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Spreadsheet Blamed For UK Rail Bid Fiasco

Posted by timothy on from the spreadsheet-fiasco-is-redundant dept.

First time accepted submitter Bruce66423 writes "As a sometime computer programmer who was always very sniffy about the quality of the stuff being knocked up by amateurs aka power users, the current claim that it was a messed up spreadsheet that caused a multi-million pound fiasco is very satisfying. 'The key mechanism... mixed up real and inflated financial figures and contained elements of double counting.'"

4 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. Re:WTF by cloudmaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a Unix sysadmin, I know that all developers - full time or not - are way too full of their perceived abilities to do things correctly. ;)

  2. MS added a special feature to Excel - UK edition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Create Huge Row"

  3. Re:WTF by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a Unix sysadmin, I know that all developers - full time or not - are way too full of their perceived abilities to do things correctly. ;)

    The Excel manager (or the closely related Powerpoint manager) has something in common with the Only-Development Matters developer, the Without-Sysadmin-The-Universe-Would-Shutdown-Now systems guy and the Nothing-Happens-When-I-Dont Sell people. Silo silliness.

  4. Re:MS added a special feature to Excel - UK editio by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Create Huge Row"

    And the Daily Mail dedicated several Columns to it.