Would you use a web-based office suite?
Displaying poll results.1444 total votes.
Most Votes
- How much of your coding is done by AI coding agents these days? Posted on June 21st, 2026 | 4770 votes
Most Comments
- How much of your coding is done by AI coding agents these days? Posted on June 21st, 2026 | 29 comments
Slow Down There, Tiger (Score:5, Informative)
GravityZoo is NOT, I repeat NOT converting OpenOffice into a webapp. I don't really want to detract from their idea, so I'll try to be succinct. Basically, GravityZoo has a special client that interacts with the application running on the server. The application on the server is always available, and autostores your data in a GravityZoo Object Storage database.
Supposedly, it's an actual conversion of the application to a networked form rather than a simple remote desktop concept. If I were to make a W.A.G. of the Day, I'd say they're probably going to bus the normal IPC communications over the network. Not revolutionary by itself, but possibly nice if they have a good framework.
Re: (Score:2)
More specifically, if I installed a chrooted nxserver [nomachine.com], and then made a series of launch profiles that I handed out that launched openoffice rather than running anything specific, wouldn't that be the same?
Or is this like that, but also tacking on something like UNO/CORBA/SOAP/DCOM?
This topic seems to be one such that it may be worth mentioning jooreports. [sourceforge.net]
If your goal is to do version control on your content while keeping your layout separate this is probably ideal.
Re: (Score:2)
From what I can see it expands upon X in three ways.
1. It allows you to use it from any device without installing anything (besides a web browser I would assume).
2. It has a collaboration security model. So multiple people can be on the same session some can read some can read and write.
3. It uses less network bandwidth than X and heavily relies on browser cache.
Re: (Score:2)
They explicitly say that you need a client and that it is currently only available for Windows.
FreeNX uses less network bandwidth than X, but it doesn't use the browser cache.
Re: (Score:1)
FreeNX uses less network bandwidth than X, but it doesn't use the browser cache.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yay, imagine the bloat of OpenOffice and Firefox together in one big horrible web based office suite
On the other side, about the "would you use it?" question, I used to say "NO" until 2 months ago when I started planning my brother and mother's trip to the UK and our trip trough Europe. Google Docs is really a useful thing... of course it is more of a Wordpad than a Word repl
Mobile apps suck (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
ick sp! (Score:2)
"distributing Data, Information and Intelligence. A development that should not be dependent upon the whimp of a few very affluant and powerfull entities."
http://www.gravityzoo.com/developers/openSource.p
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
It has been corrected! Thank you!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Error 404 ClosedOffice (Score:2, Insightful)
It will be nice as a compliment though for those very rare occasions.
Re:Error 404 ClosedOffice (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm with you...I'm a bit queasy about keeping any mail I use on Gmail...but, since Katrina forced me on the run awhile back, I've not been able to set down roots and set up my email server again yet.
However, in general, I just don't want a bunch of personal docs out there on a webserver, and I can't imagine a business with any kind of security concience would want to trust a web based office application with their work and possibly trade secrets.
I'm just kind of amazed that there is a market for these web based office applications. I mean, if you've got a computer with you....don't you generally have your document processing software with you too?
Re: (Score:2)
I use gmail to store all my mail, but I also download it all to my laptop. Online or off I have access to that data now. I hardly ever use a full "office" sweet at home. all I really need is done with a simple spreadsheet, and word processor. of those two I use about 10% of the features found in each. So I consider Open Office bloated for what I use, but ha
Re: (Score:2)
scp?
-matthew
Re: (Score:2)
I can see this being a boon to those with less resources in the world. Cyber cafe, library, makes no nevermind. While you and I may not want our data on "teh intarweb" I can think of an entire class of computer user for whom this makes sense.
-nB
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
First, can you imagine how much javascript code it would take to replicate OOo online? Ack! That's a lot of non-compiled code running on a multitude of platforms. So you are on your freeBSD / KDE box using Konqueror, happily typing away at your 65K "word" doc, and crash! Not fun. As someone who does a lot of AJAX development (w/prototype), I have to say I love ajax. But making an html document/javascript app (or whatever you wa
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm just kind of amazed that there is a market for these web based office applications. I mean, if you've got a computer with you....don't you generally have your document processing software with you too?
