Use Office without installation

Undoubtedly, very attractive online text editors. They provide online text storage capabilities, making it accessible anywhere without having to worry about the operating system of the computer you are using. There is no software that requires you to download and install, there is no complicated upgrade process when new product lines are released or you have to fix bugs that are lacking, regardless of prepaid or postpaid costs. The ability to share documents with others without having a separate server is even more attractive. In particular, the final price for many of these services is: completely free.

We conducted tests on four popular online Office suites : Ajax13 , Google Docs & Spreadsheets , ThinkFree Online and Zoho Office Suite ; which focuses mainly on text editors and spreadsheet functions in each set.

We are looking for tools that can combine many components and features, fast response speed and compatibility with Microsoft Office. All of the online editors mentioned here (except Ajax 13) allow you to share text on a public server and most allow inviting others to collaborate and collaborate on the same. document.

Online applications can be mixed, interlinked but sometimes encounter some problems. If a server is overloaded, you cannot access the application when needed. This happened with both Ajax 13 and Google Docs & Spreadsheets. Google can create new documents but attach a message: "The server has a temporary error and cannot complete your request. Please try again after 30 seconds " if you want to " Create a new spreadsheet " ( create new spreadsheet). The end result is you have to wait 15 minutes! Too long for most of us.

None of the four online Office tools we are talking about offer all the Microsoft Office features and features. But if you want to use the most core "access anywhere" applications, they are perfect for you. From small to powerful, these four sets of Office can convince most of us. We will introduce you to Ajax 13, Google Docs & Spreadsheet, ThinkFree Office Online and Zoho Office Suite respectively a, b, and c.

Ajax 13

Ajax 13 includes ajaxWrite (text editor), ajaxXLS (spreadsheet program), ajaxSketch (graphic editor), ajaxPresent (slideshow software) and ajaxTunes (music player program). Unfortunately, 13 is an unfortunate number (according to Western conception) and it makes Ajax 13 not as perfect as it should be.

True to the affirmation on the company's website, ajaxWrite only needs to load in less than 6 seconds (sometimes it takes 3 seconds to start the online text editing page). But sometimes you won't be able to open this program because the server is overloaded. The interface is easy to use and bright. That, along with the price (level 0), is all we need in this product.

" ajaxWrite is designed like Microsoft Word to help beginners not have to learn new programs " but in fact, it must be said that ajaxWrite is more like WordPad than Word with a toolbar (toolbar) and some similar menus in design. You can align the text, choose a small font in the footer or not, choose a color and size, create a number list and a character display at the beginning of each paragraph. There is a spell checker, which is always open, providing the ability to correct correct grammar and the ability to add words to the dictionary.

AjaxWrite's interface is the simplest

Features of text editor in ajaxWrite are only possible. ajaxWrite does not support columns, bookmards and tables (you can create a border for a piece of text but not the actual table) or even a simple feature "paste special" ('paste' solid text snippets) special is not just text).

AjaxWrite's user interface has a gap (not great with other text editors). Some inadequacies like new text only appear in small ranges surrounded by a thin black line. This page will expand as you type instead of appearing on the entire screen as in Microsoft Word. Although there are menus, they do not work with the familiar "Alt + letter" shortcut combination. Worse, you don't have the help, but when you encounter problems you are directed to the Ajax forum, where the replacement is poor and hard to find the necessary information.

Want to use Ajax 13, at least your computer must have Firefox version of 1.5 or more. The text editor supports Word, Open Office, text and acrobat (PDF) data types, but conflicts with Java input / output errors when you want to save the file. During the initial test, we were unable to open or write the edited file in the tail of Word or Excel despite trying on some systems and with Firefox 1.5, 2.0. Whenever you open a file on your hard drive, we receive a brief "Please Wait" message, but even if you sit for an hour, the file will not open.

After reading some Ajax 13 forums, we can handle some issues with the server. The file loading speed is still extremely slow but anyway the simple files still load.

Unlike other online applications, Ajax 13 cannot write files to an online server, thus countering the compelling benefits of online editors: editing text anywhere, any time Come on. It also means that you cannot easily share files, as with some other products. Worse, ajaxXLS (spreadsheet module), merely a viewer. You cannot create a new spreadsheet from scratch or edit an existing file. Earlier Microsoft provided "free Excel viewer" in its Office suite.

There is so little value found in Ajax 13 that many critics argue that it doesn't even deserve to upset us.

Ajax 13
Website : www.ajax13.com
Basic applications : text editor, spreadsheet viewer.
Extension : graphic editor, slide show software, music player program.
Price : free.
Summary : not capable of writing files to an online server, there is no reason to choose Ajax 13 compared to Office for desktop software.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets

When Google Docs & Spreadsheets first appeared in October 2006, we had a very detailed analysis. Since then, this application program has not changed significantly.

