On Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 4:39:36 AM UTC-7, Peter T wrote:
"Pete A" wrote in message

All that, but if I could go back to 2010 and have all the other
improvements made
since then...I would in a minute.
MS only dumped MDI because it was HARD to maintain.

I didn't like the move to SDI either but not sure why you say they dumped it
because MDI is harder to maintain, I'd have thought the opposite.

The main reason given when 2013 was in development was to cater for the
increasing number of business users with multiple monitors. With MDI not
impossible but effectively not viable without using multiple instances, but
easy with SDI.
Interesting...

The main reason given when 2013 was in development was to cater for the
increasing number of business users with multiple monitors.
PA: Just to be sure my memory isn't faulty, This morning, I opened multiple instances of 2010 excel. I use 4 monitors. Each instance can be on any monitor, or they can share. The ONLY difference that I can see is that with SDI versions you lose the ability to share the menu bar (1 instance) with as many open workbooks (n instances) in a single EXCEL window. This wastes screen real estate, although you can obviously hide the menu apparatus, but not the rest of the screen stuff. With MDI I often ran 3 or 4 instances of Excel, each with more than one workbook open in it. Those who started with 2013 or later SDI versions may not easily grasp the effect of limiting one file or worksheet to one instance of excel. Reminds me a bit of the arguments about going from DOS to Windows...only in reverse.

€œWith MDI not impossible but effectively not viable without using multiple instances, but easy with SDI.€�
Not sure what you mean. With SDI you can ONLY use multiple instances of excel. You CANNOT share an instance with multiple workbooks/worksheets open in that instance as was natural with MDI. Running multiple instances was the most common way to deal with interlocking workbooks/worksheets, or fast switching between multiple open worksheets under VBA control. We can only dream of that world now.

I cant remember who it was, but a Microsoftie told me that the new programmers they hired had a tough time with MDI and kept screwing up€¦so someone decided to €œfix€� that problem by €œsimplifying€� excel (€œdumbing down?€�).

Again, IMHO the MDI had NOTHING to do with use on multiple monitors.

Pete A

Anyway, we cant go back

PS I tried to include the screenshot of multiple 2010's open at once...but cannot display in the 'groups interface