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OpenOffice Vs. Google Apps

Posted by timothy on from the google-apps-works-pretty-well-for-me dept.

jammag writes "Both OpenOffice and Google Apps are free, so the choice is purely down to which is better. Bruce Byfield, after looking at both, concluded, 'comparing Google Apps to OpenOffice.org is like clubbing a staked-out bunny — Google Apps is so far behind that the whole exercise seems like an exercise in pointless cruelty.' Ouch, that hurts."

11 of 336 comments (clear)

  1. Depends.. by Medieval · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google Apps gives me what I want: A browser-based place to write stuff and make spreadsheets and store the documents where I can access them whenever I like.

    Thus, Google Apps is fine for me.

    1. Re:Depends.. by MrNaz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think the last missing link in OOo's suite of tools is an answer to MS Office's SharePoint server.

      A good implementation of collaborative document editing would complete OOo's competition with MS Office as well as remove one of the big drawcards that Google apps has.

      Personally, I don't use Google apps, as a JavaScript implementation of notepad.exe doesn't come close to satisfying my document management needs, and I can't imagine any serious business would disagree.

      Given the extremely rudimentary functionality of Google Apps, I can't for the life of me figure out how there's even a discussion around it's potential use in business.

      To the OOo team: Give us an answer to SharePoint! (Please).

      --
      I hate printers.
    2. Re:Depends.. by Duckie01 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In a good world, Google Apps would collaborate with OOo,

      No. In a good world, people are free to do as they see fit, as long as they can do so without harming others. The whole "people *must*collaborate* to make it a good world" thing is nothing but idealism, which in practice would take the freedom away to do anything but join the existing one party with a project going on.

      Come on. If someone wants to create something new, it's his decision, just as it'd be his decision to collaborate with an existing project. Nothing good or bad about it. Things might or might not work out the way the person had hoped for but that's a whole different story.

      I, for one, like the google competition. Let's just send them a clear message: "NOT good enough!" and hope they'll get Document up to Writer's level. If they don't, nothing is lost, because we still have Writer. If they do, it might give Writer a nice push, or perhaps even leave Writer in the dust.

      and we'd get OOo with use anywhere functionality. You can use it stand alone, or when away from the office/home/computer you can use your data via web based tools.

      Or, you might find out OOo is unsuitable to build a web app from, and start from scratch anyways after a long frustrating delay trying to get a large complex codebase to do something it won't.

      IMO, that is the best possible outcome, what I would like to see. For now, I use a USB drive to port things around where I need them because Google apps doesn't quite get me what I want and need.

      IMHO, you're doing better right now than a web app could deliver. Yes you'll need to carry around an usb drive. You could use one of those 16Gb USB sticks, that should be *plenty* for a complete Linux system with anything you'd otherwise use a web app for. That's not like lugging around a zip drive or external hdd or anything.

      Your biggest advantages? It's faster, you don't depend on an internet connection and a working service, you keep control over which version of the software you're running, and you keep control over your data.

      Google can *keep* its web apps as far as I'm concerned :)

  2. Accessibility by oahazmatt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I use OpenOffice at home for documents I want to keep secure (for the most part, I detest cloud computing) but for documents that can be out in the open, I prefer GoogleDocs simply because I can access them from any computer available to me and make a quick change.

    --
    Those who believe the Internet is private,
    find their privates are on the Internet.
  3. This is pointless by 77Punker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does anyone expect a web app to come close to a heavy hitter like Open Office? It serves a different purpose; it will edit documents from any decent web browser at any location. The computer doesn't need access to my files as long as Google has them and it doesn't need any special software, either.

    Google docs isn't special because it's a great office suite; it's special because it's convenient.

  4. What needs to be discussed? by h4rm0ny · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Open Office kicks seven kinds of Hell out of Google Apps in terms of functionality. Google docs offers online sharing of documents / collaborative working. You know what Open Office is doing with your data (f' all) and you don't know what Google is doing with it. Choose a product according to your requirements. Simple enough.

    --

    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  5. Apples and Oranges, people... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apples and Oranges, people...

    GoogleDocs, for example, is merely a quick, easily accessible and SHARABLE online tool.

    OpenOffice is a full suite of office software with an actual footprint on a single existing computer.

    Not even worth comparing at this point. Not until we get more into a blur of web-based software and installed software.

  6. Re:Why the Vs? by thermian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is there something wrong with using both?

    If I have net connection, it's Google.
    If I'm offline, it's OpenOffice.

    We live in a time of extreme opinions. Ever tried expressing a liking for two supposedly opposing products in a room full of geeks, or here? I have, it ain't pretty.

    I use OpenOffice, MSOffice 2003, and Google docs. I think MSOffice is better, but I like OpenOffice for my Linux laptop, and Google docs when I'm away from my main machine.

    I also like and routinely use both Windows and Linux. I'm an open source developer of six years standing, coding for both platforms, and I STILL get blasted by clueless f**ks who think that just because they've commented on a slashdot story they are fully able to preach 'though must prefer open source and hate Microsoft' to me.

    It does grate some times, I have to say.

    --
    A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.' - D. Adams
  7. Re:Convenience by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Google Apps are a new paradigm in software, having commonly used applications entirely on a server so that multiple users can use them."
    You are being funny right?
    This is the very old way of doing things. Anybody that worked on a PDP-11, Vax, 360/370, Model 38, AS400, or any number of other mini or mainframes would tell you the same thing.

    Google Apps are really a great example of. Good enough.
    They are good enough for most people.
    As to Convenience. No network no programs, no data as well.
    The internet isn't everywhere yet so if anything Google Apps are less convenient than carrying you data on a USB drive.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  8. Collaborative editing by Hierarch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I haven't seen anybody hit my own personal reason to use Google's applications: collaborative editing. If I'm working on my own document, I want it right here under my control, so I'll use OpenOffice. (Actually, I'm more likely to use vi and latex.) But if I'm working with someone, who may not even be in the same country as I am, I'm going to go to Google. My alternatives are to email copies back and forth and manually deal with merges, or to set up a revision control repository of whatever flavor I like. That's more of a pain in my work day than I like.

    This also isn't something where OpenOffice can improve. It requires having the infrastructure in place to conveniently share documents, and that's just not part of the OO paradigm. Sure, a repository makes it possible, but I don't want to run a repo, I want to work on documents! Google can do it "out of the box."

    --
    --Somebody infect me with a .sig virus, I'm too lazy to write my own!
  9. We use it all the time by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given the extremely rudimentary functionality of Google Apps, I can't for the life of me figure out how there's even a discussion around it's potential use in business.

    We use it all the time. Not for polished docs we're going to hand off to a client, but certainly for internal stuff. We share out docs with staff so application testers can submit comments, saves us writing a custom app to track change requests. For developing content quickly and gathering input from multiple users, it's really nice.

    No, the formatting options may not be particularly deep, but I can dash off a quick letter and it looks fine. And that's particularly helpful when I'm starting it here and finishing at home. Saves me an rsync operation and version problems.

    If there are cheaper, easier and more convenient ways to solve these problems I haven't found them. GoogleApps works for us.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage