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Ric_NYC
August 28th, 2009, 08:59 PM
Is it good enough to be the default word processor?

schauerlich
August 28th, 2009, 09:01 PM
No.

Hogosha
August 28th, 2009, 09:01 PM
i want my apps and storage on my machine, not on the internet. believe it or not there are still places on this planet that don't have internet access and sometimes i like to not turn on wifi to save battery life.

it itself is not bad, just not local.

-grubby
August 28th, 2009, 09:01 PM
1) Ubuntu is supposed to be useful offline
2) You have to have a Google account to use Google Docs
3) No, just no.

gletob
August 28th, 2009, 09:02 PM
No it's not. I need something real not web based. I know you can use it offline but I'll stick with MS Office 2007 running in wine.

Ric_NYC
August 28th, 2009, 09:03 PM
i want my apps and storage on my machine, not on the internet. believe it or not there are still places on this planet that don't have internet access and sometimes i like to not turn on wifi to save battery life.

it itself is not bad, just not local.

I have a desktop version of it installed "locally" through "Prism".

hessiess
August 28th, 2009, 09:05 PM
No, it dosen't use Vi key bindings. And LaTeX produces better typography.

schauerlich
August 28th, 2009, 09:07 PM
No, it dosen't use Vi key bindings. And LaTeX produces better typography.

The current default word processor does neither of those things.

dragos240
August 28th, 2009, 09:11 PM
It's proprietary :(

So no. It's bad.

schauerlich
August 28th, 2009, 09:12 PM
It's proprietary :(

So no. It's bad.

I guess you can't boot your computer, then.

hessiess
August 28th, 2009, 09:15 PM
The current default word processor does neither of those things.

Which is why I uninstalled openoffice. Documents produced with a word processor look awful.

HappinessNow
August 28th, 2009, 09:18 PM
Is it good enough to be the default word processor?

Yes!


i want my apps and storage on my machine, not on the internet. believe it or not there are still places on this planet that don't have internet access and sometimes i like to not turn on wifi to save battery life.

it itself is not bad, just not local.

You can store your documents locally if you wish.

Janeleaper
August 28th, 2009, 09:28 PM
I think it is pretty good. I use it to backup some of my documents, or to edit documents when I'm away from my home PC but have access to a PC where I'm going.

Call me paranoid, but I do have concerns about security for this and all cloud computing.

Whether it is good enough to use as a default processor depends on your needs. It's fine for letters and other documents. I wouldn't try to write a book on it though.

doas777
August 28th, 2009, 09:32 PM
not by a longshot.
document processing is something that should ALWAYS stay on your desk or inside your organization. it is the height of irresponsibility to do otherwise.

joey-elijah
August 28th, 2009, 09:38 PM
i read something on Planet Gnome about a patch for nautilus that shows all of your google docs in a "google docs" folder. They're, obviously, online, but you just have to double click on the document for it to open up in openoffice or go straight to your browser.

dragos240
August 28th, 2009, 09:39 PM
I guess you can't boot your computer, then.
Really?

Tibuda
August 28th, 2009, 09:40 PM
I guess you can't boot your computer, then.
And can't use this forum.


Really?
Which license is your BIOS released?

schauerlich
August 28th, 2009, 09:58 PM
Really?

Most BIOS's are proprietary.

dragos240
August 28th, 2009, 10:00 PM
Most BIOS's are proprietary.

Proud OpenBIOS user.

RabbitWho
August 28th, 2009, 10:22 PM
Mostly I correct translations, google docs doesn't really support the whole "show changes" thing (it's important for the customer). Open office doesn't seem to either. It's pretty frustrating. Anyone have any ideas?
When you go to "changes" and "record" and say you delete a word, the word is left but struck out. On MSword it goes off to the side. so it won't be in the way of the new version and the person you're proof reading for doesn't have to re-write the entire thing, they can just accept all your changes without reading it if they want.

Sorry I'm off topic.. Yeah.. I don't like google docs. It has a very frustrating design.

MasterNetra
August 28th, 2009, 11:16 PM
Proud OpenBIOS user.

I wonder if system76 Desktops & Laptops use openbios?

phrostbyte
August 28th, 2009, 11:27 PM
It's a good compliment to OpenOffice.org.

http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/ooo2gd

Mateo
August 28th, 2009, 11:58 PM
I think it depends on the needs of the user. If you need Word compatibility then Word is your only option. But if you work in an environment where there is a lot of sharing among documents, Docs destroys either Word or OpenOffice.