The most interesting thing is in this pair of applications. The editing is simple and easy. Each application has a revision tab, which helps you compare different versions of previously created documents or spreadsheets. Moreover, this is the only text editor of the four programs we cover that allows editing text like in a Word or HTML editing environment and can smoothly change between these two types. While Zoho and ThinkFree can write files you create in HTML style, only Google Docs allows you to actually create an HTML document and edit it online.

In both applications, it is easy and not complicated to invite other people to edit or view your work. We checked 100 Spreadsheets functions and found no problems. Both modules respond quickly, except File Open and File Save commands (opening files, writing files). You can see it when working online with them.

Google Docs format formats are sufficient for any corresponding commercial form, such as letters or invoices. However, high-level documents are not returned correctly because Docs is not 100% compatible with Word at all.

With simple listing and speeding, such as performing a quick test with funds or some interesting calculations on limited data sets, Google Spreadsheet easily calculates the full bill. Get started quickly, and if you've ever known Word, Excel, you'll understand what to do. Spreadsheets has some problems with Excel compatibility (unsupported array formulas, for example) and no diagram section is a disappointment, but managing lists and creating particularly quick worksheets effective.

Google Spreadsheets controls simple calculations and easy short workbooks

However, Google also acknowledged that their Office applications are not ready to be compatible with Microsoft. The search giant made an agreement with Haansoft USA Inc., which created ThinkFree to create the best Office online tool. So far, we still don't know what will happen to Docs & Spreadsheets if this agreement is reached.

Google Docs & Spreadsheet
Website : docs.google.com
Basic applications : text editor, spreadsheet.
Expand : although Google offers a number of other online applications, it is not directly integrated with Docs & Spreadsheets.
Price : free.
Summary : Simple, straightforward and elegant, Google Docs & Spreadsheet can calculate invoices quickly with digital and text speeding programs.

ThinkFree Office Online

ThinkFree has three main components: Write (text editor), Calc (spreadsheet) and Show (slideshow software). All are listed in the My Office page of the company website, along with your most recently edited files. If you want the online Office application to be best compatible with Microsoft Office, you should choose ThinkFree. This is a simple matter without controversy.

ThinkFree's open page tells you the most recently edited files

From the beginning, you know there are many other things at ThinkFree. Think Free Write provides two operating models for you when opening and viewing the previous page. The Quick Edit model has the smallest interface with a number of toolbar buttons for simple editing, reminding you of WordPad rather than Word. The Power Edit model is more like a full application: menus (menu), a rich toolbar, ruler and a Word-like drawing tool bar with elements like: AutoShapes, text boxes, clip art and pictures.

In fact, the menu of the Power Edit model in ThinkFree has a number of starting points that are similar to those of Word program, from column (column), drop cap to AutoCorrect (automatic repair) and Table operations such as merging cells, distribution cells, even with leading, cross-row pages. Although lack of support for signature or wildcard (wild card), the search function can highlight all events that appear in your search term. You can add bookmarks, create tables with internal content, select a number of lists, insert pages, and use fields (including formulas).

ThinkFree allows you to insert images from clip art, an image file or directly from Flickr, a popular photo sharing service. Right-click on the word spelled incorrectly (underlined by the red line), Think Free Write will correct you. There is also a undo function (remove the action you have just done) and redo (restore recently deleted operations), zoom / zoom levels (zoom) and the ability to record PDF files. You can also upload your text to your own website using HTML, attach ThinkFree or Microsoft Office documents to post in WordPress blogs or other options.

The downside : loading Write or Calc may take a minute, recording a small file takes 10 seconds.

Advantages : ThinkFree hides the menu bar in your browser. So when using familiar shortcuts (like Alt + F, O to File / Open), you are operating inside the ThinkFree interface and not in your browser. Some other points are quite similar to Microsoft Office. The diagram section in ThinkFree Calc looks like Excel and supports all types of Excel graphs.

Create fast and easy graphs in ThinkFree Calc

ThinkFree is not 100% compatible with Microsoft Office. For example, you cannot create a PivotTable and conditional formatting types (such as the background color of different cells created by the value settings you provide) are not supported in Calc. Array formulas work well (both with existing and from worksheets created in Calc). To increase reliability, Calc opens the diagrams we created in Excel quickly and accurately. However, Template and Marco are not understood by Think Free Write and Calc concepts.

The spreadsheet module is not affected by Zoho Sheet. It can import a test worksheet (330 rows and 70 columns contain text) for two seconds, so the calculation speed is very fast, so is the transfer from one row to another. If you are not an expert, you will probably feel that you are working with a real Excel, although it is a bit worse.

