Look Out, Microsoft Office

摘要

A decade ago, BusinessWeek ran a cover story predicting that all software would soon be delivered to consumers over the Web, which was then in its infancy. Like many tech prognostications, this was wildly premature, but it may yet prove correct. As simple, serviceable alternatives to Microsoft Office proliferate, it seems as if the era of Web-based software is upon us. The latest example of this trend is Google Spreadsheets. (You can ask to participate in testing it at spreadsheets.google.com.) If s not going to make anyone give up on Microsoft Excel for financial models, big budgets, or fancy presentations. But two things about it were a pleasant surprise: First, it's a free product that includes most of Excel's basic computational abilities, including dozens of math, statistical, financial, and other functions. Second, despite being Web-based, it looks and feels like a desktop application and performs nearly as well.