Google Docs & Think Free...

Well, I never knew online tools for word processing, spreadsheet creating, presentation-making etc. even existed! I'd heard the name Google Docs around and about but didn't really know what it entailed and had never even come across the name 'Think Free' let alone know what it was or how it worked. So this week has been all new to me..

I explored Google Docs first and was impressed by its simplicity in terms of its layout and its ease of use. Clearly, its features are more limited than on Microsoft Word, Excel etc. but considering it's free I didn't expect much more. Which is why when I logged onto Think Free I was pleasantly surprised by the range of features/tools available and its similarity to Word. However, I wasn't so impressed by the time it took to load up.

I think, as with most things, there are pros and cons to online office things. The pros include access to documents from anywhere, at any time, and also easy document sharing. Perhaps the biggest bonus is compatibility with both Windows & Mac and the fact that your documents are (in theory) safe from calamities that can lose/destroy your precious work eg. hard drive failure etc. On the other hand the fact that your precious documents are saved 'out there somewhere' maybe isn't such a good thing...are they safe? There's so much hacking these days...

I'm not sure I'll use either Google Docs or Think Free in the near future, simply because good old fashioned Microsoft Office is working fine for me for the time being. However, I wouldn't rule them out altogether...