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Ask HN: Examples for end user software hacks/repurposing

3 points by simulo ↗ HN
Which end user software hacks or repurposing have you seen or used yourself? I'd like to collect some examples, be they private, or even more interesting, department or company-wide. A classic one is using excel as a database.

My intension is not finger-pointing users’ ignorance of "right" tools, but how people come up with own solutions (ideally, you can give some context around problem and solution).

2 comments

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jtfairbank
Using excel as a calendar. My whole startup is built around replacing this terrible process with a good web-app, and automating the scheduling process. The saddest part is that most of US healthcare runs this way- doctors and medical administrators are wasting their time clicking around in excel.

https://reschedulemed.com

osullivj
I've got a bunch of examples of use of Excel as a calculation engine for pricing and risk management in investment banking at spreadserve.com