Comments on: Continuous Innovation in the Online Office http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/ Rebooting the workforce Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:12:50 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Sunil http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/#comment-293666 Sunil Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:41:48 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.wordpress.com/?p=2219#comment-293666 Very nice post. Zoho very recently added macros and pivot tables to its online spreadsheet and its too before Google. Here is mine post on this http://feedshub.blogspot.com/2008/04/online-office-vs-offline-office-zoho.html Very nice post.

Zoho very recently added macros and pivot tables to its online spreadsheet and its too before Google.

Here is mine post on this

http://feedshub.blogspot.com/2008/04/online-office-vs-offline-office-zoho.html

]]> By: Mike Gunderloy http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/#comment-293634 Mike Gunderloy Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:18:31 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.wordpress.com/?p=2219#comment-293634 Scott - we had some discussion early this year of the pitfalls of storing your documents in a single place online: http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/01/13/who-protects-your-cloud-data/ . My own view is that data portability between different "cloud" services is a huge issue (and a huge opportunity for vendors who get it right). Scott – we had some discussion early this year of the pitfalls of storing your documents in a single place online: http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/01/13/who-protects-your-cloud-data/ . My own view is that data portability between different “cloud” services is a huge issue (and a huge opportunity for vendors who get it right).

]]> By: Scott http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/#comment-293602 Scott Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:38:50 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.wordpress.com/?p=2219#comment-293602 Another thing I'd like to see in these online apps is my ability to easily access my entire file system for backups and data portability. If I could store my docs on a more accessible file system, I'd feel more comfortable. I'd love to be able to access my "gDrive" as a mapped drive and use a backup utility to copy the data to my own backup server. The master would still be on gDrive, but if needed, I'd have backups and I could move that information somewhere else. Doing this also necessitates that data being stored in a portable, non-proprietary format. I can currently export a single Google Doc to Word or Open Office, but I can't grab them all in mass and have them in a format I can open in another program. That's a problem. I want to feel that I have complete ownership of my data and that means having access to it in the same ways I have access to it using offline apps where I can back it up and feel safe that I'll be able to open those files in 20 years. For online to win, I think the online apps needs to just be another/better piece of software. It just happens to be online. However, the data we put there is completely separate from it and we (users) need to have 100% control over it whereby we could take it all with us in minutes. Sorry that this topic is not completely on topic, but this issue never seems to get brought up and WWD seems like the type of place that might bring it into the discussion. Another thing I’d like to see in these online apps is my ability to easily access my entire file system for backups and data portability.

If I could store my docs on a more accessible file system, I’d feel more comfortable. I’d love to be able to access my “gDrive” as a mapped drive and use a backup utility to copy the data to my own backup server. The master would still be on gDrive, but if needed, I’d have backups and I could move that information somewhere else.

Doing this also necessitates that data being stored in a portable, non-proprietary format. I can currently export a single Google Doc to Word or Open Office, but I can’t grab them all in mass and have them in a format I can open in another program. That’s a problem.

I want to feel that I have complete ownership of my data and that means having access to it in the same ways I have access to it using offline apps where I can back it up and feel safe that I’ll be able to open those files in 20 years.

For online to win, I think the online apps needs to just be another/better piece of software. It just happens to be online. However, the data we put there is completely separate from it and we (users) need to have 100% control over it whereby we could take it all with us in minutes.

Sorry that this topic is not completely on topic, but this issue never seems to get brought up and WWD seems like the type of place that might bring it into the discussion.

]]> By: Vaibhav http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/#comment-293561 Vaibhav Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:02:11 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.wordpress.com/?p=2219#comment-293561 Yes and No. It's true what you say about how Google or Zoho can move very fast and offer new features rapidly. However, MS Office doesn't lag behind that much. Most of the features that MS Office lacks are in the area of being connected and collaborative over the Internet (I mean, editing-wise, as you said, Google Docs and Zoho are far behind). And this is where Office Live comes in: <a>http://www.onlineobservations.net/google-docs-vs-office-live-workspace/</a> With Live Office, MS can keep pace with a lot of the features that are offered by Zoho or Google Docs. The only missing piece is the online editing (and I at least don't mind having Office installed on my machine). Yes and No. It’s true what you say about how Google or Zoho can move very fast and offer new features rapidly.

However, MS Office doesn’t lag behind that much. Most of the features that MS Office lacks are in the area of being connected and collaborative over the Internet (I mean, editing-wise, as you said, Google Docs and Zoho are far behind). And this is where Office Live comes in:
http://www.onlineobservations.net/google-docs-vs-office-live-workspace/

With Live Office, MS can keep pace with a lot of the features that are offered by Zoho or Google Docs.

The only missing piece is the online editing (and I at least don’t mind having Office installed on my machine).

]]> By: Sridhar Vembu http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/04/27/continuous-innovation-online-office/#comment-293547 Sridhar Vembu Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:20:54 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.wordpress.com/?p=2219#comment-293547 Mike, This is an excellent point. The reason for this rapid evolution is the inherent productivity advantage enjoyed by producers in the SaaS model, which (as economics dictates) mostly accrues to the benefit of consumers. As a company that has done both traditional software-as-product and now software-as-a-service, I can testify to the huge productivity gains in the SaaS model. I would take this a step forward, and confidently predict that within a relatively short period of time (perhaps 1 year, and definitely no more than 2) the online suites will catch up and exceed the functionality of their desktop counterparts. This is going to surprise most people. Both Google & Zoho are moving at full-speed, even customers who don't actually switch to online suites will gain, simply because Microsoft is going to be forced on the defensive with price-cutting to keep their installed base. But price-cutting alone won't help Microsoft, because productivity differences cannot be compensated for by tactical pricing moves. My post http://blogs.zoho.com/general/cloud-computing-switching-costs-software-prices/ may be relevant in this context. Sridhar Vembu Zoho Mike,
This is an excellent point. The reason for this rapid evolution is the inherent productivity advantage enjoyed by producers in the SaaS model, which (as economics dictates) mostly accrues to the benefit of consumers. As a company that has done both traditional software-as-product and now software-as-a-service, I can testify to the huge productivity gains in the SaaS model.

I would take this a step forward, and confidently predict that within a relatively short period of time (perhaps 1 year, and definitely no more than 2) the online suites will catch up and exceed the functionality of their desktop counterparts. This is going to surprise most people.

Both Google & Zoho are moving at full-speed, even customers who don’t actually switch to online suites will gain, simply because Microsoft is going to be forced on the defensive with price-cutting to keep their installed base. But price-cutting alone won’t help Microsoft, because productivity differences cannot be compensated for by tactical pricing moves.

My post http://blogs.zoho.com/general/cloud-computing-switching-costs-software-prices/
may be relevant in this context.

Sridhar Vembu
Zoho

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