Re: [office-formula] Key Issues

["Tomas Mecir" <mecirt@gmail.com>]

On 2/26/06, Daniel Carrera <daniel.carrera@zmsl.com> wrote:
> I understand the desire to have a similar UI in different applications,
> but it's not the role of the format to impose this. It really isn't. I
> should be able to use BobOffice to write SUM(A1:B3) and give it to you
> to open in AliceOffice which uses SUM(A1;B3) and have it work
> transparently. That's the goal, IMO.

Hmm, the user-perceived format would usually be pretty similar to the
storage format - because there's no reason why not. So, apart from the
issues you mention, there isn't really any reason not to include
user-perceived version. After all, the test-cases show exactly that -
user-perceived version. Otherwise, it would be plain impossible to
create test-cases at all ! Just imagine - we make a test-case, say,
that SUM(A1:B3) with certain values in A1..B3 should provide
such-and-such result. Someone decides to try it out on BobOffice, but
fails - BobOffice requires you to use a different syntax. Not very
inter-operable, mind you.

So, as the bare minimum, I would suggest that we say, user-perceived
version should look like this, unless you have a good reason to
differ.

> I think David wants to write (sat) '\int \frac{x^2, x+1} dx' and have
> the wiki produce a nice-looking integral.

Ahh. Well, we can always format these externally and insert them as images.

> I'm not too eager to have low constraints at low levels. I think low
> levels should just have fewer formulas. I also think this is important.
> A level 1 compliant file should also be level 2 compliant, and so on.
> Like this:
>
> level 1 < level 2 < level 3 < level 4
>
> Where < denotes "subset".
>
> Any file compliant with level n must also be compliant with level m for
> all m > n. So a level m application can open all level n files with
> level m reliability.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Lower requirements don't necessarily nullify
this. For example, say, you require a level 2 implementation to hold
that X/3*3 == X, but level 1 may differ by no more than 1e-15. Then a
level 1 spreadsheet's result would be within the tolerance, or
correct, but level 2's spreadsheet's result would always be correct -
which meets the 1e-15 delta requirement.

/ Tomas