SMALL INVESTMENT

• Create word processing documents on the Web

• Learn to format documents using the Google Docs document editor

• Discover how to save Web-based documents to your hard drive in many different formats

• Build your first Google Docs spreadsheet

• Build entire applications with the power of Google Docs spreadsheet formulas

• Manage your Google Docs files online

Google does not have a product or application called Office. That’s why I’ve placed it in quotes. What it does have is Google Docs, previously known as Writely and Google Spreadsheets, two online office automation products. There is no doubt that these two products fall outside of the general goal of controlling the world’s information, but they are related. After all, they are the two most common types of information-handling tools in the world. So, it still makes sense for Google to have these products.

Unlike other office-automation products common in the marketplace, these two products are Web-based and, of course, are free. One of the distinct advantages these products offer is the ease with which others can collaborate on the creation and editing of documents.