBeProductive Suite = PASSED
Google online spreadsheet = PASSED
Lotus 1-2-3 = PASSED
OpenOffice/StarOffice = PASSED
Softmaker Planmaker = FAILED
Thinkfree online spreadsheet = PASSED
WordPerfect Office Quattro Pro = PASSED
Zoho online spreadsheet = PASSED

including excel, 9 passed and 5 failed

Gnumeric (and Excel?) sum up dates, but they
refuse to sum up booleans. I tested with Gnumeric. It seems that this
program is aware of booleans. They show TRUE/FALSE with any numeric
format. Calc shows 0 or 1 with any numeric format but “Boolean”. So
“Boolean” is just a number format in Calc, whereas Gnumeric does not
know such a number format at all.

Gnumeric boolean is not equal to number:

=1=True() –>FALSE

=0=False() –>FALSE

until you convert

=1=N(True()) –>TRUE

=1=N(False()) –>TRUE

Calc:

=1=True() –>TRUE

=0=False() –>TRUE

]]>