In the speech prepared for the release of Office 2007, Microsoft talked a lot about helping users with the most usable components in Office. ThinkFree's simple menu with fast response speed, the amount of components compatible with large Office applications is a good choice for those who want to find "Office-like" online work tools without all the components. high level. The toolkit also has a slideshow module, which can create files that are compatible with PowerPoint, but we haven't really tested this feature yet.

Currently, ThinkFree has only one free version. By April this year, the company will add a Premium Edition, which provides access both offline and online, syncing files online and offline, storing large amounts of text in the mail. Your online item and priority technology support (24-hour response). After the release of Premium Edition will be a version for small and medium businesses with the addition of groups and user access.

ThinkFree worked without interruption or stopped in the middle. It has a fast response speed, performs new text writing and imports documents created in Office 2003 perfectly. It is a surprisingly compatible component with Microsoft's desktop Office suite, an option for those who want to work online.

ThinkFree Office Online
Website : www.thinkfree.com
Basic application : text editor, spreadsheet.
Expand : presentation software.
Price : free.
Summary : is the product of winning among the programs we mention. ThinkFree Office provides most of the most complex components and best compatibility with Microsoft Office.

Zoho Office Suite

Zoho's product set is our second choice, although it is quite a distance away from ThinkFree. Zoho Office is a small, flexible collection of modules, it only takes two seconds to start the text editor (Writer) and spreadsheet (Sheet). It has some extended features: Projects (project management software), Show (slideshow), Virtual Office (group software with calendar, e-mail client and some other things), Creator (program Database management) and Planner (organizer for reminders and notes).

Zoho Write does the conversion of the basic components you need every day very well: check spelling, align text paragraphs, create dots or characters, the first digit of each paragraph, font control (size letters, typefaces, colors). However, in addition to these basic functions, it cannot do anything more. It's not as feature-rich as Word or ThinkFree: the spell checker will underline the errors encountered, but you can't right-click and find the correct phrase in a list.

Zoho Writer's toolbar puts a wide range of word processing functions at your fingertips

There are also some highlights: Zoho Write has a number of templates available, from student ID codes to medication applications, but is not arranged in a certain order. You can also record some individual documents into a model. Zoho Write can compare two different versions of a document (like the current text and its previous version), but like Google, it only emphasizes different points. Zoho Write does not use other colors too impressively for deleting certain words or paragraphs.

While most other components often explain the usability to users right from the start of working with the text editor, the support in Zoho Write is quite weak. For example, there's an "Insert Anchor" component, but we can't find a section that explains how it works.

You can add a table via just one click, then click inside the box to format it (such as changing borders, colors, thickness / net, or choosing background color, covering cells) or selecting labels "Table" from the Format dialog box to set the cell border. Zoho Write outperforms Google Docs' formatting elements with more fonts, more sizes, plus easy search and replacement.

Like Google and ThinkFree, if you want to share your text, you can send invitations to others (of course they will need to have their own online account). The program also provides you with a script (script) if you want to insert your text into a website or in a blog.

Everything is stored by default in the 1GB online library without any charge. You can burn files to Word, PDF, text, HTML, SXW (StarOffice). But when running Zoho Write in Internet Explorer 6, there were some problems, such as frequent conflicts. This program is better compatible in Firefox 2.0.

Zoho Sheet will be blocked if you try to open a large worksheet (about 500 rows with a few columns, for example). It supports a simple SUM sum formula with four-digit numbers, but no graph and graphic part. A worksheet with 350 rows and 70 columns can be opened but after . 90 seconds wait. Screen refresh rate is very slow. When working with a new worksheet, make an addition to a 10-value column, the ability to respond very . lethargically.

Zoho's graph function is simple but effective

Zoho Write does not have a few things we are familiar with and like: columns, bars, lines and graphs (both 2D and 3D) that are easy to create. They are not so appealing but almost suitable for all of us when you simply want to illustrate some digital data. You cannot get a way to work with Office's numerous graph functions. Some oddities of Zoho Sheet: when opening a new worksheet, you are set by default in cell C3 and not A1 as in other programs.

Zoho also provides an additional component integrated in Office. You can edit files on Zoho directly from within Excel or Word.

It is not a perfect set. Some advanced features such as using wild cards in search and replace operations are not supported. So are the conditional formats in Sheet. But even so, if your editing needs to end with 5% of Office components, most of us will use Zoho.

Zoho Office Suite
Website : www.zoho.com
Basic application : text editor, spreadsheet.
Expansion : project management software, presentation software, database management program, reminder organizer / note, group software with calendar, e-mail client, chat and wiki software .
Price : free.
Summary : With basic features in spreadsheet programs and text editors and other extended features, Zoho Office is considered to be used, but be wary of slow speed and time. its.