Lotus x Excel - Complaints to Mr Gates

This list is an attachment to this letter:
http://blogdohomerix.blogspot.com.br/2010/12/opening-gates-of-mr-gates-1998.html

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Complaints about the Marvelous Excel when compared to Lotus 123

Page 1

The Lotus Way	The Excel Way	My Complaint
1. Whenever you cut or copy a range, the clipboard contents are kept there until another range is sent to the clipboard	1. Whenever you cut or copy a range, the clipboard contents are kept there only until the user makes any single operation with other cells	1. You have to re-cut or re-copy the same range several times, if needed.
2. The Window facility allows the user to independently command both windows in an unsynchronized way, horizontally or vertically; in other words row and column lists are created in both windows	2. The window facility does  not open control of row and column cursor movement in both windows. The only advantage of this way is to create a freezing-like facility, already available in freezing panel facility	2. The only way to create independent moves is by opening New Windows :1 :2, etc. Very strange, indeed!
3. The TAB and Shift TAB allow you to pan to right and left pages	3. The TAB and Shift TAB allow you move the cursor to the right or left cells	3. What is the use of having the TAB and the Cursor Right providing the same movement? The same for the Shift TAB and Cursor Left?
4. The @INDEX function has 3 degrees of indexing: row, column and sheet	4. The INDEX function has only 2 degrees of indexing: row and column	4. This absence of the sheet selection makes some data operations impossible.
5. When you save a file you are able to UNDO the Save operation	5. When you save a file and you try to UNDO it,  you receive a CAN'T UNDO as response	5. You are not allowed to regret having saved a file.
6. When you cut a range, it immediately disappears from display and you may or not move it to another location	6.When you cut a range, it stays there until you copy it to another place, as a move facility	6. I may desire to cut a range and not to copy it anywhere else. It forces me to make a triple command to perform same function: Edit Clear All .
7. When you punch a formula starting with a number, Lotus immediately understands you are punching a formula	7. When you try to punch a formula starting with a number, Excel immediately understands you are punching a label	7. Since spreadsheets are basically designed for mathematical operations, the Lotus triggering should be the default
8. HOME key leads to cell A1 of the same sheet	8.  HOME key leads to first cell  of a given row	8. Why do you consider HOME key as row-ward move instead of column-ward move? It configures a clear discrimination with the columns!
9. Ctrl-HOME key leads to Cell A1 of the first sheet on a multiple sheet file	9. Ctrl-HOME key leads to Cell A1 of the  same sheet on a multiple sheet file	9. How the hell you go to Cell A1 of the first sheet, using a key?
10. When you have a question in a @Function while you are punching it,  you may position the mouse in any letter of its name and press F1 and the help facility leads you the its  syntax explanation	10. When you have a question in a Function while you are punching it,  and you try to do the same, that "professor" appears and you have a long way to go	10. There is not a fast way to have your straight doubt cleared. That professor is not very smart.

