Opening the gates of Mr. Gates

Hoje, Bill Gates completa 65 anos!

Lembrei desta carta que escrevi a ele há quase 25 anos!

Sem resposta direta, mas com muitas indiretas,

atendendo a meus pleitos!

Rio de Janeiro,  May 10th, 1998

To:    Microsoft

Att.: Mr. William Gates

Dear Mr. Gates or, most  probably, Mr. Support:

         First, let me introduce myself: I am an economic analyst, 40 years old, married with two kids, and ....  a devoted user of Lotus 123. As a Brazilian citizen, English is my second language, so I apologize for some mistakes in my phrasing that may occur, although I believe they will not lead to misinterpretation on what I have to say.

         I work for the international branch of a Brazilian petroleum company. While our mother company insisted on using the Main Frame approach, we, small as we were, began to use the desktop approach by mid 1982. I began to use Lotus in 1986. When our mother company finally began to open its eyes and decided to start using microcomputers by the end of the 80´s, they decided to take a ride on the leading train at that time, the famous Microsoft Office.

         That’s right, I belong to the old generation of spreadsheet users, those who didn’t have a mouse to "facilitate" their navigation along the spreadsheet. I had to learn and memorize some commands activated by the magic '/' (slash). However, I am very proud of having gone through this era and this fact made me very fast at implementing my job. Even when the good old DOS Lotus was buried by the appearance of the Windows version, I could not stop using the slash commands, although I assimilated some of the advantages of using a mouse as well. I´m sure I made an optimized mix of both techniques.

         With the integration of the work with our mother company, 3 or 4 years ago, I had to seriously consider migrating my work to Excel. How could David beat Goliath, at the end? I knew I belonged to the 10% slice of the spreadsheet users, those romantic users of Lotus, while the other 90% were happy users of Excel, showing smiles from ear to ear. Every single colleague who eventually came to know my preferences would express his amazement and say: "Lotus whaaaaattt???!!!!". However, by spending a few minutes by my side, observing the speed with which I carried out my tasks, they would immediately turn their surprise into acceptance.

         But, after several internal battles (inside me!), I said:

         "OK, YOU WON!!!  I will try it, at least!"

         However, I put only one restriction: I would accept the migration if, and only if, I could be at least as fast in Excel as I was in Lotus, for I could not admit losing efficiency!

         Then, I patiently began to try to use Excel. And I immediately realized that I would have a long way to go!

         When someone (Microsoft) has a firm intention of improving a winner’s product  (Lotus123), it has to begin with an exact copy of this product and then to modify that copy by introducing the required improvements. That definitely did not happen in the Lotus-to-Excel transformation. Your developers indeed managed to introduce some amazing facilities, mainly in graphics, and with the integration with the gorgeous Visual Basic, and an improved Macro Management. And I do know from friends that there are several other improvements that are beyond my Jurassic Lotus-oriented imagination. Otherwise, Excel would not have turned into this magnificent worldwide success. But, I can say, you certainly forgot to keep the base that worked so well in Lotus.

         I have prepared a list of features of Excel that are, in my modest opinion, a real pain in the ass, preventing me from definitely migrate to this splendid application. Some of them are clear faults of Excel, and it would be advisable to correct them in future versions. Others are mere complaints of an Educated-Lotus-User-Trying-To-Smoothly-Migrate-To-Excel that cannot understand why the Excel developers thought that way, instead of keeping the good old Lotus-Way-Of-Spreadsheeting.

         Are you interested in reading this kind of stuff? In positive case, have fun! The features are not ranked by level of importance or level of annoyance. In the middle of the list, you might find a very important one that should consist a clear need for change in Excel, after having gone through some others of minor importance.

         Please take my words as a contribution to the development of Excel! I´m just trying to get some help from you to join the winning team, without losing a single piece of my efficiency.

Regards,

For the list of complaints, click below:

http://blogdohomerix.blogspot.com.br/1998/05/lotus-x-exce-complaints-to-mr-gates.html

Homero Ventura 

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

______________________________________
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.

Up Yours Mrs. Upchurch

 Mandei esta carta em 25 de março de 2003 para uma certa juíza da imigração americana

Morávamos em Houston, e os vistos de Dona Zulmira e Carlinhos haviam vencido

Fiz um pleito de renovação que foi recusado por aquela senhora

Escrevi esta carta explicativa

Acho que faltou desenhar, porque ela recusou novamente, dizendo:

"Mrs. Pacheco and her son should leave the USA immediately!"