Mateo
August 28th, 2009, 11:58 PM
i want my apps and storage on my machine, not on the internet. believe it or not there are still places on this planet that don't have internet access and sometimes i like to not turn on wifi to save battery life.

it itself is not bad, just not local.


1) Ubuntu is supposed to be useful offline
2) You have to have a Google account to use Google Docs
3) No, just no.

Google Docs can be used offline.

Mateo
August 29th, 2009, 12:00 AM
Which is why I uninstalled openoffice. Documents produced with a word processor look awful.

A legitimate criticism, but only for the self-publishers. It's a non-issue for the normal user.

-grubby
August 29th, 2009, 12:30 AM
Google Docs can be used offline.

How?

dragos240
August 29th, 2009, 12:41 AM
I wonder if system76 Desktops & Laptops use openbios?

I was also wondering that?

Mateo
August 29th, 2009, 12:41 AM
How?

There is a browser plugin called "Google Gears" which allows offline access for Calendar, Mail, and Docs. It syncs the docs to your computer, and when/if you go offline, you can edit your docs as normal. When you have a connection again, the changes are synced to Google.

HappinessNow
August 29th, 2009, 12:42 AM
There is a browser plugin called "Google Gears" which allows offline access for Calendar, Mail, and Docs. It syncs the docs to your computer, and when/if you go offline, you can edit your docs as normal. When you have a connection again, the changes are synced to Google.
Google Gears Rock! :P

aysiu
August 29th, 2009, 12:44 AM
I think it is pretty good. I use it to backup some of my documents, or to edit documents when I'm away from my home PC but have access to a PC where I'm going.

Call me paranoid, but I do have concerns about security for this and all cloud computing.

Whether it is good enough to use as a default processor depends on your needs. It's fine for letters and other documents. I wouldn't try to write a book on it though.
If you want online backups but are worried about security or privacy, take a look at SpiderOak.

-grubby
August 29th, 2009, 12:47 AM
There is a browser plugin called "Google Gears" which allows offline access for Calendar, Mail, and Docs. It syncs the docs to your computer, and when/if you go offline, you can edit your docs as normal. When you have a connection again, the changes are synced to Google.

This still requires internet connectivity, even if only some of the time.

Mateo
August 29th, 2009, 12:58 AM
Google Gears Rock! :P

im a big fan too.

koleoptero
August 29th, 2009, 01:01 AM
Google docs don't have even half the features that I need so no. Plus I might not be able to be online at the time I need to edit a file. So no.


Google Docs can be used offline.

You can't create new documents offline, only edit the existing ones. At least the last time I checked.

HappinessNow
August 29th, 2009, 08:18 AM
You can't create new documents offline, only edit the existing ones. At least the last time I checked.
Check again. :P

Dragonbite
August 29th, 2009, 07:12 PM
I would say "no" but only because it requires an internet connection to access it. Too many times I'm off where I don't have access and there isn't anything I can do.

Now, if there was an application (Google Gears?) that would allow me to seamlessly open the file and work on it regardless of whether I was online or not (cashe it in the background and save it, when connecting online automatically synch the local and server versions?).

Ok, so I need to look more at Google Gears.

It is handy, though, having access online because I can work on some things while I am at work (during lunch) without installing anything on my computer, and then access the same thing at home or a club computer when I need it again.

It all comes down to connection again.

Biochem
August 29th, 2009, 07:59 PM
Last time I check google docs still had a flimsy maxymum file size. Therefore, in my case it is not an option.

MoonRocketZero
August 29th, 2009, 10:23 PM
I've been using Docs for a while now so it's a yes for me.

Does everything I need it to do on a daily basis, being able to store and access the docs on line (and copies on my systems with gears), and share the docs, works great for me.

It really does depend on what you need to do, for many I doubt docs would have all the features they need...but in my case alls good with docs.

HappinessNow
August 29th, 2009, 10:43 PM
Remember all Google Docs convert as/and can be saved as PDF files, also.

NCLI
August 29th, 2009, 10:53 PM
Google Docs + Google Gears = Win. The Gmail integration is also great.

Dragonbite
August 30th, 2009, 04:44 PM
Do I get google gears from the Google website or do I get it from the repository? I looked in Firefox add-ons but it said nothing compatible was available.

UPDATE: I installed from the Google Gears website, but still would like to know if it is in the repository which may be better for updtes.

