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Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a Web-based word processor and spreadsheet application offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents and spreadsheets online while collaborating in real-time with other users. Docs & Spreadsheets is the result of two services, Writely and Spreadsheets, and they were merged on October 10, 2006 into a single product.
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Documents
Documents can be created using Google Docs & Spreadsheets. Documents can also be imported via its web interface. Saving options include HTML, Rich Text Format, Microsoft Word file, OpenOffice file and PDF. By default, documents are saved in Google's proprietary format. There is no option for saving in plain text.
There are also several formatting options included within Docs & Spreadsheets. As well as basic font options, bullet lists can be made, along with paragraphs and line spacing. Other features found in more robust Word Processors, such as margin formatting, are lacking. Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.
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Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are the other main part of Docs & Spreadsheets. Users can create and edit spreadsheets, and collaborate and discuss the spreadsheet with other users.
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Features
Main features include:
Automatic saving of work in progress.
Spreadsheet sharing through e-mail.
Real-time collaboration through in-document chat.
Sorting, formatting, and numerous mathematical formulas.
Spreadsheets offer many of the basic features offered in alternative software, such as Microsoft Excel, including formatting, formulas and sorting. Spreadsheets also allow freezing the first row, but not the first column of the spreadsheet, as well as merging cells horizontally (but not vertically).
Popular Microsoft Excel features, such as charting, are lacking as of the current version.
The program does not support certain browsers such as Opera and Safari.
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Security
Google Spreadsheets is not accessible through an encrypted HTTPS connection beyond the login screen, posing a threat for private or sensitive data.
This is a closed source application.
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History
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Docs originated from a product called Writely which was an individual web-based word processor. It was created by the software company Upstartle, and features included collaborative text editing suite, and features access controls. Menus, keyboard shortcuts, and dialogue boxes show up in a way similar to what users may expect in a GUI-driven word processor, such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org Writer.
In early 2006, Google acquired Upstartle. At the time it was acquired by Google, Upstartle had four employees.* Writely had closed down registrations to its service until the move to Google servers was complete. In August 2006, Writely began sending account invitations to those who had requested to be placed on a waitlist and planned to have everyone on the waitlist invited by the end of the summer. On August 23, 2006, Writely finished sending out all invitations and became publicly available. Writely account owners can invite others to Writely by adding them as collaborators to a Writely document. Writely continued to maintain its own user system until September 19, 2006, when it was integrated with Google Accounts. *
Writely originally ran on Microsoft ASP.NET technology which uses Microsoft Windows. Since July 2006, Writely servers appear to be running a Linux-based operating system, * possibly confirming speculation that Writely would be ported to run on Linux using the Mono project. *
Meanwhile, Google developed Google Spreadsheets. This product introduced most of the abilities found today in Docs & Spreadsheets. Google announced Spreadsheets at 1 p.m. (UTC) on June 6, 2006, and initially made it available to only a limited number of users, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The limited test was then lifted, and replaced with a beta version available to all Google Account holders.
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See also
ThinkFree Office — an online suite of office programs, including a word processor.
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