Stay out of the news!
I realize this is overshadowed by Googles YouTube acquisition, but thought it was noteworthy for the blog. Google's "Writely", a Web-based word processor, is reported by one critic as "mostly hit[ting] the mark" and "speedy... but still needs some polish."
Many people would love to see Web based applications become the norm, eliminated the purchasing and loading of software on a single machine. Could this be the start of loosening Microsoft's iron grip on the category? Being able to access applications and information from anywhere you have a connection is very liberating, as those of you who have used a "virtual desktop" can attest to. And, with high speed Internet connections soon to be ubiquitous, the concept is becoming more and more of a reality.
According to this AP report, Writely is to Microsoft Word what Gmail is to Outlook: A speedy online program that retains familiar features of traditional desktop software and isn't afraid to introduce new ways of taking advantage of the Web. Unlike a boxed program, Writely runs on a server somewhere on the Internet
The article goes on to explain:
"It took less than a minute to register at http://www.writely.com/ and get a blank document open on my screen. As someone used to Word and OpenOffice Writer, a free desktop-based word processor, I felt comfortable playing around with formatting: familiar buttons across the top of the screen let me change fonts, indent paragraphs and cut and paste.
In fact, the first reminder I was working on the Web came when I hit save. It was done in a flash. Because it saves to a remote server, the process seemed eerily quiet without the grinding hard-drive noise I've become accustomed to. The program auto-saves often and warns me if I try to close an unsaved document. It also can save files to your desktop."
Sounds pretty nice, eh? Google has revolutionzed a number of product categories. I'm hoping this will be another blow to MSFT and a win for "the people" :)
Full AP article as published on MSNBC.com:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15145793/
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