Google Documents has its problems. Its features are not comprehensive enough for truly serious office work, and it can be a bit slow and finicky when compared to a traditional office program. Still, Google Documents has started a revolution. The ability to access a document from any computer and share it with co-workers is immensely useful.
Microsoft knows this. It has been flat-footed so far, as the company's investments in the mighty Microsoft Office Suite can't be turned on (or with) a dime. They are not blind to the situation and to respond, Microsoft has released Microsoft Web Apps, a set of free applications which emulate the functions of Google Documents.
There Is Some Office In My Firefox
Microsoft's new Web Apps platform is accessed through Windows Live. If you have a Windows Live account you just need to log into it and you're good to go. If you don't have a Windows Live account you will need to create one before you gain access.
Once you log in, you will be greeted by what Microsoft calls Skydrive. The Skydrive is simply your online storage. It works a lot like a normal hard drive, although of course, you have to access it through your web browser. You can create new folders for storing and sharing documents and you can move documents from folder to folder. The interface is different from Google Documents, but not quite as robust in functionality. You can't view documents as thumbnails, for example.
What Can You Buy For Free?
As you might expect, the functionality of Microsoft Web Apps is limited compared to the complete Microsoft Office suite. You will only be able to use web-based versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. The functionality of each Web App is limited when compared to the full version, as well. The Word Web App, for example, is only really suitable for basic text editing. You an also add photos and links, but that is about it. You can't add comments, create annotations or edit footers.
If you already own the Microsoft Office suite, however, you'll be able to open any Web App document in the full version of Microsoft Office. The value of this feature can't be overstated. While browser-based office suites are interesting, they are never as smooth or as functional as a office suite installed on your local machine. By integrating the ability to open a Web App document with just one click Microsoft gives Office users the best of both worlds.
The interface of Microsoft's Web App's will be immediately familiar if you use Microsoft Office. This means that is better than other popular free suites, like Google Documents and Zoho. Rather than relying on old-fashion drop-down menus, Microsoft Web Apps follows a more modern tabbed design aesthetics. Icons are large and intuitive, and the most frequently needed functions are represented by large buttons which are easy to find. I was able to start using Microsoft Web Apps in no time at all.
A Real Alternative to Google Documents?
It is easy to pigeon-hole Microsoft as the senile old curmudgeon of the tech world, slowly dying as it makes desperate attempts to keep with the times. This portrayal is common (those lovely "I'm a Mac" ads didn't help) but it is starting to seem inaccurate.
Microsoft's Web Apps is an extremely solid platform. Its interface is actually better than that of Google Documents in many respects. Microsoft's Web Apps also feels even quicker than Google Documents, which is by no means a slouch when it comes to speed. I noticed this somewhat when I was using Word, but the biggest speed difference seemed to come in the presentation apps. Microsoft's Powerpoint Web App felt a lot smoother than Google's implementation.
It is the integration with the paid version of Office that is killer, however. As an dedicated OpenOffice user, I'm now considering actually purchasing Microsoft Office 2010 just to gain access one-click integration with Microsoft's Web Apps. If any OpenOffice users out there know a way to enable similar functionality for OpenOffice I'd love to hear it.
NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
Similar MakeUseOf Articles
Use OfficeTab To Give Microsoft Office Firefox-Like Tabs (45 comments)
Top 3 FREE web-based Office Suites (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) (13 comments)
OxygenOffice Pro: Enhanced Version of OpenOffice (5 comments)
How To Make Microsoft Office 2007 Look Like Office 2003 (7 comments)
How To Get an Early Preview of Microsoft Office Web Apps (18 comments)
How to Fix Microsoft Office Problems with MS Office Diagnostics (6 comments)
Build Yourself A Virtual Cloud To Fall Back On (22 comments)
9 Must-Have OpenOffice Extensions (67 comments)
6 Free Office Suites That Are NOT Microsoft (41 comments)
14 Application Cheat Sheets Posters for Popular Programs (34 comments)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Yankee Doodle Fun Facts
Spirit of '76 by A.M. Willard
Yankee Doodle went to town,
A-riding on a pony;
He stuck a feather in his hat,
And call it macaroni.
This Fourth of July, amaze your friends with the following Yankee Doodle Fun Facts:
Yankee Doodle, the patriotic song (and state anthem of Connecticut) was originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled and disorganized American colonists who fought alongside them during the French and Indian Wars:
Tradition and other more official sources have it that the American version of the song was written, at least in part, by a Dr. Richard Schackburg, a British army surgeon during the French and Indian Wars while at the home of the Van Rensselaer family. Schackburg's lyrics were said to be composed to make fun of the colonials who fought alongside the British troops. (Source)
The Americans took the song (and insult) and turned it around: they were proud to be called Yankees, and Yankee Doodle became a patriotic song.
The origin of the Yankee Doodle is murky, but it is thought to originate in 15th century Holland as a harvesting song that began "Yanker dudel doodle down." The same tune was used for an English nursey rhyme "Lucy Locket."
There are several possible origins of the word "yankee," but I like this one: it's a Indian corruption of "anglais," the French word for English.
Doodle is actually a 17th century word meaning "fool."
The macaroni in the lyric is not pasta - it's actually a pejorative term for a man who dressed in a ridiculously outlandish style. The word came from the Italian word "maccherone" or a boorish fool.
Happy Fourth of July!
Yankee Doodle went to town,
A-riding on a pony;
He stuck a feather in his hat,
And call it macaroni.
This Fourth of July, amaze your friends with the following Yankee Doodle Fun Facts:
Yankee Doodle, the patriotic song (and state anthem of Connecticut) was originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled and disorganized American colonists who fought alongside them during the French and Indian Wars:
Tradition and other more official sources have it that the American version of the song was written, at least in part, by a Dr. Richard Schackburg, a British army surgeon during the French and Indian Wars while at the home of the Van Rensselaer family. Schackburg's lyrics were said to be composed to make fun of the colonials who fought alongside the British troops. (Source)
The Americans took the song (and insult) and turned it around: they were proud to be called Yankees, and Yankee Doodle became a patriotic song.
The origin of the Yankee Doodle is murky, but it is thought to originate in 15th century Holland as a harvesting song that began "Yanker dudel doodle down." The same tune was used for an English nursey rhyme "Lucy Locket."
There are several possible origins of the word "yankee," but I like this one: it's a Indian corruption of "anglais," the French word for English.
Doodle is actually a 17th century word meaning "fool."
The macaroni in the lyric is not pasta - it's actually a pejorative term for a man who dressed in a ridiculously outlandish style. The word came from the Italian word "maccherone" or a boorish fool.
Happy Fourth of July!
http://www.neatorama.com/2010/07/04/yankee-doodle-fun-facts/
--
This article was sent using my Viigo.
For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)