How does Google Docs work?

Google Docs is an entirely-web based application, allowing the user to access it from any computer with an internet connection without requiring them to install software on their computer or store files on their own computer (or an external storage device). As a web format, documents that are uploaded are actually converted into html format, and remain in that format until the user chooses to download it to their own computer.

Though on the surface, it appears to be an online version of Microsoft Office, it is a program that does not support the common features due to its limitations with HTML. Basically, whilst the online nature application is handy for sharing documents online and the ability to format a document using either HTML code or CSS, it lacks some basic features that Microsoft Office (and other word processors) offer in terms of page breaks and other advanced layout features. Upon closer inspection (especially of the ‘word processor’ application), it is really a web-editing program with limited fonts available and only the formatting options that are easily available on HTML pages.

My Personal Evaluation of Google Docs

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Positive aspects

There are many features that I believe Google Docs have done well with:

• A user interface that is similar to an actual word processor.
• The ability to store your documents online and view them with a free word processor (not necessary to have Microsoft Office installed).
• It’s ability to allow many people to edit one document.
• It’s close integration to other Google products, including Gmail.
• A powerful file manager that enables the user to organise their documents in the same way they would on a file management program provided by the computer’s operating system (e.g. Windows Explorer for PCs or Finder for Mac).

Google Docs File Browser

• The user can easily sort documents in categories and even place stars on them (like you do in an e-mail inbox)
• Its ability to export files into various formats (especially PDF and html, though the html file actually doesn’t look very professional).
• If opening e-mail attachments (from Gmail), it is faster to open them in Google Docs than trying to download the attachment and go through the process of opening Adobe Reader or Microsoft Office to view them.
• Can insert multimedia content (such as YouTube videos). Cannot do this in Microsoft Office.
• Includes a language translator and links to an online dictionary.
• Can also highlight a word and easily do a Google search (on the web) with that word.

Google Search in action

• Google includes its powerful search engine in both the file management page and in the help centre. It even auto completes your search after typing in the first couple of letters of a file name (screenshot above).

Reviewing changes in a document

Revision History showing a list of versions of a particular document

• Saving documents:
  • Documents being auto saved in case a technical failure occurs.
  • Being able to review and even compare changes between past versions of a document (in Microsoft Word, you have to manually save if you’d like different versions of the one document; and the compare feature works well in much the same way that ‘Track Changes’ operates in Microsoft Word).
• Deleted documents are stored in a trash can, enabling the user to recover documents if they are accidentally deleted.
• Depending on the web browser and if Google Gears (an offline technology that allows people to use some Google services offline) is installed on the computer, users can work on their documents even when they are not connected to the internet. Changes are then synchronised with the web server once the computer is online.
• Provides a print preview as a PDF file.

Negative aspects

Some areas of the technology that could be improved upon:

• It is a slimmed down version of what Microsoft offer in their Office suite. It really only has partial Microsoft Office compatibility, which is fine for basic documents but documents with more complex formatting are better done in Microsoft Office (as it offers more features). This is also based on my experience on trying alternative Office suites to the Microsoft software, but in the end needing to be fully compatible with most computer users (who use Microsoft Office).
• Though the file browser is good, I find it an adjustment to get use to compared to Finder on my Mac.
• Though Google Docs does have its benefits in not having to transfer files from one computer to the other and is helpful if you forget a USB stick. Some people would prefer to store their documents on their hard-drive rather than on the internet (especially those with limited internet access or those who fear the security of Google storing their documents for them).
• The presentation software doesn’t support transitions, sound or animation, which presentation software similar to PowerPoint should have.
• File size limit to both the size of individual documents and the storage space the user is allowed to have on Google Docs (though ‘power users’ can also pay a subscription to gain more storage).
• If the user imports a Microsoft Office document with headers, footers or footnotes into Google Docs, they may either display poorly or not at all. If they create those items in Google Docs, they display well in a PDF but not in the document editor or when exported into Microsoft Word.
• Upon clicking the Spell Checker tool, it highlights the spelling mistakes in yellow for you. It took me a while to discover that you had to click on each individual word before it would bring up options of alternative spellings. Microsoft Office uses a dialogue box (as well as being able to right-click misspelled words).
• Not really a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of program, especially with the HTML formatting involved.

