Monthly Archives: February 2008

Why are the Microsoft Office file formats so complicated?

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An amazing post by Joel Spolsky which is an excellent example of why blogging is such a useful augmentation of our collective intelligence.

Last week, Microsoft published the binary file formats for Office. These formats appear to be almost completely insane. The Excel 97-2003 file format is a 349 page PDF file.
[…]
If you started reading these documents with the hope of spending a weekend writing some spiffy code that imports Word documents into your blog system, or creates Excel-formatted spreadsheets with your personal finance data, the complexity and length of the spec probably cured you of that desire pretty darn quickly. A normal programmer would conclude that Office’s binary file formats:

* are deliberately obfuscated
* are the product of a demented Borg mind
* were created by insanely bad programmers
* and are impossible to read or create correctly.

He then goes on carefully and lucidly to explain why that ‘normal programmer’ would be wrong on all four counts. Wonderful stuff.

HP is planning a Linux sub-notebook

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According to the Register,

HP’s going after the Eee PC with a compact laptop that sports an 8.9in display and more connectivity options than the elfin Asus machine currently offers.

So says Engadget, which has posted some pics and a very basic spec….

It’s interesting to see what ASUS started. Also interesting to find that you can’t buy an ASUS machine anywhere in the UK just now — they’re selling like the Nintendo Wii.

If HP is really entering this market, that’s good news because (a) the company makes nice kit, and (b) it further increases the penetration of Linux in new markets.

Chutzpah

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You have to admire RyanAir. They have to shut down their website for three days to install major upgrades. So they’re using the necessity as an excuse for another fire-sale!

Sony gets revenge for Betamax

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Revenge, they say, is a dish best eaten cold. Well, Sony must be chewing fossils, because Toshiba has given up on HD DVD…

TOKYO – Toshiba’s decision to no longer develop, make or market high-definition HD DVD players and recorders will mean consumers can start feeling more confident about buying the victorious rival technology – a Blu-ray disc player.

Analysts say competition is expected to heat up among the manufacturers of Blu-ray players and recorders, which include Japanese makers Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Sharp Corp. as well as Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea.

In making the announcement, Toshiba Corp. President Atsutoshi Nishida said he wanted to avoid confusion among consumers…

Laid off? Share the pain with Twitter. (And get job offers.)

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From the Los Angeles Times…

SAN FRANCISCO — When Ryan Kuder lost his job last week, everyone knew it. That’s because he chronicled the experience of his last hours at Yahoo Inc. through a stream of electronic dispatches laced with gallows humor.

Using Twitter, a service popular in Silicon Valley that allows users to broadcast short messages to an unlimited number of people, Kuder posted periodic updates of his final, caffeine-fueled day as a senior marketing manager at the Internet company, starting with his last commute to the Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters and ending with margaritas at Chevy’s.

“Ironic that I just got my PC repaired yesterday. Won’t be needing that anymore.”

“This is a serious downer. Trying to drown it in free lattes. Which I will miss.”

“Dear BlackBerry, What great times we had. I’ll miss you. At least until tonight when I stop on my way home and buy an iPhone. Love, Me.”

Towering edifice

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I’m at a seminar which is being held (improbable though it may seem) in Tower Bridge, which Wikipedia describes as “a combined bascule and suspension bridge”. It’s also darned chilly up there in the North Tower.