Tom Walker wrote:
>
> After struggling for two months with a peculiar data set received from an
> opposing 'expert' in Texas, I have finally reached the hypothesis that the
> data was constructed by cutting and pasting between two Excel files, one
> originating from an Apple Mac using the 1904 date system and the other from
> a PC using the 1900 date system.
[snip]
> The anomaly is documented by Microsoft but I am curious to know how many
> users of excel who occasionally or often exchange files with colleagues who
> may or may not be using the same system are unaware of it?
There are so many things *someone* might need to know about
microsoft products, and it's so hard to find just *the* things *you* (I...)
should know to use those products optimally for our specific purposes....
--
I am not replying directly to your problem, but rather
adding another problem.
Last week I used MS/Word to edit a scholarly text about 60 pages long which
an author whose native language is arabic had translated by
themself into English. The content was very good, and the
writing was also good, but there were lots of little changes
that I felt would make the text read more "naturally".
I wanted to be able to compare the original with my changed text
to make sure I had made the changes I wanted to make and
not (e.g.) inadvertantly deleted something I did not mean
to delete and did not know I had done so
(which is something potentially very bad that I found is all too easy to
do with MS/Word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
I soon found that the file compare option in MS/Word does not
compare correctly. It will show things that had been deleted as
being part of the replacement text (really! it's true!).
I never knew how bad MS/Word is until it so badly
got in the way of the editting I was trying to do.
I was really "unnerved".
Yes MS/Word was a lot better than paper and a red pencil, but
certainly not enough better to justify Bill Gates being
worth US$80 billions and having a monopoly on computer
operating system and office software.
+\brad mccormick
--
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16)
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
<![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
914.238.0788 / 27 Poillon Rd, Chappaqua NY 10514-3403 USA
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Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/
