Subject: Re: bug#26169: 25.1; ses.el string cell recalculate message

From: Lars Ingebrigtsen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:33:03 +0200

Vincent Belaïche <[email-masked]> writes:

> After some thought the extended format string seems better to me, it
> could be some separate package as that sort of need is not SES
> specific, and SES would check if the package is installed or not and
> use extended format strings if the package is installed.
> That would be a parameter in the sheet whether is uses extended format
> strings. So when you share a sheet using extended format with somebody
> else that do not have a extended formats, they would receive some
> warning that they need to install the package.

I'm not sure I see the logic here -- it's surely a plain and simple bug
stat ses signals an error when you're "recalculating" an ascii value.
Is your concern that fixing this bug will lead to people creating more
spreadsheets with ascii values, and then other people (using older
versions of Emacs) won't be able to use those spreadsheets?

If so, I think that sounds like an unlikely occurrence.  And if it does
happen, then there's nothing new about spreadsheets changing the formats
in non-backwards-compatible manner -- the recipient will just have to
update their spreadsheet software, too.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   bloggy blog: http://lars.ingebrigtsen.no