I think that's what google docs got right, they aren't trying to replace a desktop app so much as adding collaboration functionality with versioning to a document repository. Businesses need document repositories and it just makes sense that you would be able to edit some documents web based without having to do a check in or check out. But you also want to be able to take a document with you to edit on the plane or if you just want less lag and a more feature rich application to work through. Google d
Corporates (Score:2)
It is a proprietary layer on top of OO code (Score:5, Informative)
Re:It is a proprietary layer on top of OO code (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
The whole RIM debacle actually is more an exception to the rule. Verizon v.s. Vonage is how the real game is played. If Vonage had filed for some trivial patents which were abused by Verizon, they could have counter sued and settled without ever going to court.
The current IBM seems to be good exa
Re: (Score:1)
Licensing Unclear (Score:5, Insightful)
As per "Open Source [gravityzoo.com]" at the GravityZoo website [gravityzoo.com], [...]"this requires the involvement of a global community of Information Analysts, IT architects and Engineers from both the Open Source and Commercial environment. Open Source because to achieve an egalitarian development of tomorrow's information society requires the free flow of Data Information and Intelligence to those in need. Commercial because certain developments require upfront investments and thus risktaking, a step the Open Source community is not always willing or capable to take. In the latter case the risktaking should be rewarded by limiting the access on a for Pay basis.
It is therefore that The GravityZoo Company from day one decide to implement a Dual Licensing model.
More information about our Open Source projects and activities will be available at this page soon."
Until they clarify their licensing, I refuse to be interested, let alone excited.
There is also so far only a Windows client. They don't even have a beta for other platforms. So I'm not interested in that way, also.
Also: if it requires a special client, it is not (repeat not) a web-based app. I don't fucking care how it's delivered. The web is browsed with a web browser - see how that works?
Re: (Score:1)
GravityZoo never claimed to be a web app, it's just that Zonk needs to get his glasses realigned. There is a huge difference between bringing something to the browser and to "the net". The latter can be done with all kinds of technologies. GravityZoo is a much more generic approach than most standard client-server based technologie
Re: (Score:1)
Deja vu all over again... (Score:1, Insightful)
They gave up on it after a while, most likely because (1.) it took more in the doing than they thought and (2.) the marketoplace didn't show the expected interest.
Why? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
GravityZood_support@yahoogroups.com (Score:1, Funny)
Business plan (Score:3, Insightful)
Another great Web 2.0 concept.
Some days I think the Web peaked at HTML 3.2.
Re: (Score:2)
That's because it did. Everything since is at best a veneer. Useless animation, cute tricks, and advertising delivery platforms. I don't think there is a single site I visit that has a feature that actually benefits me that isn't trivial in Netscape 3.0.
The part that caught my eye was "patent pending', which my cynical self read as locking up OSS software into a for profit container. Not that they shouldn't get credit for doing something unique, but I'd wager wha
Nothing new here? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
GravityZoo isn't based on "terminal technology", it's based on "distributed objects". A plain-old terminal based solution would never scale beyond a limited number of clients.
Sure this will work (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Well, maybe it would be fun if we could make language a complete impediment to understanding.
Seriously, though, verbing nouns is hardly evil or immoral. Shakespeare did it from time to time, and I challenge anyone to find a single Slashdotter who is as good a writer as he was.
Re:Sure this will work (Score:5, Funny)
Firefox (Score:5, Funny)
Dan East
Re:Firefox (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
chrome://browser/content/browser.xul
(clickable) [chrome]
Requires Firefox and a lot of RAM.
Operating System (Score:1)
Great Idea, Ok not... (Score:4, Interesting)
However, I don't want my personal documents stored on their servers, and I know most business policies will not allow documents to be stored in this manner.
Also, why are they 'reinventing' the wheel with patented technology to do this? There are many known and secure remote app technologies that could be already put into place for something like this.
I'm open to ideas here, but I don't see how this is 'Open' or a good thing...
Re: (Score:1)
Google?? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Open Source -- Innovating where others have already innovated before.
or maybe
Open Source -- We'll have that feature soon, too.
Open Source -- So many cooks that no one has been fed in years (except the cooks).
Re: (Score:2)
Architecturally, it's possible. (Score:2)
OpenOffice is built using a retargetable GUI framework -- that's what allows it to work on both Windows and Linux without the need to resort to cheap and sleazy WINE tricks. So, theoretically at least, it's possible to build a front end to OpenOffice that targets the browser as a remote desktop.
Re: (Score:2)
An html/css/javascript frontend could be written for it... POSSIBLY
The core code can support hundreds of users accessing it via a web interface... NOT LIKELY
I think it would be safe to say that this is far from a simple GUI replacement.
