Google Docs & Spreadsheets: killer Web 2.0 application?

With Web 2.0, it is now possible to work on documents and spreadsheets using just your web browser, so long as you’re connected to the Internet. I’m talking about Google Docs & Spreadsheets here, which has been around for quite a while, first as Writely, before being procured and improved by Google. In fact, I’m writing this article using the application.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets requires you to have a Google account. After logging on, you are taken to a familiar, intuitive interface, with menus on the right, and other features spread about on your screen, making for a less cluttered look. You can undo and redo changes, cut and paste text, make your text bold, indent, align, change font style and size, change text color, highlight, among other text editing operations, using either the toolbar or the shortcut keys that you’re already familiar with. You can also insert images, links, comments, tables, page breaks and special characters in your document. It has a spell-check feature and allows you to preview your document as a web page and print it. You can email the document, ask others to review it using the Collaborate feature, and publish it to the web and your blog.

As I write this article, I find myself getting impressed with Google Docs & Spreadsheets even more. It auto-saves my document every few seconds, freeing me from keying Ctrl+S, and it does this with a minimum of fuss and without slowing down, which I can’t say about its traditional, Windows-based counterparts. First-time users can browse the online manual for help with its features.

However impressive the application is, it does have its limitations. The lack of complex editing and formatting features means that it may not be suitable for documents that require such features. Books and academic papers, among others, come to mind. If Google can somehow find a way to incorporate these features, we may have a killer application in our hands. As it is, the Edit HTML feature is the closest thing it has for tweaking your document to your liking.

One other thing: since your document is saved on the Web (in Google’s servers, in fact), it means that it can potentially be seen by prying eyes. Thus, businesses wary of data theft may steer away from the application. Of course, the positive thing about this is that you don’t have to worry about your document getting lost in case of a hard disk crash.

As of this writing, Google has announced that it will soon be adding a presentation software to the application.

As the Internet becomes more ubiquitous, the need to procure a separate Office applications suite for your PC becomes secondary. Google Docs & Spreadsheets fits the bill for simple word processing documents. For writing on the web, it is perfect. You may want to give it a try.

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