Posted on by dlambert

Google Apps trail MS Office, but for how long?

googlemirror This morning, I read a blog post describing how to add page numbers to a Google Docs document.  The crux of the technique was to embed some HTML into your doc such that page numbers are generated when the doc is printed via PDF.  "That's it!" I thought.  That's why Google Apps aren't ready to take down MS Office.

googleprintdialogThen, this afternoon, I just happened (dumb luck, I swear) to use Google Docs to print a draft of an article I'm working on, and I saw this dialog with - you guessed it - an easy way to add page numbers.   And just like that, I saw the problem for Microsoft.  Google, it's true, isn't there yet, but they're closing the gap -- fast.

Microsoft is clearly working hard to neutralize the Google Docs threat with their Office Live Workspace, but I'll bet they're glancing nervously in their rear-view mirrors constantly.

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2 Replies to “Google Apps trail MS Office, but for how long?”

  1. Google Docs is a deployer's dream, is it not? No installation necessary, and provided users know how to use their web browser, they can do most of what they need. It's still got room for growth, but there's no embedded macro viruses, etc., in a Google document. See search results on “Google Documents”+school or optionally add Deploy. May be a while before it enters the large corporate workspace, but schools are already doing it, and you're bound to see more of the traditional desktop-installed software depart in favor of web 2.0 apps. As to Office Live, try it with Firefox, Safari, or any other Web Kit-based browser <g> it probably stands to work best on one platform, or at least with one browser …

  2. Google Docs is a deployer's dream, is it not? No installation necessary, and provided users know how to use their web browser, they can do most of what they need. It's still got room for growth, but there's no embedded macro viruses, etc., in a Google document. See search results on “Google Documents”+school or optionally add Deploy. May be a while before it enters the large corporate workspace, but schools are already doing it, and you're bound to see more of the traditional desktop-installed software depart in favor of web 2.0 apps. As to Office Live, try it with Firefox, Safari, or any other Web Kit-based browser <g> it probably stands to work best on one platform, or at least with one browser …

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