[Year 12 IT Apps] Bad, Excel. Bad!

[Mark Kelly]

hehehehe

Timmer-Arends wrote:
> Hello Mark
> There's been some discussion of the SDLC recently and I think your excel 
> problem is a good exmaple of the MS-SDLC:
> Stage1: Get V1.0 of a program in a certain application area out there in 
> the market regardless of whether or not it works just to scare off other 
> developers
> Stage2: Upgrade the program so that it more or less does what it was 
> supposed to do in the first place
> Stage3: Further upgrade the program by adding many, many, many features 
> that are not generally useful
> Stage4: Create a whole lot of default settings because there are too 
> many not-so-useful-features for the average person to have to deal with. 
> Make sure the default settings are well hidden, possibly undocumented, 
> and where possible anti-intuitive.
> 
> Regards
> Robert T-A
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Kelly" <kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au>
> To: "Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List" 
> <itapps at edulists.com.au>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:23 AM
> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Bad, Excel. Bad!
> 
> 
>> Yep, Robert.  That does the trick!  Thanks.
>>
>> And a big kick in the head for Microsoft :-)
>>
>> Timmer-Arends wrote:
>>> look in tools menu -> options ->edit->extend data range formats anf 
>>> formulas
>>>
>>> I think that's the 'helpful' culprint
>>>
>>> regards
>>> Robert T-A
>>> Brighton SC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Hopkins" 
>>> <a.hopkins at bcc.vic.edu.au>
>>> To: "'Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List'" 
>>> <itapps at edulists.com.au>
>>> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 3:10 PM
>>> Subject: RE: [Year 12 IT Apps] Bad, Excel. Bad!
>>>
>>>
>>>> Yes, but that's where the fun starts.
>>>>
>>>> Set the formula to sum(a1:a5) *before* entering the "1"s, and watch 
>>>> Excel
>>>> change the formula as soon as you've entered the sixth value.
>>>>
>>>> I notice that entering a "2" and then changing to a "1" inhibits 
>>>> this odd
>>>> behaviour.  What's going on?
>>>>
>>>> -Alex Hopkins
>>>> Bayside Christian College
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au 
>>>> [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au]
>>>> On Behalf Of P.DiNatale
>>>> Sent: Monday, 15 October 2007 3:00 PM
>>>> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
>>>> Subject: RE: [Year 12 IT Apps] Bad, Excel. Bad!
>>>>
>>>> Mark,
>>>>
>>>> Your formula in section A is sum(a1: a10)  it should be sum(a1:a5)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Phillip Di Natale
>>>> Outdoor Camps Co-Ordinator
>>>> Ph: (03) 9409 8836
>>>> email: p.dinatale at stmonicas-epping.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au
>>>> [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark Kelly
>>>> Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 2:50 PM
>>>> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
>>>> Subject: [Year 12 IT Apps] Bad, Excel. Bad!
>>>>
>>>> A curious problem with Excel.  Please play with the attached file.
>>>>
>>>> It seems Excel thinks it knows better than I do about what formulas
>>>> should be, and I can't work how how to stop it.  Something to do with
>>>> its 'advanced formula error' fixing, I guess.  Very annoying!
>>>>
>>>> To try it out, just put "1" into each of the shaded cells and watch 
>>>> what
>>>>
>>>> happens to the formula for the total of section A!
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas for fixes?
>>>>
>>>> TIA
>>>> Mark
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Mark Kelly
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Mark Kelly


-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
School Phone +613 8520 9000
School Fax +613 95789253
kel AT mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au

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