Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a Software Service that competes with Microsoft Office in the realm of office productivity software. Google Docs & Spreadshees consists of a word processor and a spreadsheet program that you can access from any computer via Google’s website. Your documents are stored on Google’s computers, but can also be download o your computer if you need to carry a copy with you on a USB key or a CD.
What is a Software Service?
Software As A Service is the future of computing — that’s what many technology enthusiasts will say if you ask them about where personal computing is headed. A software service is the term for a situation wherein any type of software — word processor, digital music player, database, etc… — is kept on centrally located computer network managed by the software vendor. Instead of installing that software you your computer, you access the software via the vendor’s system. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a Software Service. You do not install Google Docs & Spreadsheets on your computer; you access the Google Docs & Spreadsheets software service with your web browser, via Google’s website.
How do you get it, and what does it cost?
Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a free service available to anyone with a Google Account. To get started, go to the Google Docs & Spreadsheets website. You’ll be asked to enter the e-mail address and password for your Google Account. If you don’t have one, click on the link that reads “Create a new Google Account”. Once you’ve created your new Google Account, you’ll be logged into the Google Docs & Spreadsheets service.
Requirements for Google Docs & Spreadsheets
To use Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you’ll need a computer with an Internet connection and a web browser with JavaScript enabled. You’ll be able to access the service faster if you have a broadband Internet connection, and how quickly it responds to your changes depends on how faster your processor is. This is because even though the software resides on Google’s computer, its JavaScript components run on your end of the connection.
Basic features of Google Docs & Spreadsheets
- Upload existing documents and spreadsheets
You can upload existing documents to Google’s service. It accepts all the popular office document formats from Microsoft Word, OpenOffice.org, and Star Office.
- Export your Google Documents
Say you’ve got to put a document on your USB drive and bring it to a presentation. Google’s service will export to the popular formats we just mentioned, including PDF, and let you download the results.
- Real-time collaboration
One document can be shared among multiple people, and collaborated on simultaneously. You’ll see your colleague’s changes as they happen, and can chat with the person too.
- Read-only sharing
You can allow certain people to view your documents, but prevent them from making any changes.
- Blog publishing
Documents and spreadsheets composed with Google’s service can be published to blog. Google Docs & Spreadsheets supports many of the popular blog services, including Blogger and Movable Type.
Your privacy
Knowing that your files are kept on Google’s computers may prompt some concerns about privacy. The Google Docs & Spreadsheets Privacy Policy should answer your questions. Basically, Google records certain information about your usage of the service in order to improve it, doesn’t share your documents with other users unless you tell them to do so, and files you delete may persist on Google’s systems for up to three weeks afterwards.