I like the idea of web based apps... but don't so much care for storing my data on a 3rd party's servers. I wish Google would create an apps appliance (I'm sure they will someday)... or even release their code so that I could freely install it on my o
Can't do it (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Can't do it (Ob Seinfeld) (Score:1)
next time you will be saying they should go to special schools
Google Docs (Score:1, Interesting)
That said, any spreadsheet application needs to be able to perform regression and factor analysis at a minimum to be useful to me. Google Docs has no such advanced statistical functionality, Excel is satisfactory, and SYSTAT is preferred. Fancy formatting be damned, it's actual function
Thinking outside the box (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
thinkfree (Score:1)
Promising but not there yet. (Score:1)
Common data store (Score:3, Interesting)
-matthew
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Actually I think users do care about portability. If there is a MS Windows program you need to run, and you have a Mac, then you care about portability.
Being able to write one app for the entire user base instead of one small segment of computer users has to be of some value. Someone can write a Cocoa app that might be beautiful, but being able to write a Cocoa app is a very specific skill (Objective C) for a relativley small market.
On the other hand if you write a NewI\O app y
Re: (Score:2)
This isn't nearly as common as you think. Like I said, Java addressed this a long time ago, and the reality is that users are not clamoring for portable Java apps to bridge the gap. There are enough native OS X apps such that portability between OS X and WIndows remains a special case... and generally not worth the sacrifices in usability and integration.
The market is there, how about the players? (Score:1)
There is absolutely a big market for this. That is what 37signals [37signals.com] and Google [google.com], among others, are proving with their web apps.
The benefits of web office apps are many and great. I do not intend to discuss them here, since it is too long a topic. For instance, the same site links to a very interesting article on the subject [gravityzoo.com].
What is holding this evolution of the systems right now are the genuine security and confidentiality concerns from managers and sysadmins. As many stated, most companies will not tru
This makes sense, if the server is in your pocket (Score:2, Interesting)
Worse than TiVo (Score:1)
I liked this idea better... (Score:3, Interesting)
...when it was called ThinkFree Online [thinkfree.com]. Oh wait, we have to hate ThinkFree because it's written in Java. Even though it works well, lets you use your own fonts and printer, opens and saves real MS Office docs, and installs into the JVM cache faster than an MS Office or OpenOffice install.
Oh well, trying to write an Office suite in Ajax has kept people busy for a few years, now they can try to get the native OO.o app working in a browser. Maybe next we can port it to Flash. That'll be fun.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
You appear to be under the mistaken assumption that you are a serious user.
But anyone who would use any part of microsoft office but excel and perhaps outlook is by definition not a serious user.
Powerpoint has support only for crap low resolutions. Word is a pathetic joke in terms of layout and typesetting ability and publisher frankly is not noticeably better. Access? Don
Re: (Score:2)
Landscape.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm no fan of Office or of OO.o. Both are tools and as such open to personal opinion for their good and bad traits. However, when you slam something give me an alternative Ican review, test, and try as comparison. I've done well received presentation with Powerpoint. Not many have the time to create "video", not does video work for a teaching or instructional medium.
Do you know of a better tool then powerp
Re: (Score:2)
To be honest, I haven't used Impress, but it doesn't seem to be much harder to use, and I know it supports higher resolutions.
In the interest of full disclosure, everything I know about Impress is second-hand. If I wanted to create a presentation I'd use Scala InfoChannel Designer (it being the easiest way I have to crea
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I do not know if you are going to read this (as this story is quite old) but I use OpenOffice Draw to create EPS files from anything you can put there (it is vector based but you can also insert raster images). I use it mainly to export raster images (jpg, png, etc) to EPS to use in Latex documents (THE way documents should be written).
You just have to
Re: (Score:2)
But what about opening existing EPS, such as from illustrator?
Even just going between different versions of illustrator I get errors like "unknown shading type encountered".
Re: (Score:2)
I've seen a couple of people mention problems with getting directories to line up correctly, but there are complete distributions which have decent documentation on this sort of thing.
Re: (Score:2)
As a *nix user who loathes Microsoft in general and Office in particular, but who also owns a Tablet PC (which only really works well in Windows) and frequently takes notes in class, I have one word for you:
OneNote.
I couldn't care less about Word, PowerPoint, or even Exce
Re: (Score:2)
I don't care what some slashbots think of my level of intelligence. Some people will get more out of my comments than others. I'm okay with that.
The simple fact is that office doesn't cost too much for an actually useful application suite. But instead it's made up of a bunch of total crap. Word is fine for writing letters and such (Word -- write letters n' shit, yo) but usele