Why is Excel 2016 for Mac so bad?

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* Mac OS. It changes like the wind. Trying to keep Office running on each and every update that comes down the pike is a huge problem. Sometimes I think Apple deliberately messes with Mac OS to screw Microsoft. For example, the next item in my list...

* Sandboxing. Microsoft adopted sandboxing to keep Office for Mac "Mac-like" and because Apple won't let Microsoft sell Microsoft Office in the App store unless Microsoft goes along with Sandboxing. Sandboxing crippled Microsoft Office. If I were looking for criminal behavior of a monopolist, I'd be going after Apple about sandboxing and their strong-arm tactics about getting apps into the App store.

* Cost containment. In a sense, maintaining Office for Mac and Office for Windows is duplication. You have to invent everything twice. Since Office for Mac sales are less than Office for Windows, Microsoft is keen on keeping the cost as low as possible. This, combined with not enough staff, is a big problem. Expensive to make features that don't get a lot of use are left out of Office for Mac. For example, Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is very limited on the Mac. 

Which results in a very weak version of Excel for Mac. I consider it to be only about 1/3 done. If and when the promised Visual Basic Editor ever comes along, then I'll consider it to be 2/3 of the way. When the missing SQL and data components finally make their way to the Mac, then I'll say it's complete.

I like to comment this part of your theory. 

First because of the increased security risk from Malware due to the increasing popularity Apple came up with sandboxing so that any destructive doesn't mess up the entire computer and limits the damage only to the affected area. On the other hand, because the underlying code for Windows is much the same as it was forty years ago and at the very deepest core is still dependent on Ms-DOS. You can Take any windows PC can load any previous system At least back NT. It will run. It may not run right, but it will boot up. That's the reason why Window suffers from a constant barge of Malware daily thousands up thousands. Even Microsoft has introduced a system to control Nasty code. So far only Proof of concept malware has been written for Mac and Apple rewrites code and uploads changes in weeks, not months to overcome. If the computer News Outlets would hold off reporting new malware until after its cured would do a lot to slow down the writing of new malware.

As for the second  Paragraph. If Microsoft adopted Unix as the Base Code for the system, the only differences between Mac and PC would be the Graphical User interface. And that would be much less rewriting to do.

As for the last parts of the last paragraph, starting from OLE on, I agree. Except, you know from answering Forum questions, there is at least one or two question every day or two, asking questions, either asking why OLE doesn't work or asking about subjects which can only answer if OLE was functioning.

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Disclaimer:

The questions, discussions, opinions, replies & answers I create, are solely mine and mine alone and do not reflect upon my position as a Community Moderator.

I also wish they would (get off their behinds and actually do some work.)

MS is a software monopoly and behaves like one. We're imprisoned. We live in a .docx / .xlsx world. If MS were a properly regulated monopoly like many public utilities, it would be held to specific standards. But it isn't and it won't be even though it should be.

I too have office for Mac (got it in 2017) and I do agree that it is very very poorly performing software.  Looking at the review, I am not surprised.  Why did Microsoft left this happened?  I don't think Microsoft had funding for the project (office Mac).

Look at the menu- it has two separate menu going on (example: one in excel window and one on the mac file menu).  Launching is also very very slow (approx 1 full min. to launch ms excel, work, Power point).  Microsoft must have really cut down on the project team! or Did they outsourced the project to save money?  you can see this when you use the software.  Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to speed up the performance- I tried.

I will say that ms-office (along with PC) is becoming less relevant.

The reason there is a menu bar in addition to a Ribbon and Quick Access toolbar is that Apple requires having a menu bar. If Apple didn't require it, the menu would not be there.

Do you have an SSD startup volume? If not, Excel may launch slowly. It's more hardware related than anything else. Excel is not a small program.

Besides, the desktop is dead and everyone wants only mobile apps these days, right?

If you believe that I can get you a great deal for some land with an Ocean view in Arizona.  While I don't necessarily need nor want a Ful on Desktop. I use my MacBook Pro all the time.

I have an iPhone I mostly use it for notes, weather reports, and messenger messages, and making calls. I bought an iPad Pro  I use it very little. I actually wasted money. Also unlike you (or the way you talk0 I wear glasses and even have astigmatism in one eye, so I need as large a print as I can get. Well, it turns out as the size goes down, so does the size of the print. Don't kid your self as the employees get older they will begin to need glasses and with need larger type.  I can see a few areas where notebook phone screens are useful. For instance, I have a visiting nurse come and dress my legs with UNA Boots. And the notebook is ideal for them to document their visits. But for the majority, the laptop or even the desktop still rules.

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Disclaimer:

The questions, discussions, opinions, replies & answers I create, are solely mine and mine alone and do not reflect upon my position as a Community Moderator.