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@noboilerplate@namtao.com

Post #625385

2025-10-25 11:12 UTC

It strikes me that the most popular programming language in the world isn't js or python, it's Excel macros - and I bet it's not even close. Nearly all of the vital code that keeps modern life running is written by underpaid pink-collar admin staff with no formal programming training. This means that, contrary to popular belief, women vastly outnumber men in programming.

Replies (8)

  • @noboilerplate@namtao.com 2025-10-25 11:12

    Most programmers (not I) would claim that Excel isn't real programming, and so this can't be true. But I wonder if it's not the nature of the language, but the gender of the programmers that is actually their problem... 🙃

    Open ##1506685

  • @faoluin@chitter.xyz 2025-10-25 12:20

    @noboilerplate That would be called VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and it has consistently ranked among the most hated programming languages in Stack Overflow polls.

    Open ##1506703

  • @nirak@lincolnite.net 2025-10-25 12:53

    @noboilerplate and on top of that, visual basic that keeps that one essential database on that one essential computer running

    Open ##1506705

  • @kuraisle@mastodon.social 2025-10-25 12:59

    @noboilerplate I worked for a small pharmaceutical company and only had Excel to work with, so I made a macro that would take the weird excel formats that came out of the instruments and populate the right number of sheets for analysis. I thought I was hot shit. Then in my current job I met the guy who writes full on apps in excel for GP surgeries because they aren't allowed to run anything else and knew I was a hack

    Open ##1506706

  • @cassimetrisch@troet.cafe 2025-10-25 20:15

    @noboilerplate That and SAP. Unfortunately

    Open ##1506708

  • @Rin3d@mastodon.social 2025-10-26 00:26

    @noboilerplate it falls in the same category as CSS as a 3d modeler or Typescript's type system for running doom, sure its possible but its slow painful and on par with esoteric langs like brainfuck.

    Open ##1506709

  • @steppl@mastodon.social 2025-10-26 08:53

    @noboilerplate I once was on a project to replace a warehouse management system based on excel ... Which was for low volumes and worked 'ok' up to certain extent.

    Open ##1506710

  • @DXBTim2008@pkm.social 2025-10-29 11:24

    @noboilerplate WordBasic was it... 3 lines IIRC to add Page X of Y needed to be added to a W4W ver 2 document... circ 1991-ish.... : ))))))

    Open ##1506711