Paqman
August 30th, 2009, 05:07 PM
Do I get google gears from the Google website or do I get it from the repository?

For Jaunty: get it from Google. As of Karmic gears (http://packages.ubuntu.com/karmic/gears) is in the universe repo.

sim_mmm
August 30th, 2009, 05:35 PM
Personally, I use Google Docs for it collaborative functionality that facilitate exchange documents between person and computer.

For example, I use it to take notes at University with my laptop. Then after, I can easy retrieve these notes from my home PC without sending them by EMAIL, using an USB Key or by a share folder.

But, when you want to make a document with beautiful layout, Google Docs is clearly NOT the solution to use.

Mateo
August 30th, 2009, 05:36 PM
Personally, I use Google Docs for it collaborative functionality that facilitate exchange documents between person and computer.

For example, I use it to take notes at University with my laptop. Then after, I can easy retrieve these notes from my home PC without sending them by EMAIL, using an USB Key or by a share folder.

But, when you want to make a document with beautiful layout, Google Docs is clearly NOT the solution to use.

I haven't tried it myself.. but i would think that it IS possible. It's just HTML after all.

chriskin
August 30th, 2009, 05:39 PM
Is it good enough to be the default word processor?

how can an online application become default word processor? :confused:

aysiu
August 30th, 2009, 05:45 PM
But, when you want to make a document with beautiful layout, Google Docs is clearly NOT the solution to use. Nor would Word or OpenOffice Writer.

For layout, you should use Scribus (or InDesign if you're on Windows or Mac and have a lot of money).

Paqman
August 30th, 2009, 05:59 PM
how can an online application become default word processor? :confused:

It's called cloud computing, and it's very trendy right now. Personally I have my machine set for Gmail to be the default mail client. Google's upcoming Linux-based Chrome OS will probably run most/all of its apps in the cloud.

chriskin
August 30th, 2009, 06:01 PM
It's called cloud computing, and it's very trendy right now. Personally I have my machine set for Gmail to be the default mail client. Google's upcoming Linux-based Chrome OS will probably run most/all of its apps in the cloud.

what happens is i have no internet ? :)
google chrome os is for netbooks, they are supposed to be online all the time.
my notebook isn't supposed to do so, especially when i am not around my home.

Paqman
August 30th, 2009, 06:10 PM
what happens is i have no internet ? :)


Then you don't really exist as a person!

Seriously though, that's exactly the gap Google created Gears to fill.

kk0sse54
August 30th, 2009, 06:34 PM
Your thoughts on Google Docs

Slow

Dragonbite
August 30th, 2009, 07:40 PM
Nor would Word or OpenOffice Writer.

For layout, you should use Scribus (or InDesign if you're on Windows or Mac and have a lot of money).

I think there's a Scribus for Windows (maybe Mac? Don't know) too.

Unfortunately most of my apps are in Publisher and there's no easy way to move it in an editable form to another program.

Chronon
August 30th, 2009, 08:12 PM
Unfortunately most of my apps are in Publisher and there's no easy way to move it in an editable form to another program.
That does not surprise me in the slightest. I would be surprised if it was any other way.

Dragonbite
August 31st, 2009, 02:17 PM
That does not surprise me in the slightest. I would be surprised if it was any other way.

From what I've seen and read, Destkop Publishing apps are not very compatible overall, unlike word processor, spreadsheets and presentation software. This is in part because the demand for cross-compatibility is less. Most high-end has their choice and stick with it while most consumers go with what is included in their office suite or is easily downloaded.

Our computer club uses either PageMaker or InDesign and since the club gives it to whomever is involved in the newsletter to use there is little reason for them to switch everything over to Scribus even though it would allow all of the users to work in the same program.

timjohn7
August 31st, 2009, 02:27 PM
Have a look at www.zoho.com. Their wordprocessor is far better than Google docs and their other web-based apps are also feature-rich and well-designed. Documents can be saved in various formats including PDF and the collaboration facility works excellently.
As far as cloud computing goes, I feel that the jury is still out. Certainly, security is an issue, but sending and receiving a large document for review of minor changes is also a pain in the butt.

hyperdude111
August 31st, 2009, 03:15 PM
I have a desktop version of it installed "locally" through "Prism".

Prism isn't local. Its just firefox without the menus

Ric_NYC
August 31st, 2009, 04:00 PM
Prism isn't local. Its just firefox without the menus



I meant "gears"... :)