Google Docs

Recently I had the chance to use some of Google's applications. The company I now work for keeps all of our spreadsheets and documents in Google Docs. I had heard about Google Docs before, but had never really taken a look. I have always used Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org for such tasks and didn't see the need to switch. It has been almost a month now and I still don't see a reason to switch.

Google is an innovative company that has managed to do one or two things right. They remind me of the Microsoft of a decade ago. Microsoft has never been good at getting the right product out the door the first time. However, they continue to refine it until it is a great product. Look at Windows. There were versions 1.0 and 2.0, but nobody really adopted it until version 3.0. Even then, it was quickly followed by 3.1 which fixed a lot of problems. So it would not surprise me that even though I am not a big fan of Google Docs right now, that may change.

The primary difference between Microsoft Office and and Google Docs is that you need to install the Microsoft product on your computer while you use Google Docs on the web. If you are always connected to the Internet, then it isn't much of an issue to run your word processing or spreadsheet software on the web. However, what happens when you are not connected to the Internet? Perhaps you have hiked to a secluded spot in the forest to work on your version of "The Great American Novel." Google Docs isn't going to work for you.

The advantage of running software on the web is that it is much easier to share documents. You don't have to worry about attaching a spreadsheet to an e-mail so a friend or colleague can go over your numbers. Furthermore, if you update your document, it is updated immediately for everyone you have shared it with.

As for functionality, there is no comparison. Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org are much more feature rich than Google Docs. When I was explaining this to someone, he mentioned that it will only take some time before Google Docs catches up. While there may be some truth to this, there is only so much you can do with a web-based application. At least for the foreseeable future.