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Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by _untra_ on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @11:05AM (#37223807)
Not asking customers to manage a local python installation is one thing, although I totally understand how excel + python power users would likely be comfortable bringing and maintaining their own python runtime.
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by leetrout on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @11:37AM (#37224279)
Fun fact: Microsoft shipped Python code in 1996. The could do it again if they really wanted to.

http://python-history.blogspot.com/2009/01/microsoft-ships-p...

Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by raincole on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @12:18PM (#37224891)
Does Excel run in a browser today?

There are a lot, I mean a lot apps that support scripting languages and don't need you to manage the language's runtime yourself. Blender's UI is entirely in Python. Civilization games have most game logic in Lua.

Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by yonatan8070 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:07PM (#37227209)
Inkscape (vector graphics) also has a built-in Python install, same goes for Cura (3D printing), Fusion 360 (3D CAD), and I'm sure many more
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by skrause on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:55PM (#37226346)
You can just ship a copy of Python with Excel, no need to ask anybody to maintain their own installation.
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by ryanisnan on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:57PM (#37227072)
This. Why you would leverage system python is beyond me.
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by ivirshup on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @06:52PM (#37229643)
Anaconda distributions aren't exactly small. I'd also assume there's some sort of environment isolation, so you're getting multiple copies. Maybe one per workbook?
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by Zuiii on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @10:26PM (#37231196)
No need to use Anaconda or any general purpose venv solution. Microsoft screwed this up.
Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by ptx on Thursday August 24, 2023 @11:28AM (#37249965)
The embeddable package from python.org [1] is 20 MB unpacked. To install different sets of packages per workbook, just (edit: have Excel automatically) modify the module path as appropriate.

[1] https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3114/

Re:Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel by CivBase on Wednesday August 23, 2023 @09:34AM (#37235602)
Agreed. They could have easily shipped it with something like MicroPython.