July 8, 2008

Google Docs Dying for a Checkup

The Register reported today that Google Docs disappeared in the cloud computing stratosphere, leaving users hoping for a house call from the Google guys. No word yet on the outage on the official Google Docs blog.

Cade Metz noted that Google's Docs and Spreadsheets disappeared today for close to an hour, proving that the world's largest search engine is a long way from perfecting the art of online business applications.

Metz said many businesses paid good money to look at this screen, which appeared from about 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at least to customers in Silicon Valley.

The Register quoted a less-than-thrilled Google Apps Premiere customer, San Francisco-based open source outfit MuleSource. The company pays Google for the use of Docs and Spreadsheets, and it describes the experience as a game of chance.

"As businesses look to move their systems and applications into cloud-based services, we expect them to work minimally as well as if we ran them ourselves," Mule Source CEO Dave Rosenberg tells us. "With Google Apps, we are at the point of taking bets to see if the services will actually be up."

We're not sure the phrase "When clouds die" is part of the official Google server error message.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 22, 2007

Google Adds Non-search Revenue Stream

Google today launched its "Google Apps Premier Edition," a subscription-based offering of its office/productivity apps, including webmail, calendar, IM, docs and spreadsheets. It's being breathlessly touted as an assault on Microsoft, which it may be -- in five years. Right now, it's just another revenue stream for Google, which is handy to have when your investors are breathing down your neck demanding constant growth.

I suppose there's an argument that these applications fit Google's stated mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," but I'm not so sure. That's not to say it's a bad idea, or that it won't end up being profitable for Google. It may just mean it's time to update the oft-repeated mission statement.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb at 1:09 PM | Permalink

November 10, 2006

Battelle "Grilled" Schmidt On Google Video, Google Docs & More

PC Magazine has an excellent write up on John Battelle's interview with Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google at the Web 2.0 conference named Google's Schmidt Grilled At Conference . John Battelle (which PC Mag spelled wrong), sat with Eric Schmidt for 30 minutes and asked him tough questions on YouTube, Google Docs & Spreadsheets and more. For example, Battelle asked, "So why did you buy YouTube? Was Google Video not doing well?" Battelle then noted that Google Docs and Spreadsheets were a Microsoft Office replacement, in which Schmidt replied, "We don't see it as a replacement of Office. The focus we have is not the focus they have." Battelle's response to that is the focus is that it is free. I wonder what the audience reaction was to this interview?

Postscript: Danny has coverage on the Web 2.0 conference from earlier this week here.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:23 AM | Permalink

November 3, 2006

Gmail Tests Open In Google Spreadsheets Link

Philipp Lenssen reports that Google is testing a link to open your Microsoft Excel documents within Google's Spreadsheets application. I tried sending myself an XLS document, but I did not get the "Open In Google Spreadsheets" hyperlink. Philipp has a screen capture of it in action, and he explains, "We can expect much more of this cross-integration to be rolled out in the future."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:22 AM | Permalink

October 31, 2006

Google Buys Wiki Maker, JotSpot

The Google Blog announced that they have bought JotSpot, a Wiki maker software solution. JotSpot updated their site to include an FAQ on Google, while Google has turned off signup for the service and locked it down to invite only. You can sign up for JotSpot at the www.jot.com, luckily, I am already signed up with them. Gary Price explains that the "financials are NOT being disclosed."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 10:10 AM | Permalink

October 18, 2006

Google's Alternatives to Word and Excel

Google recently opened up access to its Google Docs & Spreadsheets products to anyone who has a free Google account. Both products are well done, though each has limitations. Should you consider using them? In today's SearchDay article, A Closer Look at Google Docs & Spreadsheets, I take a look at the new products and compare them with Microsoft's Word and Excel.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 2:21 AM | Permalink

October 11, 2006

Google Office? How About Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Now Launched

Google's taken its Writely online word processor, combined it with the Google Spreadsheets product released in June and put the two out in a combined new service called Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Visit the site, and you can create a text document or spreadsheet depending on your needs. Why not call it Google Office? Google told me they felt that name already had obvious connotations of another product out there [IE, Microsoft Office], and they wanted to underscore that this was a different creature.

Google also explained to me that these products aren't likely to match many of the features that mature software-based word processors or spreadsheets have. This came up when I noted in playing with Google Spreadsheets that sorting was too rudimentary for me. Perhaps that will change, but the main point is that these online tools are not meant as or expected to wholescale replace existing products. That doesn't mean they aren't useful. Those with less intensive needs will likely find them helpful, especially if you have to share and interact with others.

How about that name? A bit clunky? Google said they were happy with it being descriptive and that no one would have any misconceptions about what's offered.

Love the name Writely? Wish it well. That name is now retired. Google Spreadsheets also sort of goes away, graduating from Google Labs and losing its standalone identity as it becomes part of the new service.

Interestingly, Google Docs & Spreadsheets hasn't been added to the Google Apps For Your Domain program launched in August.

Want some reviews? Techmeme recaps plenty of people talking about them out there.

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 10:27 AM | Permalink