Page 2

The Lotus Way	The Excel Way	My Complaint
11. Lotus allows you to combine a file or part of a file into a specific cell of  the current worksheet by using a simple File-Open-Combine command	11. Excel allows the same operation but using a 7-step-command sequence after the primary File-Open, using Copy and Paste Special , thus needing the punch of more than 15 keys	11. The Excel way is much more subject to mistakes.
12. The PRINT button leads you to the Print options screen	12. The PRINT button prints last selection	12. The PRINT screen is accessed only with a double File Print command.
13. To print a new range, you only selects it and punch the PRINT button	13. To print a new range you have to use a unnecessary Set Print Area command and, then, proceed	13. Why simplifying if we can complicate!
14. Lotus identifies a file by its long name (complete path), thus allowing the simultaneous opening of files with the same short name in different directories	14. Excel does not allow the simultaneous opening of files with the same short name even though they are located in different directories	14. Sometimes we need to jointly work with files of the same type named with the same name but appropriately located in different sub-directories
15. @XINDEX function allows the user to locate a cell in a range at the intersection specified by row/column/sheet headings	15. There is not an Excel function to do that	17. This absence limits a wide number of data base operations.
16. Lotus has no kind of restriction for a Paste-Special-Formulas-as-Values command	16. Excel does not allow a Paste-Special-Formulas-as-Values command if the source range presents merged cells	16. This kind of operation should be free of restrictions.
17. When you click the right/bottom corner of a cell and drag it both horizontally and vertically, you copy the cell contents to this new bi-dimensional range	17. When you click the right/bottom corner of a cell and drag it horizontally for instance you are not allowed to drag it vertically as well to  copy the cell contents to this new range	17. Excel requires a double operation instead of the single one required by Lotus.
18. Style, Lines & Color,  in Background color and Text color  have options of  15 base colors and 16 different tonalities.	18. Format, Cells, in Patterns and Fonts offer fewer options of colors and  tonalities.	18. Excel should turn up his options of  colors and tonalities in order to provide a wide range of possibilities.
19. @SUM, @SUMPRODUCT and other mathematical functions can search ranges in more then one sheet simultaneously	19. SUM,SUMPRODUCT and other mathematical functions  search only ranges within a same sheet	19. This limitation prevents the use of a frequently appropriate sheet-by-sheet data organization.
20. When you copy a column-range or a row-range to the clipboard, you can paste its format (Edit-PasteSpecial-StilesOnly) in a series of other columns / rows, simultaneously	20. Excel lets you paste the formats (Edit-PasteSpecial-Formats) to just ONE other column or row by time	20. Excel is obliging me to repeat a paste special operation as many times as are the columns or rows to paste.

Page 3

The Lotus Way	The Excel Way	My Complaint
21. You are able to increase or decrease decimals of cells in a range composed by numbers AND labels using a single button	21. The buttons for increasing/ decreasing decimals don’t work when the range is composed by numbers AND labels, only when there are only numbers	21. You are obliged to make the long way of Format-Cells-Number and so on.
22. The Shift-Ctrl-PgUp and the Shift-Ctrl-PgDn  keys allow you to select a range that crosses several sheets keeping the same source cell in every sheet	22. The Shift-Ctrl-PgUp and the Shift-Ctrl-PgDn  keys don’t allow you to do the same because they only send you to other sheets in the last cell you were	22. The absence of this feature prevents you, for example, to copy the same range to several sheets by using a single command, simultaneously.
23. When you use the {GOTO} key, Lotus opens a dialog box presenting the whole list of range names. When you punch the first letter of the name to go, it spans the list down to the first occurrence of that letter in the list	23. When you use the {GOTO} key, Excel also opens a dialog box presenting the whole list of range names but it remains static as you punch the letters	23. Sometimes you do not remember the exact name of the range an the Lotus span gives you a clue on that.
24. Any cell being referred to by another cell only gains status of absolute address when associated with a $ signal to the left of its row and column definitions or to the left of its name. Otherwise it is treated as a relative address	24. If the cell has a name and you refer to it by its name, from another cell, said cell is treated as an absolute address no matter if it has or not a $ signal to the left of its name	24. I usually name the top cells of columns in order to explain the main operations I am doing. Then, when I copy a formula using such cell to other cells in the same column, Excel keeps, unwillingly for me, the absolute reference!
25. When you cut or copy a range to the clipboard and for any reason decides to close this file, saving it or not, the clipboard contents can be pasted in other files	25. When you cut or copy a range to the clipboard and for any reason decides to close this file, saving it or not, you will never paste it again, because the clipboard contents are cleared	25. The clipboards contents should be preserved independently of the status of its source file.
26. The @CELL function returns not less than 40 attributes of a given cell. Row, Col, Sheet , etc	26. The CELL Excel function returns not more than 12 attributes of a given cell. The Sheet attribute is missing, amongst other 30	26. The absence of the Sheet attribute is unforgivable, since it is part of the Cell location!
27. The @CELLPOINTER Lotus function returns not less than 40 attributes of the cell pointer.	27. The @CELLPOINTER Excel function  …   didn’t come into existence!	27. No words!
28. Lotus allows you to choose where to create a new sheet, if after or before a current sheet	28. Excel always understands your desire for a new sheet as if it you wished it to be inserted before the current sheet	28. No freedom of choice is left!
29. The @DATEDIF Lotus function is able to interpret the distance between two dates in 6 different ways	29. There is not such a cool function in Excel	29. The only positive point of such absence is that the user is obliged to exercise his mind in complex date conversions.
30. The @DATEINFO Lotus function is able to display a date or an information about a date in 13 different ways	30. There is not such a practical function in Excel	30. The only positive point of such absence is that the user is obliged to create macros and/or formulas to get the same result.

