Sunday | 23 November, 2008

Features

Online office apps get real
Web-based suites have become real challengers to desktop applications
David DeJean 17/07/2008 08:09:55
If you like a clean interface, then Google's word processor is for you. The new fixed-width view is the equivalent of looking at the page preview mode in Microsoft Office. ThinkFree's word processor gives you the most features and the most control over things like the content of headers and footers. Zoho Writer falls in the middle of the other two word processors -- it offers more formatting control than Google Docs but it isn't as feature-heavy as ThinkFree. The Google Docs spreadsheet app, like its word processor, is limited in its features, but the defaults the designers have chosen are good ones. ThinkFree Calc's user interface shows the suite's devotion to Office Excel in its menus and feature set. Zoho is the spreadsheet features winner. It will do pivot tables, macros, and conditional formatting -- three capabilities that mark the current state of the art for spreadsheets. n its presentation application, Google Docs does one trick the others don't -- you can embed a YouTube video in a slide. Although the presentation apps in the Web-based suites are more limited than the word-processing and spreadsheet applications, ThinkFree Show sticks fairly close to PowerPoint. Zoho offers the widest variety of presentation design templates (about 50), and the most useful clip art and symbol collections. All three Web suites let you choose contacts to share your documents with, but only Google Docs can pull in your existing Gmail e-mail contacts. ThinkFree allows you to share your documents with a contact list that has been previously set up in the suite. Zoho makes it very simple to share with groups; however, you must enter e-mail contact addresses manually.
  • 3 of 12
Zoho Writer falls in the middle of the other two word processors -- it offers more formatting control than Google Docs but it isn't as feature-heavy as ThinkFree.
Zoho Writer falls in the middle of the other two word processors -- it offers more formatting control than Google Docs but it isn't as feature-heavy as ThinkFree.
Return to the article
Market Place
Reduce costs, secure data, ensure compliance with Identity Management
Learn how to prioritize services with IT Service Management (ITSM). Watch the Computerworld webinar now!
Discover best practice strategies for the archival and removal of .PST files using email archiving
Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Enterprise Planning.
HP webcast: Learn how to get the best value out of your network
Beat the credit crunch. 0% for 24 months. Just for small business. Offer ends 24th Dec!
CRM Webcast: Learn how to find a CRM solution that fits into your existing business environment. View now.
Taking on Demand CRM Integration to the next level.

 

Smart SOA World Tour

Discover how SOA can create smarter outcomes for your business.

Attend and learn:

  • How SOA is helping leading companies to become more agile
  • Where you should be applying SOA processes in your company
  • The top SOA implementation mistakes to avoid

Click here for more information.
Get a job Careerone
Whitepaper


Read Whitepaper

Data grids and service-oriented architecture

When choosing an SOA strategy, corporations must ensure data availability, reliability, performance and scalability. A data grid infrastructure, built with clustered caching provides a framework for improved data access that can create a competitive edge and sustain customer loyalty. Read on to discover how this can be created within your organisation.

Enterprise IT Buyer's Guide
Find Technology Vendors Fast
 
Find vendors by name | Find by category
Sponsored Links