# If there was no more Excel.........



## Lewiy (Feb 23, 2007)

What would happen if:

a)	Microsoft went bust or
b)	Microsoft decided not to produce any more versions of Excel

(both unlikely possibilities in the short to medium term I admit)

Would the world move to a new (possibly inferior) spreadsheet platform, or continue to use out dated versions of Excel for ever more, or?????


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## Oaktree (Feb 23, 2007)

Pretty sure Google would carpe diem to fill the void on that one


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## Greg Truby (Feb 23, 2007)

Well under scenario 2, I, for one, would go back to Quattro Pro.  Under scenario 1, then I guess Windows is dead too, so I'd have to go to a Mac.   Since Excel was actually originally a Mac app, would one be able to go way back to Excel 1.0?


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## just_jon (Feb 23, 2007)

I'd be buyin' stock in The Big Green Ledger Sheet & Eraser Co.

You know, I actually used them, first few years on the job, a few times. Gawd, talk about a cruel way to learn 'bout the ripple effect of upper-left errors ...


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## brian.wethington (Feb 23, 2007)

> I'd be buyin' stock in The Big Green Ledger Sheet & Eraser Co.
> 
> You know, I actually used them, first few years on the job, a few times. Gawd, talk about a cruel way to learn 'bout the ripple effect of upper-left errors ...


No offense buddy, but I sure am glad that was you and not me!


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## Cbrine (Feb 23, 2007)

AAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!
Is it Halloween????  Why are you trying to scare us?


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## Lewiy (Feb 23, 2007)

Well, it's just I heard recently that Excel was to be no more and Microsoft was having cash flow probl............, no, wait, it was all just a bad dream.

But the future is never certain, so perhaps we should all prepare for hibernation, just in case...........


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## erik.van.geit (Feb 23, 2007)

no Excel = finally free from addiction to this forum


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## TinaP (Feb 23, 2007)

I'm with Erik.

Seriously, though...If Microsoft couldn't fulfill the public's demand for software solutions, some other forward-thinking company or individual would certainly fill the need.  Obviously there is a need or we wouldn't all be at MrExcel.com.


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## Lewiy (Feb 23, 2007)

In theory I agree, but presumably there are many, many features of Excel which are subject to copyright/patents.  If you've ever used OpenOffice for example, whilst for a light/average user it's much the same as Excel, as soon as you want to do anything more complex, you have to learn it a whole different way (comma's become semi-colons in formulas and the conditional formatting is almost alien) and as for VBA??? How on earth would we cope?


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## TinaP (Feb 23, 2007)

The only way we'd cope is to log on to MrExcelsReplacement.com.  

Erik would be a frequent visitor and probably an MVP there, too. :wink:


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## Lewiy (Feb 23, 2007)

But wouldn't it be a shame for this entire board to be rendered useless?  So much information, so much knowledge, so many happy customers.


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## SydneyGeek (Feb 23, 2007)

Well, if MS went bust, it would take a hell of a long time before that was a problem with Excel. The huge installed base means that there would be a LOT of people interested in keeping it going, and you'd probably find someone would pick up the pieces and take over the licensing... 

Still, interesting to think what might replace it. I don't think the product exists that could completely replace it, although there's plenty for the low-end users (OpenOffice, Google). Would Quattro Pro and Lotus get revved up again? If so, how long before power users switched over?

Denis


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## Smitty (Feb 23, 2007)

It's kinda like the '67 Honda motorcycle I just got to restore, well, not really because Honda's still around, and I guess I can always get tires and wheels, and new handlebars and stuff that Honda may or not make anymore, and once you learn how to ride, you don't really need to learn to ride all over again...I mean it's not like they drive differently in Australia than they do here, not like cars...and you can always find spare parts on flea bay, so what _would_ happen?

Hmmm...I guess I'd have more time to ponder rhetorical motorcycle questions. 

Smitty


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## erik.van.geit (Feb 24, 2007)

> But wouldn't it be a shame for this entire board to be rendered useless?


what are you talking about ?
let's enjoy today and not be afraid of tomorrow
(I'm not blind for potential problems, but why bother if you cannot do anything about them ?)


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## Lewiy (Feb 24, 2007)

> > But wouldn't it be a shame for this entire board to be rendered useless?
> 
> 
> what are you talking about ?



Say in 10 years time if Excel was gone, and any replacements worked on different methods of achieving the same goals, then all the solutions to problems on this board would be effectly useless and the irony would be that the more specific the solution, the less relevant it would be to a replacement product.


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## erik.van.geit (Feb 24, 2007)

sorry, my english seems to not come through sometimes

I only meant: don't worry, be happy with the things you have today


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