Zoho

So you purchased a new computer and finally got around to actually using it. Most computers have Microsoft Works and sometimes a time trial of Microsoft Word which expires within months. Works can not open documents from Word and so it becomes almost useless in the real world because you can not use it for business or school.

There are two free options. OpenOffice.org can provide you with a very robust office suite capable of opening Word documents and more. But then if you move to another computer you have to reinstall in that computer. You also have to transport the document through email or USB. Download then save again then upload or copy. Simply to make a small change. Keep in mind everytime more and more copies are being made which make it easier to loose track of which version is the most current. Then if you want to send the document to someone for editing and maybe to another person to add some graphics or tables, more and more duplicates are being created.

Zoho Writer

Here’s a strategy to simplify everything. Create or upload the document in Zoho writer. Zoho is a free registration web based full suite of applications of which Zoho Writer is one. It has plenty of editing functions to satisfy all, but the most demanding users. You create the document once in the web. It stays there. You can open it like an email at another computer without any difference to the experience. You want to share it with multiple people click on share and type in their email address. Then they have access to view or edit the singular original in the web. Still no copies are being made.

While editing by two or more collaborators the Writer locks part of the document so both users can still work on the same document but on different blocks of data simultaneously in a maximum way to keep integrity. It keeps integrity by locking blocks of the actual content to become read only while that block is being edited and still letting the other user visually see what part of the content is being locked because of the editing being done while still letting you see the edits by the other collaborator. I know hard to follow, but basically its a very intuitive way of working on the same document without bothering the other user.

This allows for every person in the group to have the most up to date view of the most current changes virtually in realtime. Virtually means you see your changes instantly but it takes 0 to 7 seconds on average for the other users to receive your changes depending on the browser chosen. (On my informal test, edits went from Firefox to IE from one editor to another in 3 to 4 seconds from IE to Firefox in 6 to 7.)

While editing, Zoho Writer keeps track of the version so you always have copies in case you want to recover that brilliant paragraph a collaborator deleted yesterday. This copies are basically invisible until you need them. Simply click History to see them.

If you wonder about capability here’s the toolbar:

It may not suffice for elaborate publishings and fliers, but for communication and collaboration of large documents and even less complex fliers Zoho is robust.