They're free, they're platform independent, they use an open standard,
they're great for collaboration, etc.
But here's my question: how well do they compare to the apps people use in
the "real world?" Yes, I know that Word and Excel aren't free, but for the
money I pay, they have some features that I really like. Even back when
Claris/Appleworks came bundled with Macs I still preferred Word because of
the features that I had gotten used to having available to me. I tried the
Google word processor for an hour or so and found it quite annoying compared
to what I was used to.
The other thing that bugs me, even as I'm writing this in Gmail, is how the
whole thing seems to depend on being actively online all the time. I
remember loving Eudora as an email program because it only required you to
be online to send and receive mail, not to read or compose it. As much as I
love the fact that all my addresses and email follow me everywhere with
Gmail, it still irks me that I have to be online to compose or read the old
stuff (yes, I know about IMAP, but I'm not there yet, I'm still thinking in
the POP world).
Same thing with the other Google apps, I don't like that I have to be online
to get any work done. I don't like the idea that if I'm somewhere without an
Internet connection, I can't get any work done. Oh, I suppose it's great
that the files are available to me anywhere, but it seems like a giant step
backward to the days of Pine, VI, and other software that required you to be
logged onto the host, and dependent on a conneection, in order to do your
work.
Does anyone else share my concerns here, or are there some huge advantages
to being tethered to the Internet that I'm not aware of.
--
keg
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Keith E Gatling - Computer Instructor
Manlius Pebble Hill School
5300 Jamesville Rd
DeWitt, NY 13214
315.446.2452
http://www.gatling.us/keith
Some teachers teach subjects. Others teach students.
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