Tue, 06 Jun 06
Google does spreadsheets
Check out spreadsheets.google.com. Limited time look at what javascript can do for a spreadsheet. I took a quick look and it seems to fit large chunks of what I use Excel or calc, the OpenOffice spreadsheet program, for. Just a quick tour of what I such spreadsheet programs for, and what Google spreadsheet supports:
On the other hand, no:
Pretty decent for a web based application. And it does have one killer feature–updates are immediatly propagated (I have never tried to do this with a modern version of Excel, so don’t know if that’s standard behaviour). Snappy enough to use, at least on my relatively modern computer. I looked at the js source and it’s 55k of crazy javascript (Update, 6/9: This link is broken.). Wowsa.
I’ve never used wikicalc but it looks more full featured that Google spreadsheets. On the other hand, Google spreadsheets has a working beta version…
This and the acquisition of writely make me wonder if some folks are correct when they doubt that Google will release a software productivity suite. (More here.) Other interesting comments from Paul Kedrosky.
I know more than one person that absolutely depend on gmail for business functionality, which spooks me. And in some ways, I agree with Paul, it appears that Google “…takes a nuclear winter approach wherein it ruins markets by freezing them and then cutting revenues to zero.”
Personally, if I don’t pay for something, I’m always leery of it being taken away. Of course, if I pay, the service can also go away, but at least I have some more leverage with the company–after all, if they take the service away, they lose money.
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