My task at hand today was to find an online word processor, spreadsheet creator, and slide show creator…alternatives to Office. Here is my report:
Google has everything, and I have already signed up for many betas, many of which I have been accepted to. (Note: I actually found out about some of them through Digg). So, I went to Google first. Then, I went to Ask.com, and did a simple search, online word processor. This is what I turned up, along with a small description.
Word Substitutes
- Writely (www.writely.com) is an online word processor that allows you to upload or save documents as html, or even as a Word document. You can keep it saved online, and it even backs up your data every 10 seconds. Since it is online, you can edit your documents on any computer with an internet connection. Plus, you don’t have to worry about forgetting to e-mail it to yourself, or forgetting to put it on your flash drive (as long as you do save it online). It has a simple interface, and is easy to use.
o However, you have to sign up for the beta, and the people at Writely plan to distribute accounts for people on the waiting list in July. I have 6 accounts on the list, so I can technically invite 300 people once I get my accounts. However, this can be done by advisee group; I send all the advisors an invite, and they give an invite to all their advisees.
- gOFFICE Word Processing (www.goffice.com) Once you sign up, which is very easy, you can login to a very simple word processor. It has an array of backgrounds you can select from- note: you cannot see them while you are editing the document, you have to go to view finished document at the top of the page. It does not seem to have a choice of fonts; they are predetermined by the background you choose. As of now you cannot modify or save documents in gOFFICE as Word documents. However, that is going to change soon, and it will be an option. Right now, you can save documents as a pdf, meaning you can see it in Adobe. You can e-mail it to people, print, and even fax and mail it. You do all of the above in “view finished document”. Once the ability of saving and opening Word documents is in place, this will be a beneficial alternative to Word. Plus, you can even create tables in the document.
- Zoho Writer (www.zohowriter.com). Again, once you sign up, it is very easy to use. All you do is enter your email address and a password of your choosing, and select I am a new user, and it will automatically create an account for you. To log in, just do the same, but don’t check I am a new user. It features an easy to use interface, with a small variety of basic fonts. To save files as Word Documents, select export, as Word Document. You can also e-mail the document.
For something like Excel, I turned to Google once again, as I already have access to Google Spreadsheet. Then, I realized the websites that feature the above apps must also include a spreadsheet creator….I was right.
Excel Substitutes
- Google Spreadsheets (spreadsheet.google.com) This is a plain and simple to use spreadsheet creator, if you ever have to create one. There is a catch however; you have to sign up to be able to use it. If you don’t have a Gmail account (you don’t if you don’t know what I am talking about) you have to click on Create an Account now (under where it says, Don’t have a Google Account?) Follow the instructions, then come back to the spreadsheets main page, and sign in. To save your file as an Excel Document, select file (the one next to where it says Google Spreadsheets), and select Download .xls. Or, you can just press save, and save it online.
- gOFFICE Spreadsheets (www.goffice.com) As with gOFFICE Word Processing, this is a very simple spreadsheet solution shall you ever require one. Once you have created an account, you can create a spreadsheet. You can save the sheets as an Excel sheet, and also upload Excel sheets. Therefore, technically, you can save the file as an Excel file, and upload it as an Excel file…all without ever needing Excel.
- Zoho Sheet (www.zohosheet.com) As with Zoho Writer, there is a pleasant interface, with easy access to sheets you can save in Zoho (on the internet) on the side, and the ability to download them to your computer, and edit sheets on your computer as well.
For a PowerPoint replacement, I turned to the websites above. Only gOFFICE has plans to create a presentation maker that is like PowerPoint, so that is something to check on. I figure Google will have something soon, as they want to challenge Microsoft eventually. Nevertheless, I went to Digg, and simply typed in Powerpoint. The second result actually provided a name for a company that Google may acquire. It features an application similar to that of PowerPoint. It is called Thumbstacks.
- Thumbstacks (www.thumbstacks.com) A very easy and simple presentation maker. You sign up for the service, confirm your email address, and you are ready to go. It is even simpler than PowerPoint. However, you can only save it and view it online, unless you go to My Presentations in the top right corner, and export it as html. You will not be able to edit it however when it is exported as html. You can only edit it online.
In addition to all I have found above, I found something interesting. It is supposed to be almost exactly like Office 2003, online. It is also completely compatible, and there is no learning curve, as the software will already be familiar. It comes with a word processor, spreadsheet solution, and a slide show creator. It is called ThinkFree. I have high hopes for ThinkFree, and think that that may be all needed. However, I was not able to create an account today, there seems to be some error. I will try again tomorrow, but it seems to be the best solution.
