tibbar66 - Slashdot User

Submission + - Excel 2007 Killer Bug: Can't Multiply!

Submitted by tibbar66 on Monday September 24, 2007 @06:24PM

tibbar66 writes: It seems that in Excel 2007 there is quite a serious bug with multiplication! Try: =850*77.1 It gives 100,000! (instead of 65,535). It was first reported here: http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.excel/browse_thread/thread/2bcad1a1a4861879/2f8806d5400dfe22?hl=en#2f8806d5400dfe22 So can Excel still be trusted for financial applications?

Submission + - MS Patents the "Digital browser phone"

Submitted by

tibbar66

on Saturday November 18, 2006 @08:21PM

tibbar66 writes: "This sounds like it's been invented many times before (e.g. Skype). Yet MS have been approved a patent on October 10, 2006. Here's the abstract: "A telephone system wherein all the functions of a digital telephone can be accessed and implemented on a personal computer alone, thereby eliminating the need for a telephone set. By means of the computer display and mouse, keyboard or other input/output command devices, a user accesses and implement all digital telephone functions without the physical telephone set, the personal computer also providing the audio function. A graphical representation of a telephone set or other telephone-related form is provided on the computer display and accessed by the mouse, keyboard or other command device, this being accomplished by a computer program providing graphical interface implementation. A significant advantage of the system is computer access to and utilization of digital telephone functions from a remote location with communication via Internet, LAN, WAN, RAS or other mediums." See: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=16&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch- bool.html&r=759&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=Microso ft&OS=Microsoft&RS=Microsoft Scary stuff... a search for Microsoft in the patent database yields 33,822 results, many of which are obvious (like the VBA patent for the IsNot operator!!). I can see MS winning any patents wars with linux, if they ever decide to use the nuclear option..."

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