Article by Clyde Rems

For a long time Microsoft dominated desktop publishing, their Office package was synonymous with word processing, spreadsheets and data entry, and every workplace in the 90s had it installed on their computers. At present they still have the scene firmly in their grasp but there are some serious contenders giving people other options to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. This competition has made Microsoft up their game and they will soon be rolling out their 2010 version of the Office suite.

The new updated package will encourage more cloud computing and online collaboration with the addition of social networking aspects into Sharepoint. There will also be a free version of the suit called Office Starter, a direct competitor with the Google Docs online package which main staple points include being free and online. The new Office package promises the web versions of your formatted documents will render properly in all browsers, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari but predictably it’s not yet been confirmed if it will be compatible with the Opera or Chrome packages.

Google have kept Docs basic and easy to navigate and have not strayed too far away from their simple but effective way of doing things. One of the strongest elements is the real-time collaboration in the web browser. Although Microsoft have introduced similar functionality in the form of co-authoring it is not known if you can work on the same document from the web browser or if you require the use of the desktop version.

Both Google Docs and Microsoft Office will allow you to create and edit presentations online. Apparently PowerPoint’s web application will let users pick a theme, edit slide layout, edit text and add animations. Google’s presentation app will have the capability to share your presentation online immediately connecting directly via the browser. Word has been the world’s word processer of choice for decades now and if Microsoft come through on their promises and launch an online version then they could maintain their top spot. They’ve added an auto-correct feature and you should be able to make tables, implement styles and formatting all in the online version.

It’s impossible to say at this point, whether Microsoft’s Office 2010 is better than Google Docs, as with many things it comes down to personal preference. Microsoft has a loyal following of users who have used the likes of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for most of their adult life. Whereas Google Docs appeals to the younger crowd, university and college students who relate to the Google way of doing things more. Whoever emerges the victor will have a tough race ahead of them with both companies working hard to develop the superior package.