“Google plans to make available on Tuesday morning a test version of a Web-based spreadsheet program that is intended to make it simple to edit and share lists and numeric information online,” John Markoff reports for The New York Times. “The company said that the free program, called Google Spreadsheets, was still in the experimental stage, and that while it can read and create files in the format used by Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet program, it is not compatible with many of that program’s more powerful features.”
“At the same time, the Web search company appears to be moving ahead in its steady march toward creating its own computing universe that is an alternative to the desktop PC software business now dominated by Microsoft,” Markoff reports.
“Google executives said today that the program would make it possible for Internet users to upload two common spreadsheet and data formats, Excel and C.S.V. Once the data is on Google’s Web servers, it will be possible for two or more people to simultaneously edit spreadsheet documents and chat about them using Google’s instant messaging program,” Markoff reports. “The new service will be able to handle several hundred formulas used to manipulate data in Excel, but it will not handle more complex functions like Excel macros, said Jonathan Rochelle, the Google Spreadsheets product manager.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Take a bite here, a nip there, another nibble from over there, and soon enough not much will be left. Are the Dark Ages of Personal Computing finally beginning to crumble? Tomorrow’s forecast for Redmond, WA: 100% chance it’ll be raining chairs and expletives.
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Related article:
Chair hurling Microsoft CEO Ballmer: ‘I’m going to f—ing kill Google’ – September 03, 2005
Interesting Developments!
It’s difficult for me to imagine an online computing universe without a desktop and local apps at all.
Only time will tell.
MW: “low” as in online apps to the exclusion of local apps has a very low appeal to me.
“but it will not handle more complex functions like Excel macros”
Read as: Will not be as vulnerable to viruses, nor loaded with obscure features that few people ever use.
Don’t be too excited. Once all the apps move to the web, what is the value of any OS?
In my case, I still prefer desktop based apps that can produce quickly better 2D and 3D graphs. Therefore I will keep waiting for “Numbers”.
You rang?
Aren’t Microsoft themselves headed this way? I thought I read a few months back about them developing web-based versions of the Office apps… Of course, if they are, I’m sure they won’t be free like Google’s offering.
am I just paranoid? admittedly, not a user of spreadsheets, but having all that data on a server somewhere else.. hackable? Please pardon my ignorance.
is truly scary. What a freak.
If Google means to work with Microsoft and not compete with Microsoft, Google may benefit Microsoft by allowing users to save and exchange information using pre-installed version of Excel. Of course, Microsoft would prefer that people buy Office, but since Microsoft cannot or will not provide this level of flexibility and access at a reasonable cost, too bad for them. Microsoft should be grateful that Google intends to make Spreadsheets compatible with Excel. Personally, I think that Google is doing many people a service by giving them the means to share and manipulate data in a way that Excel cannot, especially those people would do not have Office apps and are collaborating with those that do have Office apps.
What’s next? Google Text? Google Presents? All compatible with Microsoft Office?
I can pass on putting sensitive data on a web-based spreadsheet app. But hey, I can use it to calculate my yearly pizza expenditures!
Isn’t this a product in search of a market?
Once Google has your mail, your chats your spreadsheets your searches what’s next? Google geneology. I’m more afraid of Google than goverment
Google may offer a basic version of Spreadsheets for free and charge for access to a more sophisticated version, if and when it is developed. Still, I would be concerned about exchanging, manipulating, and storing sensitive data and other confidential information. I am curious to see how this all plays outs.
Hello, Apple!
Where is the third component to iWork?
A couple of things to address several issues brought up here.
First, when its no longer an experimental app, Google will monetize it.
Second, there is no need for an app like this in the consumer arena (Apple’s strength). It does however, go directly to corporate America where you may have several people working on asingle project, but are scattered around the world. Additionally, the cost of using Google Spreadsheet may be less than the 100’s of licenses a firm may be required to purchase from Microsoft.
Third, you are still going to require an OS, if only to drive your browser. That said, most people, even in corporate America have 3, or 4, or 5, or more apps they use frequently, and are not web based, as wioll be Google Spreadsheet.
Lastly, a web based spreadsheet, that works (even without macros) could drive some sales to Mac, as the cost of switching may become less than it is today.
I don’t see this as a threat to Apple. It IS a threat to Microsoft’s corporate hegemony and revenue stream. I’ll bet Ballmer is busting a gasket right about now.
And please answer me this. How secure is the data going to be in these spreadsheets?
I don’t think online spreadsheets is going to work, how would one use it offline?
No internet then what?
MDW: “started”
“Lets get this party started” – Pink
Microsoft has done three things right:
1. Intellimouse
2. Keyboard Pro
3. Excel
I trust Google only slightly more than Microsoft.
Hello, Apple!
Where is the third component to iWork?
You must mean iCalc, you bet Microsoft is talking to Apple about that along with the future of Virtual PC killed by “Boot Camp”.
Right now the future doesn’t look so good in the M$ Mac Buisness Unit at Redmond.
Apple is moving hard, fast, agressive and M$ is can’t even get Vista out the door much less do anything else.
I’m wondering if M$ is planning on winding down operations, they got enough money for christsake.
The Napster advertisement below makes me cringe a lilbit.
You’s do know that Google bought “Writely” (The web word processor)… very cool product, now in the hands of Google… only months (guessing, although they plan on giving Writely accounts to folks who sign up now, in July) until “Google Write” (or whatever you want to call it) comes out… good enough to take out M$? Probably not yet, but I will sure give it a try.
Writely’s website:
http://www2.writely.com/info/WritelyOverflowWelcome.htm
Everything @ Google is “in beta” forever………
I don’t trust MS or Google and I don’t want my data (of any kind) to be on a server in Google’s farm. PERIOD. People think Web-based apps are the future – I hope they are wrong. I’ll throw out my computer first.
BTW: If you have a website and Google crawls it, is that 100% legal? I’d be interested to know if people have the right to opt out of being crawled, cached etc. Possibly, because you are putting your site on a public forum (the Internet) there is no way to restrict this, but I’d be curious to know.
Hey MDN great picture of Ballmer. How did you get him to pose with a light bulb in his mouth?
Leo
Inumbers please!
ah HA! it **is** UNCLE FESTER!!
Google doesn’t invent anything, free-online spreedsheet softwares already exist, they allow sharing and collaborative work and handle xls file format.
For exemple : ThinkOffice
L0lz0r at that Fester Ballmer.