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____/ Chris Ahlstrom on Monday 23 February 2009 12:35 : \____
>
>
> After takin' a swig o' grog, Roy Schestowitz belched out
> this bit o' wisdom:
>
>> Microsoft wants severance pay back from some fired staff
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Microsoft is trying to get severance money back from some employees it laid
>>| off last month.
>>|
>>| In letters written to an unspecified number of laid off Microsoft workers,
>>| the company says that due to an administrative error the company paid them
>>| too much severance.
>>|
>>| "... An inadvertent administrative error occurred that resulted in an
>>| overpayment in severance pay by Microsoft," the letter states. "We ask that
>>| you repay the overpayment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to
>>| you."
>> `----
>>
>> http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/162529.asp?source=rss
>
> Those are the wages of Excel!
Yes, proprietary software is very sloppy and buggy. Nobody can check the code
to validate.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/174843/ship-of-fools/page4.html
Buggy Microsoft Excel Patch Causes Bad Math
,----[ Quote ]
| A bug in this week's MS08-014 patch causes Excel to return zeroes instead of
| the correct number when certain types of macros are run within the program.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143467-pg,1/article.html
Fractured YEARFRAC and Discounted DISC
,----[ Quote ]
| So Excel is off by 2% or so. Do we really care. It's just money, right?
|
| The problem is that the function in OOXML is defined incorrectly, from the
| financial perspective. The discount rate is the discount from the redemption
| value, not the discount from the purchase price. So the first term in the
| formula should be (redemption-par)/redemption, not (redemption-par)/par. If
| you make this change, then the calculated value matches the value Excel
| gives.
|
| [...]
|
| What would be normal practice would be to take the definitions, as given in
| the OOXML text, and to calculate the values according to the definition
| provided in the text, and then to compare the resulting values with what
| Excel returns. That would provide a useful double-check of the definitions in
| the text. But OOXML doesn't do that. The example here are mere fluff and
| provide no additional assurance to the implementor.
|
| The discrepancy here also indicates that no one has actually reviewed these
| formulas for accuracy. Errors like this are immediately evident, but only if
| you look. The fact that things like this have escaped the notice of
| Microsoft, Ecma TC45, their Project Editors, 80 NB reviews, the BRM experts,
| and the eagle eyes of ITTF, should make one have considerable concerns over
| the the sufficiency of the Fast Track review and approval process.
`----
http://www.robweir.com/blog/2008/05/fractured-yearfrac-and-discounted-disc.html
Trouble In Microsoft World Over Calculator
,----[ Quote ]
| The calculator post seems to be a reaction to a MS KnowledgeBase article
| titled Incorrect Calculator Results When You Use the Percent Key which
| implies the percent function screws up your results when you use it along
| with + or – in any combination. Way to go Microsoft!
`----
http://blog.teqedge.com/2008/01/15/trouble-in-microsoft-world-over-calculator/
Microsoft Excel fails math test
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Corp.'s Excel 2007 spreadsheet program is going to have to relearn
| part of its multiplication table.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070928/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_excel_bug
Microsoft: Excel Bug Doesn't Add Up
,----[ Quote ]
| If you've been depending on your Microsoft Excel software to do your number
| crunching for you, you might want to grab a calculator and review your
| spreadsheets before you send the document out the door. That's because the
| latest version of Excel is housing bugs that are dead set on ruining your
| reports.
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20070927/tc_nf/55613
[OOXML] Mathematically Incorrect
,----[ Quote ]
| So when it comes to comparing MSOOXML and ODF v1.0 on the basis of the
| inclusion of "Formula Definitions", it becomes clear that the anti-ODF folk
| have not much to shout about. In fact MSOOXML's "Formula Definition" is
| deficient and inaccurate.
`----
http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2007/07/mathematically-.html
OOXML: The Formula for Failure
,----[ Quote ]
| As I've shown, in the rush to write a 6,000 page standard in less than a
| year, Ecma dropped the ball. OOXML's spreadsheet formula is worse than
| missing. It has incorrect formulas that, if implemented according to the
| standard may cause loss of life, property and capital. This standard is
| seriously messed up. And shame on all those who praised and continue to
| praise the OOXML formula specification without actually reading it.
`----
http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/07/formula-for-failure.html
- --
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Life is too short to proofread"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
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