Other People’s Evaluation of Google Docs

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Positive aspects

• On Chris Pirillo’s video on YouTube, he was explaining how he could view his Google Docs on the go via a mobile device (as seen below).

• Andrew Spittle, student blogger at Whitman College says that Google Docs allows him to take notes, even when he’s away from his own computer (Review on Google Docs Tour).
• Jorge Lepervanche, MBA 2009 candidate, Hult International Business School admires how he can share spreadsheets with fellow students and the group can help plan schedules by editing the one spreadsheet (Review on Google Docs Tour).
• Lesley Cutts, Marketing Manager of Goodness Direct says Google Docs enables many people to help proofread a particular document at the one time (Review on Google Docs Tour).
• A young couple not yet living together use Google Docs to help plan meals. The technology enables both of them to contribute to the menu (Review on Google Docs Tour).
• The auto save feature along with the Revisions feature is helpful in case an internet connection is lost or the user would like the previous version of a document (the Noc).

Negative Aspects

• May be slow on some internet connections (ZD review).
• Does not contain enough features to be able to replace an office suite (such as Microsoft Office) (ZD review).
• A ZD review raises concerns about whether people would trust Google to handle their private data.
• Limited compatibility with Microsoft Office. A ZD reviewer noticed that graphs were lost from exported spreadsheets (originally created in Excel) and Word documents lose formatting.
• ZD review said that while Google Docs is ‘excellent’ as a free online application, it ‘…still doesn’t contain enough functionality to be a replacement for today’s mainstay office suites in most businesses, despite some interesting features’.
• The sharing system ‘breaks down’ if the user refuses to use Google Docs. Though it is easy to use, some people would prefer to save the document to the hard drive and work on it within a familiar application such as Microsoft Office (the Noc).
• Users have no idea where page breaks are, whereas Word by default shows each page of the document separately. Makes it difficult to create multi-page documents (the Noc).
• Lack of header and footer functionality, besides manually editing HTML code (the Noc).
• Can only use web fonts (the Noc).
• No print preview in spreadsheet. The only way you can do this is creating a PDF, then having to manually open and view that (the Noc).
• Risk of someone hacking into your Google Docs account and deleting your files. Google offers no data recovery (the Noc).

Bibliography

• ‘Gmail’. Web-based e-mail site. Last updated 2009. Available: http://mail.google.com. Date accessed: 30/8/09
• ‘Google Docs’. Online word processing application. Last updated 2009. Available: http://docs.google.com. Date accessed: 30/8/09
• ‘Google Docs Help Centre’. Help pages for online word processing application. Last updated 2009. Available: http://docs.google.com/support/?hl=en. Date accessed: 26/8/09
• Google Docs Quickstart Guide, 2009 (found on ‘Google Docs Help Centre Website’. Available: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/docsQuickstartGuide.pdf. Date accessed: 31/8/09
• ‘Google Docs Tour – Read user examples’. Website giving user reviews of Google Docs. Available: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour5.html. Date accessed: 1/9/09
• ‘The Noc: Google Docs Review’. Review on Google Docs. Available: http://www.defcon-5.com/noc/reviews.cfm?docid=352 Date accessed: 1/9/09
• ‘Web 2.0 how-to design guide’. Website outlining the use of Web 2.0 design elements. Last updated 2009. Available: http://webdesignfromscratch.com/web-design/web-2.0-design-style-guide.php. Date accessed: 28/8/09
• YouTube video clip – ‘Get Documents and Spreadsheets on the Go with Google’. Web video explaining the use of Google Docs on a mobile device. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNpXS6MDxiU. Date accessed: 1/9/09
• YouTube video clip – ‘Introduction to Google Docs’. Web video explaining how Google Docs works. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyjY8ZLzZrw. Date accessed: 1/9/09
• ‘ZD Australia: Google Docs Beta’. Review on Google Docs. Available: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/software/internet/soa/Google-Docs-beta/0,139023437,339291966-1,00.htm. Date accessed: 1/9/09