Long time readers know that I am a fairly regular user of Writely, an online web based word processor. Writely allows me to be able to store and work on documents from any computer with a web browser. Well, Writely was gobbled up by Google some months ago. Now, their assimilation with the hive mind is complete and Google has rebranded and merged it with their online spreadsheet tool to give you… Wait for this amazing and catchy name… Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
From the copy:
“If you’ve ever struggled to keep track of different versions of spreadsheet or word processor files sent over email, Google Docs & Spreadsheets may be right for you. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a web-based word processing and spreadsheet program that keeps documents current and lets the people you choose update files from their own computers.”
There you have it. Writely users are now redirected to the new URL where they will find all of their documents still just as they left them. They will also find that it is still the same old Writely with the same old features. It is just a little bit more Google in flavor than before.
2 thoughts on “Google Docs & Spreadsheets”
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So what to you think of Google Docs & Spreadsheets? I used Wirtely right when it came out and was impressed. But didn’t really have the need. Now I use Basecamp to store documents I might need (or just my server) and Writeboard if I have to share a document to edit.
Played around with Google Docs & Spreadsheet and it is fairly impressive. I have to admit I pulled in some fairly complex Excel spreedsheets and was very impressed.
There is a long running debate between myself and the VP of Technology in my firm about the future of online Office Suites. I think they’ll work, he thinks they won’t, at least not for the corporate user.
Just curious what you think …
BTW: I really enjoy your blog. You give me links to stuff I can’t seem to find else where.
I really love Writely and sense Google Docs is not really different I guess you could figure I feel the same. It cam in really handy leading up to my wedding so that my wife and I could share and collaborate on documents where formatting was important or just so I could have them available at any machine I was at.
I really do feel and have for some time that we are only a few years away from all of our information being stored “online” if we choose and with the ability to access it almost anywhere. Things that are corporate will be able to be kept on corporate servers that allow users with the proper permission to be able to access them the same ubiquitous way. I don’t really see what would prevent that as it is being done already a lot of places with ssh, VPN and the like. People who play down this stuff are denying the fact that all the pieces are already here and being used in corporate environs daily.
In any case, thanks for reading and you kind words.