Google Docs is free software that you use online to create and edit online files. This is ‘cloud computing’ because you download neither Google Docs software nor your work files. You can access Google Docs and your work files from any computer (PC, Mac, or Linux).
MS (Microsoft) Office is expensive software that you install and use on your computer (PC or Mac) to create and edit files. This is traditional computing because you must install MS Office on your computer and store your work files on the same computer.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a web application that lets you create and edit documents, presentations, spreadsheets and forms online. If you have not yet tried Google Docs, you can do so easily as follows:
- Go to Google to display its main window.
- Click on more, at the top of the window to display its menu, and then click on Documents to display the Google Docs sign-in page.
- Sign in with your Google Account, which can be your Gmail account, to display your Google Docs page. (If you do not have a Google account, you can click on Get started to create one.)
- Click on Create new to display its menu, through which you can create a new document, presentation, spreadsheet, form, or folder.
While working on any new or existing Google Docs Document, Presentation, or Spreadsheet, you can click onHelp (on the menu bar at the top of the page) to display its menu, and then click on Google Docs Help Center to display detailed help for your current file. Other Help-menu links include:
- Learn from other Google users
- Watch a video introduction
- (Other links specific to your current Google Docs file)
While creating or editing a Google Docs Form, you can click on menu-bar Help to display detailed Form help. After you save your form, you view it as a spreadsheet.
Document - A Google Docs Document is a word-processor document that you create and edit online. Each page through which you create or edit a Document displays a menu bar, toolbar, and text frame. To work online on a document that you created offline, you can upload it as file type *.doc, *.docx, *.odt, *.html, *.txt, or *.rtf. To work offline on a document that you created online, you can download it as an HTML (zipped), OpenOffice, PDF, RTF, Text, or Word file.
Presentation - A Google Docs Presentation is a slide show document that you create and present online. Each page through which you create or edit a Presentation displays a menu bar, toolbar, thumbnail frame, and slide frame. To work online on a presentation that you created offline, you can upload it as file type *.ppt or *.pps. To work offline on a presentation that you created online, you can download it as a PDF, PowerPoint, or Text file.
Spreadsheet - A Google Docs Spreadsheet is a grid of calculation cells that you create and edit online. Each page through which you create or edit a Spreadsheet displays a menu bar, toolbar, and grid rows and columns. frame. To work online on a spreadsheet that you created offline, you can upload it as file type *.xls, *.xlsx, *.ods, *.csv, *.tsv, *.txt, or *.tsv. To work offline on a spreadsheet that you created online, you can download it as a HTML (zipped), OpenOffice, PDF, RTF, Text, or Word file.
Form - A Google Docs Form is a set of questions that you create online. You can do any of the following:
- Create a form separately, and then email it to your employees, coworkers, friends, or relatives. Responses update the form.
- Create a form separately, and then embed it (paste it into) in a website or blog. Responses update the form.
- Within a spreadsheet, create a form based on the spreadsheet, and then email it to your employees, coworkers, friends, or relatives. Responses update the spreadsheet.
Folder - A Google Docs Folder is a container into which you can place interrelated Google Docs. For example, you can create a Test Files folder into which you place your experimental Google Docs files. If you are a student, you can create a folder for each subject, such as “Nuclear Physics 104,” “English 104,” and “Latin CIV.”
MS Office
MS Office is an application suite that lets you create and edit documents, presentations, spreadsheets and databases offline. MS Office works extremely well because it consists of mostly high-quality software. Most users love it. It sets high standards against which we judge all office suites. However, its price is outrageous.
If you have not yet tried MS Office, you have probably been held prisoner by space aliens during the last twenty years. If you wish to download a recent trial version of MS Office, go to either:
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