Processing speed

John Walkenbach has a post comparing peoples processor speed here. If you havent added yours please do so, especially if you have a monster machine.

I duly did the tests and posted my results. Mathius did the equiv code in C#, so of course I had to fire up C++. It ran in about 2.7 seconds compared to 13.7 in VBA. No surprises there right?

So then I fired up my beloved VB6 – 19 Seconds! WTF??? I did all the optimisations and got it back down to 15.something. But why would a VB6 exe be so much slower than VBA?

If you have VB6 perhaps you could run your own check in case I’m doing something dumb. It took me ages to realise/remember that VB6 doesn’t have separate debug and release builds (too long in VC++)

Double bizzaro, if I debug in VB6 i get 13.odd, if I build the exe and double click that I get 15 or so.

Why would the compiled version be slower than the debug version?

I tried it as a dll too and VBA is still faster.

I know recent VBAs use slightly different libraries, but I thought they all went through the same MSVBVM60 runtime? Maybe this test doesn’t need that runtime from VBA?

I don’t want to spend much time on this, VB6 is pretty much an ex-parrot at this stage, but anyone has a plausible answer off the top of their head please leave a comment.

cheers

Simon

Whats for tea

Just saw this

http://failblog.org/2009/11/17/facebook-bet-fail/

made me laff

dude

Cheers

Simon

Excel Screen flicker

It seems the November patch for Excel has an unwelcome side effect – It totally messes with screen updating and causes content from multiple sheets to appear mixed up.

So if you get automatic updates, or just like being bang up to date, and in the last few days have started to have unusual screen updating issues check out this link:

KB973593
(http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-067.mspx)

That page also tells you how to remove the patch to test (Add/Remove programs).

Note this issue may affect 2007 and 2003 as the patch is for both versions.

The patch fixes some security vulns so I guess thats the choice you make, more secure with flaky screen, or less secure with smooth screen updating.

I made my choice a long time ago when I stopped applying patches because they just broke stuff or ripped out useful functionality.

Anyone else suffering from this issue?

cheers

Simon

MS Office 2010 or Google Docs?

Probably Google Docs (according to Google).

I wonder, is anyone actually involved in a corporate evaluation of Google docs with the specific intention of phasing out MS Office? (even for a subset of users?)

I doubt very much that Google docs will be in a position to replace MS Office in 12 months, even with their planned 30-50 updates. I doubt even more that organisations will be in a position to consider that move in 12 months time.

My experience of the Office user world is that progress/change is glacial.

In the last 15 years there has been all manner of software created and released, some of which has removed the need for techniques I used to build Office based systems years ago. So I don’t do those things now – I implement the new features/product.

As I tour around though I still see lots of others still using those outdated, long superseded techniques. And when I show them the latest thinking, they say ‘no thanks, we like doing it this way’.

Their choice obviously, but I don’t see how those very same people who won’t even consider using pivot tables, are going to move to some brand new office suite.

I also think Google underestimate how much corporate IT values homogeneity. Way more than productivity, for example, in my experience. So I don’t see IT queuing up to move half their users to a different platform, saving the users budget centre a load of licence cost. Whilst simultaneously burdening themselves with double support costs? Can’t see it, can you?

I know these guys have to talk up their cloudy products and services, but when they stray so far from reality they just lose credibility. IMO of course, what do you think?

cheers

Simon

Sods Law

Just when I feel the need for some Jobserve relief, their bag of hammers site has dropped a clanger again.

Imagine how many roles they could fill if their site ws up working properly most of the time? Or are they discrimininating against Linux/Firefox weilding hippies?

You see that bit next to the big blue list box where it says ‘(required’) that used to be where you put the criteria of the job you are searching for. Not now though. Now you just look at the jobs they offer you, with no clue what criteria are being used.

Anyone else seeing this? or is it just a cumbria issue?

( I just deleted my cookies and at the same time the site seems to be creaking back to life – dunno if the two are connected)

Does anyone else regularly find jobserve a bit flaky?

cheers

Simon

Down Tools!

For the second time in 12 months I find myself refusing to do any more work for a client until they settle outstanding invoices. What an Arse!

I went into software development and consulting because I like helping people and I like fixing things and I like coding. Not because I like or am good at, admin, chasing invoices, writing terms and conditions, etc etc.

One thing that really riles me about this is those organisations that expect an instant resolution to their unusual, one in a million problem from me, but yet need 45 days to process an invoice, which they must do thousands of times a day.

So there is a new Codematic rule now (website to be updated) our resolution time will be similar to the clients accounts payable cycle. (except pay in advance stuff!)

In fact I’m pretty fed up a fixed price work altogether, it seems to contain a lot of the things I dislike and a lot of free work with all the scope creep, client personnel changes etc. Is anyone successfully working on a day rate?

