http://www.techieblogger.com/2009/12/10-useful-web-apps-for-word-processing.htmlMost of us will be using any one of the Microsoft Office suit on our daily activities. But unfortunately , Microsoft Office suit containing Word, Powerpoint and Excel costs around £149 on Amazon.com for the standard version. So it’s some what difficult for normal users to spend that much of money to buy MS office. But you don’t need to pay out, since there are some free alternatives are available. This post contains some of the online web tools available as alternative for MS office word.Google DocsFrom the minds at Google Labs comes Google Docs which allows you to create, collaborate and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The interface is cleaner than many of the other alternatives but the functionality is still all there. While it will automatically save the file online and store it there, you can also have the documents published as a web page or emailed as an attachment in Word, ODT, PDF or RTF formats. You can invite collaborators to work on the document with you or only allow others to view it without the ability to edit. All it takes is a free account signup.ZohoZoho offers around 20 free online applications including Writer for word processing. You can link your Zoho account to your Google and Yahoo accounts as well. The interface on Writer shouldn’t cause anyone problems as it is comfortably familiar. Working online can be hazardous and there’s always the threat of losing data due to lost network connection, accidental closing of the browser window or browser crash, but luckily Zoho automatically saves your documents for you, as you finish typing. You can also insert images from your local computer or from the Web. Zoho Writer offers all the standard text formatting and document creation features and can export to DOCX, ODF, PDF, Latex, RTF, TXT and even HTML. It can plug into Echosign for digital signatures, publish the document to a blog or make it public for all to see. You can even invite online collaborators to work on the document with you.ThinkFreeThe ‘My Office’ area of the website includes a Java-based productivity suite. The site will ask if you want to install the applications to your computer but this is not necessary for online only usage. As the software is built in Java it will take some system resources and time but it caches on your computer so it loads quicker after the first time. The interface on the program is very familiar looking and should not cause most users any problems with navigating. Working online can be hazardous at times and you could accidentally close the application window before you have saved your document, but don’t worry because it will automatically dump the file onto your computer when you close the window. Not the best system in the world but it should save you from having to completely remake the document.ShutterborgShutterborg is another minimalist word processor with some formatting tools and saving options. Shutterborg lets you open a document from the web where you can revise an exact copy of a webpage. Just call the URL of the file and edit the document in Shutterborg. Shutterborg shines with its eye-candy interface. For me, Shutterborg looks the cleanest as far as online office apps go (try it in full screen). It is also fast and feels more streamlined compared to Google Docs even if it lacks key functions like online storage.Adobe® BuzzwordAdobe® Buzzword® is a proven and robust online word processor — perfect for writing reports, proposals, and anything else you need to access online or work on with others. Everyone can access the latest version of a document, share feedback, and respond to each other’s comments from any computer. Built on the Adobe Flash® Platform, Buzzword looks and behaves like a desktop application, but it operates inside a web browser. There’s no installation required, so getting started is easy — and free.PeepelAnother interesting alternative is Peepel. With a slick interface the all browser-based word processor allows you to do typical text formatting, image insertion from the web (no local computer access) and collaborate with others on the document. It also has templates for resumes, letters and business cards. You can store files online and even open multiple applications in the same browser window at the same time. Applications available include WebWriter, Calculator, WebSheet and Browser along with file managers and file manipulation features.WriteboardWriteboard makes editing easy and safe. Every time you save an edit a new version is created and linked in the sidebar. This allows you to write without fear of deleting something, overwriting something, or losing a better version of the document from last week.Writeboard encourages you to explore ideas wherever they may lead. Don’t like what you wrote? Just click a previous version and you’re back to the way you had it before.WriteWithWriteWith is a simple-to-use web-based word processor with real-time collaboration tools. Like Writeboard, writers can sift through revisions with ease and assign other people to edit/revise documents. Team leaders and other members can set deadline on their tasks for a more streamlined workflow. Other WriteWith features include integrated chat, post-to-blog, and export options to a large number of doc formats.EtherpadIf collaboration is what you’re into, give Etherpad a good look. There’s no need to sign up for Etherpad – just click “Start New Pad” and get going. Then, either share a link to the pad or send invitations to your contacts by email. As users come in, you can edit the text on the pad in real-time, and changes automatically appear. You can chat in the sidebar, highlight which user made a given change, and save revisions in order to revert if a mistake is made. Etherpad is perfect for coding and programming, but is also great for writing and editing documents. There aren’t as many features to Etherpad, and all your editing is in plain text, but it’s so collaborative and useful that it deserves a mention anyway.OpenGooOpenGoo is similar in appearance to both Google Docs and the Zoho suite, with a well-integrated interface available to you. You can access calendars, tasks, documents, sticky notes, email, contacts, and time-tracking tools all from within the OpenGoo interface.For document editing, OpenGoo is much like Google Docs. You can create documents or slideshows, and the interface is much like Google’s. You can edit documents, and then tag them or add them to folders for easier organization.One thing I liked was that a new document is opened in the same window, with the document browser in the sidebar, whereas Google Docs always opens a new window.If all you want is documents, there’s not a lot unique about OpenGoo; if you’re looking for a more complete interface and application, it’s a great choice.I hope these tools will help most of you , who can’t afford much money to buy MS Office suit. Atleast these Online web tools allow us to perform all the necessary tasks one can do in Microsoft Word.