Ignorei solenemente, e pensei no título do post, mas fiquei quieto
(Quem não sabe o significado, procure 'Up Yours' no Google imagens)

E continuamos nos USA até o final de minha missão, nove meses depois....
 

Um pouco da história deles está neste link:

http://blogdohomerix.blogspot.com.br/2007/02/historia-de-um-sorriso.html

_____________________________
Your Honor Mrs. Upchurch

I come back with the case of my in-laws Zulmira and Antonio Carlos Pacheco. I’m sure you remember our case. What I’m not sure is if you fully understood the peculiarities of our case. I will try to respond some of the arguments of your Decision to Deny letter. First let me state that, not being a lawyer and not being a native English speaker, I shall not use the correct wording, so I apologize for that. Also I grant I will not pay an expensive lawyer to defend their pleas so I would kindly ask you to consider the arguments below.

Yes, my application for renewal of their immigration status was untimely and I have no excuse for that, unless you consider that extreme dedication to work and minimum time allotted for private issues can play a role in an excuse.

You say that Antonio Carlos should file himself an application. Here resides the most important reason for my plea. In my letter I thought I was clear on presenting his condition: he is physically and mentally handicapped! He can not talk, he can not walk, he has to be fed, he has to be bathed, he uses diapers most of the time, we use a patient lifter to help transfer him from bed to wheelchair, to couch, to toilet seat, because he is 140-pounds-heavy, too much for the 79-year-old lady. His mental age is 11 months, which is the age he suffered the encephalitis I mentioned in my application letters. I hope that the definition of child can be revised after you read this letter and see the attached photos, taken recently. It cannot be a cold age limit situation.

The life of Mrs. Zulmira has been fully dedicated to the care of Antonio Carlos. As you know he is now 48-years-old. She never worked outside she never learned another idiom so she could not understand a single word of your letter to her. He and her son are in the United States not for temporary business or for temporary pleasure, as you clearly state in your letter. They are here because they have no other option. How my wife wished she had another sister or brother to adequately take care of them in Brazil! She could not let her peculiar familiar condition put in risk the opportunity of our lives, so she decided to bring them to this land of opportunity. The only way of doing that was to grant them the B2 visas. The consulate officer in Rio de Janeiro granted that the renewal of their immigrant condition would be a question of paper work, and so it happened on the first times, when you kindly granted the first extensions.

You say that they “… must make immediate arrangement to depart the US.” I am shocked with that statement. We are not that normal family who can go everywhere anytime, to board planes, trains, or other regular means of transportation. We cannot go to Brazil to renew their visas and come back in a blink of eyes like others can. The mobilization / demobilization of Antonio Carlos is extremely difficult. The day we came to America was the most nervous day of my life. The expectations of how could we move him from wheelchair to the plane seats, the doubt about how would he behave during  the flight, the possibility of him to poop during the flight, the fear of his screams bothering other passengers. Finally, God helped us and protected us so we could travel without any major glitches.  But I cannot imagine other trip with him other than the definitive trip back to Brazil.

The reasons stated in last paragraph makes the option of traveling to a “third country” to grant some new visas unthinkable. Neither on Mrs. Pacheco wildest dreams, she dreamed of staying in a second country, furthermore in a third country. She had full certainty that she would never step in a plane, given her son’s condition. And the only country to deserve this condition was the United States of America. My company, Petrobras, a state oil company, has offices in Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Nigeria and UK. Only the USA could be a safe harbor for a family like mine, with mild social problems, large neighborhoods and plenty of conditions to treat eventual medical problems. Even UK was out of question due to their miserable weather. That’s why when this slot opened here in Houston we decided to come, whatever the obstacles our condition could offer.

So I am filing this motion to reconsider the denied application and paying the required $110 fee. We have no new facts to present. Our condition is the same as ever. Just I feel I have explained better this time. Their presence in this country will never put the jobs or lives of anyone in risk. They never leave home. We could easily keep them quietly here until the time to go back with never bothering you with these applications. But it is not our way. We insist on being legal. Also, we are inviting you and other INS officers, as we did on our last letter, to come to our home and verify personally the veracity of our words.

Additionally, I must mention that I did not go through the articles, lines, titles, parts and sections stated on your letter due to the reasons expressed on first paragraph. Furthermore, I truly believe our case cannot be only judged by the law, but it does need to be judged also by the heart.

My permission to stay in the USA as stated on the attached petition is until August 23rd 2003. That is the date we are requiring to extend the non-immigrant status of Zulmira Galvao Pacheco and Antonio Carlos Galvao Pacheco

My best regards

Homero Ventura

Agreed in full with all that was above said

Zulmira Galvão Pacheco