Microsoft Word without the Microsoft

There have been a lot of challengers recently taking on Microsoft Word and its Office Suite of products, but a big difference in their product is that it's free, as opposed to the $100 + that Microsoft charges for theirs. Another big difference is that you don't install the software on your computer; rather, it's a web-based program that is a part of "cloud computing." To learn more about what cloud computing is, see this helpful description from HowStuffWorks.com.

So now that you've read a little bit about how cloud computing works, and having paid attention to the possible concerns about using these services, you might want to try some of them out. Below are a few options you might consider:

Google Docs is one of the most popular, and also one of the earliest, cloud computing answers to Microsoft Office. It includes the ability to make spreadsheets, word processing documents, forms, and presentations, which can be created in a collaborative environment by sharing them with friends. You do need to create a Google account in order to access these features.


Zoho is providing a service very similar to Google's, even including web-based email, and expands on them by offering business-related services such as invoicing and web conferencing. See this article in the New York Times about how Zoho is taking on Microsoft's Office products and how it stacks up to other web-based software solutions such as Google Docs.

Adobe also offers its own web-based word processing, called Buzzword. As with the other two services, you must sign up for a free account in order to access it.

MW