While Microsoft is rolling out Office 2010, some small businesses have opted for a new solution to fit their needs: open-source software such as OpenOffice.org, or Google Docs. As your current needs may not require a full office suite of products, and the cost of those products, you may want to consider OpenOffice.org or Google Docs.
OpenOffice.org and Google Docs are both cross-platform compatible, meaning it works with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari.
|
Feature |
Google Docs |
OpenOffice.org |
|
Cost |
Free |
Free |
|
Real Time Collaboration |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Cross-Platform Compatible |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Mobile Access |
Yes |
No |
|
Offline Availability |
No* |
Yes |
|
Update Control |
No |
Yes |
|
Complex Document Import** |
Okay |
Very Good |
|
Third-Party Hosting |
Yes |
No |
*Google Docs are no longer available offline, but will be brought back in the future.
**When working with spreadsheets that have complex macros, Google Docs may not read those macros accurately.