I’m feeling the attraction of the dark side (permie) more and more. Although if I did get a proper job I think I would aim for something outside IT. (one of my kids suggested I retrain as an astronaut for example)

How are you finding the current market?

Plenty of work? payment hassles? rate pressure?

The contract market seems to have really picked up in the last month or so, maybe I should look at that.

cheers

Simon

Bad Weather

One of my mates who was a keen alpine climber used to say ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad preparation’.

I think that is very true, better kit, checking the forecast, local knowledge, exit strategy all these things can ensure you can cope with virtually all weather scenarios.

Could we say the same thing for spreadsheets?

There is no such thing as a bad spreadsheet, just bad processes. (or should that be bad management?)

I think bad spreadsheets often appear to fill the gaps between what enterprise systems deliver and what users feel they need to do their job.

I totally belive some spreadsheets have a valid place in an enterprises information systems. I’m not for one second suggesting that all spreadsheets are bad, or that all should be removed or replaced. Although I know lots of people do seem locked onto that idea.

I do think some of the worst I have seen could have and should have been replaced by a more appropriate technology and management process. I also think a lot of the thinking focuses on a single symptom (bad spreadsheets) rather than the root cause (IT systems expectation gap?).

What do you think?

cheers

Simon

Coding style

In production code, or code that might be delivered to a customer I try and adopt an enlightened pro developer style of coding. I.e. I only do stuff that I think adds value.

In personal project coding I have several alternate styles. By habit I normally code in the style of Father Ted (sub style – Father Jack Hackett). Which dictates the first procedure is called ‘feck’ and the second is called ‘Arse’ (by LAW!). The traditional ‘Hello World’ becomes (somewhat obviously) ‘Feck Off’. Yes/No dialogs become ‘Ah go on, go on now’

My most recent project (indexing the codematic site) I coded in the style of Bodie and Namond (inspired by his explanation of the game of chess) from the Wire. So the first routine is ‘FindDemBitches’ quickly followed by ‘DeleteDemMuthas’. Which contained the immortal line

Dim DatLiddleBitch as Range

What coding styles so you use? And do you do an edit replace as soon as that ‘personal code’ finds its way into production? Or perhaps before??

(I remember one time a user contacting my to ask why they had just had a error message that said ‘Guess again, donkey’.)

cheers

Simon

Ubuntu 9.10 on my AA1

I upgraded my netbook to 9.10 Karmic Koala the other night – nae bother.

I’m mainly using that machine as a back up at the moment but I upgraded it anyway to see if there were any issues – there weren’t. (Unlike for some it seems)

Well there was an alsa sound question which raised my blood pressure a little. Sound is a sore point in Ubuntu I would say. Anyway it all worked fine even though I chose to let it hose my custom sound settings. The only thing was skype had decided it wanted to use blue tooth for sound output! I don’t even think my AA1 has bluetooth. But I just selected the right Intel HDA thingy and everything worked like a charm – thank goodness I am sick of faffing with sound on the AA1/Ubuntu combo.

Took a good couple of hours to run through so I might have been better not triggering it after midnight – but hey ho.

I have finally got ff3.5 which doesn’t support my fave black theme. It now has OOo 3.1 where I think I was on 3.0 before, dunno if there is much difference? ( I tend to use Gnumeric). I will have to spend some time with it to see where the pros and cons are. I’ll report back when I have.

Boot up is allegedly faster, but not that I have noticed – but it turns off fast.

What is your favourite 9.10 feature?

Did you have any upgrade/install problems?

cheers

Simon

Eusprig Website update

Eusprig – The European Spreadsheet Interest Group has had a website face lift.

It marks a massive improvement, not just in the look, but also the content, and more importantly the image of the organisation.

I had pretty much stopped linking to the old site as it did not show the organisation in the sort of professional light that I think is appropriate.

A proper website update was one of the key things I pushed for whilst I was on the Eusprig committee. I am not on it now, but I am pleased to see the website bloom.

Indeed I had pretty much given up on Eusprig, I didn’t bother going to the conference this year, having been for the previous 4 years and spoken twice – err thrice, (maybe I’ve attended 5 years?).

The topic for the 2010 conference is finally the one I think we need to get to. OK we know errors are in spreadsheets, but finally there will be a conference looking at real world solutions to this very real issue. I may even submit a paper for consideration.

Will you? (its a bit of an odd ‘pay to present’ set up, which is largely (and rightly) discredited as overly salesy, but Eusprig try to manage that through the review process).

What do you think of the new site?

Will you be attending the 2010 conf in London in July to discuss reducing and managing errors in spreadsheets?

I sometimes get the feeling that the world has moved on from spreadsheet quality, but XLAnalyst is still one of the most downloaded apps from codematic. Have you moved on, or is it still very much on your agenda?

cheers

Simon