Page 4

The Lotus Way	The Excel Way	My Complaint
31. The @DATESTRING Lotus function transforms a date number on a date string	31. There is not such an useful function in Excel	31. It is very common for me to include a date in a string formula.
32. The @ROUNDDOWN and @ROUNDUP Lotus functions rounds a number down or up to the nearest multiple of 10	32. There is not such a function in Excel. But anyway  ..... they are not that useful at all	32. No complaints!
33. The @RADTODEG and @DEGTORAD Lotus functions are built-in within the spreadsheet to convert radians to degrees and vice-versa	33. For Excel, the RADIANS and DEGREES functions are Add-ins stored on an external library in the Program Files Directory	33. If, by an accident, such library is cleared, you have your spreadsheet full of  #VALUEs!
34. The @WEIGHTAVG returns the weighted average of a data-range over a weights range	34. You can get the same result by the combination of SUM and SUMPRODUCT Excel functions	34. Just a matter of optimization!
35. The @SHEET Lotus function returns the number of sheets of a given range	35. I could not find out what is the Excel way for that	35. Now I know! Excel has serious troubles with the management of sheets!
36. The @CHOOSE Lotus Function returns the value or label of  list of cells, given its offset number	36. I could not find out what is the Excel way for that	36. Good substitute of @INDEX when list of values are not grouped in a range!
37. The @MAXLOOKUP and @MINLOOKUP Lotus functions return the cell reference of a max/min value in a range	37. I could not find out what is the Excel way for that	37. Excellent in some search procedure in macros!
38. You can give a Name for a Range that crosses 2 or more sheets	38. You are not allowed to do the same. Ranges in Excel should not exceed the limits of a single sheet	38. This reduces an enormous  number of the advantages of having a multiple sheet data organization! Again the Sheet problem
39. @SUM & @SUMPRODUCT Lotus functions can easily perform their tasks even if the ranges are spread beyond one single sheet	39. SUM & SUMPRODUCT Excel functions  are restricted to perform their tasks within a single sheet	39. The old already detected problem of Excel with sheet management!
40. Tables can be assembled to show a variable value according to up to 3 dimensions: row, column and sheet	40. Tables can be assembled to show a variable value according to up to 2 dimensions only: row and column	40. That’s it again. The sheet trouble!
41. A data table keeps the result values up to another table command is performed.	41. A data table has its values constantly changed with any change in a parameter that affects the table variable	41. Sometimes I am performing tests in the variable and this automatic change is not desired. I prefer to recalculate tables at my will!
42. This last complaint presents a wider dimension so I decided to change the form. In Lotus, the Jurassic Slash commands allow the user to perform macros that interact with the contents of the spreadsheet. Please try the very simple Lotus Macro \A of the file named Challeng.WK4 attached to the message. It is only a sample of what I am trying to say. This macro saves a portion of the current spreadsheet (File Xtract) given a different file name that is defined in a cell of the same spreadsheet after a choice of oil and gas prices scenario over a price list. The example might seem naive but be sure that I use this technique in much more noble tasks. I would be very pleased if you could teach me how Excel would perform the same, let’s say, trick! I know that even Lotus can not perform such task without the use of the Slash commands so I imagine that Excel will not do it, too!

43. EXTRA - A very new one! When performing a Data Table sensitivity in a certain sheet, I can use variables in ANY sheet os the file

43. Excel requires that the table AND the variables be located at the same sheet!

43. Again the undesirable Sheet Trouble, that i have listed ein som many points here (4, 19, 22, 26, 35, 38, 38 abd 40).I t's unforgivable.  I say more, by renaming it... it's not a Sheet Trouble, but a Shit Trouble.