Comment by cpr | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cpr | Hacker News Reader

The real problem with Zoho and Google Docs and all the in-browser editors is that their actual "word processing" features are quite weak, and nothing like a replacement for a desktop suite (which MS Live Office is at least close to being.)

Another comment in this discussion admitted of that in passing, pointing out their real strengths are in sharing, etc., but MS's Live Office is also very strong in sharing. In fact, in simultaneous editing, it surpasses even Google Docs.

(You can try out the Live Office at http://skydrive.live.com/acceptpreview.aspx/.documents?aobrp... or at least you could a couple of weeks ago; don't know if they're accepting new previewers.)

I don't mean to bash Google or Zoho and praise MS, but this is a serious issue.

Will anyone step up to the plate with a serious browser-based document editor? Perhaps none of the solutions that rely on the in-browser editing will ever be any good. I've been tempted to write something more serious with Cappucino, but that's a pretty high hill to climb...

I think you are completely right. I had been using both Google Docs and Zoho for some time, but I switched back to old Office 2000 - the desktop version is still more comfortable that in-browser editor, and I can have sharing capabilities with services like Live Mesh or Dropbox.

Next year, Microsoft will come with Office 2010, which will have both desktop client and online app, while Google or Zoho has only the online app.

Even if I would like to stay away from Microsoft, I will prefer Open Office + online sharing service over Zoho or Google Docs.

I wish someone would hire the people the team behind Pixlr to create an Office-replacement. Pixlr is the first (and to date, only) web application that has truly felt like working on a native, desktop application to me.

I think if someone were to adopt the Pixlr model and create a lightweight Flash-based solution to this, I think they would have the flexibility to create an experience as rich as Office, and start stealing customers.

However, I'm more and more impressed with the Cappucino apps I'm seeing, so there are clearly many possible solutions to this problem.

It seems that Cappucino will provide the same quality of experience as Flash, while avoiding the serious downsides of the latter (mostly proprietary technology lock-in, but also just general misbehavior compared to platform apps, as Francisco points out so well.).

It's amazing to me that despite Word still seeming annoying and bloated to me when I use it, everything else seems utterly inadequate in 2009 (open office, Google Docs, etc). This, despite the fact that in 1984, Word Perfect was clunky but usable.

I think Office has cut off the oxygen supply to this whole market--no one even dares to step up to the plate, if they're interested in the "big win".

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