Google Docs vs. Microsoft Office

                                                Google Docs vs. Microsoft Office

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                                    Introduction

In this paper I will contrast two productivity suites, Microsoft Office and Google Docs. First, I will look at some background information of both applications. Second, I will look at the benefits of these suits. Also of the security concerns that arise when clients chose to use these suits. Not to mention, these productivity suites bring up serious social problems. After extensive research, I have found articles and journals written about both suites. Based on evidence from experts, I will concur that Microsoft Office is superior to Google Docs because its tools are of better quality.

Background Information of Google Docs

Google Docs is a recent addition to the market. Google Docs is a publically available free service that permits collaborators to jointly develop and edit documents. Google Docs originated from 2 separate products, “Writely” and “Google Spreadsheets.” Writely was a web-based word processor created by a software company called “Upstartle” which was launched in 2005. Writely’s original features included collaborative text editing, and access controls. It was almost similar to the word processors found in Microsoft Office. In 2006 Google acquired “Upstartle” and with the technology they had acquired from 2Web Technologies began work on Google Spreadsheets. Google Spreadsheets was launched in June 2006 and was the first of many more Google Docs features to come. In February 2007, Google Apps users could use Google Docs. June 2007, Google created a side bar to include folders instead of labels. September 2007, Google released the presentation program. June 2010, Google acquired “DocVerse”, an online collaboration company that allowed multiple online users to work on a Microsoft Office document. Google made improvements on this system and created the cloud. Google Docs has made many improvements through the years by buying other companies technologies and expanding them.

                                    Background Information of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office has been available for a longer period of time. Microsoft Office was first released to the world in August 1989. It started out as a marketing term for a bundled set of applications. The very first applications that Office had to offer were Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Over the years newer versions of Microsoft Office have been made, each with more improvements and newer applications. Geoffrey Steinberg states that “Office includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and several other programs each with its own selection of options.”(Steinberg, p. 161, para.1) First, Microsoft Access was released to be used as a database manager. Next, Microsoft InfoPath was released as an application to create XML-based forms. Also, Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking software for use with both tablet and conventional PC’s. Microsoft Project is a project management software which keeps track of events and creates network charts and Gantt charts. Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing software mostly used for designing brochures, labels, calendars etc…. Microsoft SharePoint Workspace is a proprietary peer-to-peer collaboration software leveled at businesses and many more. Microsoft Office has had an extensive background of improvements on their applications that they made themselves instead of buying other products and changing the label.

                       

Benefits of Google Docs

Google Docs does have some benefits. First, documents on Google Docs are saved to Google’s servers. Therefore if your computer’s hard drive crashes, you won’t lose the document that you’ve been working on. Next, Google Docs offers the feature of allowing people to view past edits. Also, documents can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users at the same time. Google offers one of the best services for cloud computing document sharing. Cloud Computing, according to Wikipedia is “The delivery of computing as a service rather than a product. Whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network.”(Wikipedia, n.d.) While other cloud computing services charge fees, Google Docs is free. If you don’t like Google Docs document formats then Google Docs allows you to store and synchronize a Microsoft Word document because Google Cloud Connect is a plug in for Microsoft Office. Also, Google Docs acquired Gnatter. Gnatter.com is a free enterprise web 2.0 project scheduling application that allows users to save and share their project schedules from the company’s new cloud version. According to Entertainment Close-Up, “GnatterCloud” now allows users access to their projects schedules anytime and from anywhere.” Google Docs has attractive features for daily users of word processing software.

                                    Benefits of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office has many benefits as well. First, Microsoft Office users can access external data with connections-specifications saved in “Office Data Connections.” Before Office 2007, users who wanted to share data had to be using the same software platform. In 2008 Microsoft made the formats freely available for download and granted any possible patents rights for use or implementations. Also starting with Office 2007, Microsoft granted patent rights to the formats technology and made available free downloadable converters for previous versions of Microsoft Office. Microsoft also provides the ability to remover metadata from Office documents. A metadata removal tool is privacy software built to protect the privacy of its users by removing potentially privacy-compromising metadata from files before they are shared. Microsoft Office’s features are almost better then Google Docs. 

                                                Negatives of Google Docs

Google Docs does contain some security concerns as well as some formatting problems. First, Google Docs is cloud computing and with cloud computing there is no physical location of the documents shared. Second, according to Holly Black, “Security is paramount to a financial adviser and many companies may prefer the idea of data stored on site where they are in control of it, rather than at a remote location where someone else is hosting it.”(Black, para 7) Next, there is a lack of quality in Google Docs. Clint Boulton states that “One of the major knocks on Google Apps has always been weaker spreadsheet and presentation functionality than Microsoft Office’s Excel and PowerPoint apps.”(Boulton, p. 5 para.2) Also Google announced that starting March 1, Search will know the contents of people’s email and the videos you watch on YouTube. According to Sebastian Anthony from Extreme Tech “If you use Google Docs for work, Search will know which company they work for and which industry they work in.” (Anthony, para.2) These major flaws in using Google Docs create concern in users.

                                                Conclusion

            In conclusion, my favorite way to write papers is using Microsoft Office. Both Google Docs and Microsoft Office have come a long way. Although Google Docs may be more knew, Microsoft Office still has more options when creating projects on your computer. The main thing that Google Docs has is the ability to share documents online. But the formats for Documents and Spreadsheets don’t offer as many choices as Microsoft Office. Also, Microsoft Office’s security is better because you know the location of the documents. Microsoft Office is the better appliance for writing papers.  

           

References

 Anthony, S. (2012, January). Google is FUBAR. ExtremeTech.com,  Retrieved February 19, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. (Document ID: 2572931361).

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2572931361&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1330634153&clientId=31810  This source helped provide negative sides about Google Docs.

 Black, H. (2011, November). Head in the clouds. Money Management. Retrieved February

 15, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2535147431).

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=2535147431&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1330634081&clientId=31810  This source provided a better understanding of cloud computing.

Boulton, C. (2012, January). Why Google Apps Need to Get Better. eWeek, 29(1), 5.  Retrieved

 February 21, 2012, from Sciences Module. (Document ID: 2571959461).

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2571959461&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1330634287&clientId=31810 This source provided some flaws with Google Docs

Cloud Computing. (n.d.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing This source provided background information on Cloud Computing

Google Docs. (n.d.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_docs This source provided background information on Google Docs

InQuest Technologies Rolls Out Cloud Version of Gantter. (2011, December).  Entertainment

Close - Up.  Retrieved February 19, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry. (Document ID: 2533434891).

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2533434891&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1330634233&clientId=31810 This source provided some benefits of Google Docs

Microsoft Office. (n.d.) This source provided background information on Microsoft Office

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office              

Steinberg, G. (2008). “Introduction to Computer Information Systems.” Kendall/Hunt

Publishing Company. 161, 219. Retrieved February 22, 2012. This source provided pros for both Microsoft Office and Google Docs


Here is a video related to my topic.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzCOjouoSNU