latecherry

Why is the graph function so bad?

Why has it taken decades to see any inprovement?

(I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that your survey will lead to changes.)

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Primer: Problems with using excel for statisics

The majority of the graph types are variants on stacking series and displaying discrete piles. They are (over)used for some types of information like types of energy. The simple bar type ones aren't good ways to present information. The other geometric variants are worse.

Each variant has pseudo 3D effects options that add nothing and hinder comparison of data. They shouldn't be used by anyone, ever.

There is only one type, IIRC, that has confidence intervals/error bars. This should be available to add to a whole range of graphs, particularly scatter plots.

Histographs. Bin sorting data is very useful. Unfortunately the algorithm for the x axis labels and bins is mind bogglingly bad. It picks and labels the bins bizarrely, with strings of digits that show zero comprehension of use of numbers and precision when conveying information. The bins should also be much more flexible and user defined. (see primer link)

Another actually useful graph type is the 3D surface plot. It only has only one colour scale available for data and it's unique. You would need to force feed LSD coated skittles to a bunch of chameleons, put them in a kaleidoscope and centrifuge them to get a multicoloured vomit covered mess that could compare with an Excel 3D surface plot!

Scatter plots are the main workhorse graph and they are mediocre. There's a great deal of formatting needed to create something presentable. Even then if you save one as a template it saves every title, axis scale, everything and not just the formatting. There's no way to create an extensible colour sequence/scheme for data series, new data gets the next auto generated one. This is an improvement on the days when monochromatic graphs were needed for journals and finding enough ways to format a black line to be differentiable was excruciating. (see above re error bars.)

Back in the 486/P1 days there was a huge memory leak in there too. Probably still there but not noticeable now.

In short it sucks and has been that way for decades. Fix the existing graphs before adding new ones.

Hi,

Did you experience the Overview Effect?

If so, do you think virtual reality goggles like Occulus could induce some of the same effect?

I ask because I think it one of the few ways to get political progress on the planet.

Edit: you answered the first one here