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Ever since I moved to the Macintosh platform (I have been saying that a lot .. I know, but it is a big deal .. trust me), I have been searching for a decent alternative to Microsoft Office. I have my quarrels with Microsoft over many of their products, but Word and Excel are two products they do well and that I use religiously. In fact, I would say Word and Excel are the two most frequently used programs on my computer; period. And since I do not want to lay-down a few hundred dollars for the Macintosh version (I have used it and I am just not that impressed by it), I ventured out to try and find a decent alternative. You would think that finding a decent word processing and spreadsheet program would be easy .. wrong.

My first stop in my search was Apple’s own Pages. I cannot say that I am entirely impressed with the product, but since it was included as a free-trial with my Macbook, I figured I should at least consider it. As Apple’s first entry into the word processing arena it is not a bad product. It does everything that you would want a word processing program to do (format, bold, italicize, etc.) without including unnecessary and unwanted in-your-face features. I like that. However, that is all it offers. There is no alternative to Excel. So while you could probably get your word processing needs satisfied with Pages, you will still be stuck searching for a place to put your charts and graphs. And since the processing program will run you $79, it is hard to recommend it to anyone. In fact, I would recommend that most people not even bother opening the program in its current state. The program is nice, and has potential, but unfortunately for Apple the $79 price tag unjustifiable considering the Student & Teacher version of Office is only $149.

My next stop is the infamous Open Office. Open Office is supposed to offer a complete and free alternative to Microsoft Office. It includes alternatives for both Word and Excel, as well as some other extras that are useful. So as a package and an idea, Open Office is impressive. However, as a Macintosh application it is frustrating. The program requires that X11 (an Apple application) be installed on your computer before it can function. Installation is relatively easy (pop in your restore CD, check some boxes, and off you go), but the fact that I have to do that is just irritating. In addition, every time you open Open Office, X11 opens. This means that when you go to exit the application, you also have to exit out of X11. And if you accidentally close X11, you will also close Open Office in an unsafe manner and increases the risk of data being lost. A small complaint I know, but it is still irritating enough to keep me from using the program or recommending the program. So while Open Office is by far the most formidable competitor and offers a complete office suite, until they decide to abandon their use of X11, I think it is more of a pain than it is worth.

My third stop was Google’s Docs & Spreadsheets. This particular application is a bit different from the above mentioned as it is completely based online. This is great for people who travel or use several computers (such as myself), as their latest and greatest version is always accessible. And, just like Open Office, Google’s Docs & Spreadsheets is free. It does have its shortcomings though, the biggest of which is that you have to have an account with Google to use it. This is no big deal for me as I already have a gmail account, but I could see it being a significant hurdle for people who have email elsewhere and do not want yet another set of credentials to remember.

As for the actual applications, Google Docs application is very straight forward. You get a text box with a few basic editing options. It also has some advanced functions such as posting to a blog, exporting in PDF or Word format , and collaborative editing. All of these are welcome features, and I particularly like how they are located out of the way and will not interfere with your typing. In fact, I am typing this entry from within Google Doc’s & Spreadsheets right now. My only complaint about the application is that it does not check for correct grammar. It has spell check, but one of my favorite features of Word is its ability to analyze your sentences, find runons, repeat words, or just all around awkwardness, and warn you with a nice green squiggly line. Google’s Docs does not do that. Sad. As a basic word editor though, it functions very well and is available anywhere you have an internet connection. A definite plus for the blogger, student, editor, or professional on the run.

Google’s Spreadsheets application on the other hand, while usable, is not as straight-forward or as complete. The online interface is a bit frustrating to use (clicking in cells, selecting them, etc.), but it is bearable. The problem is that Excel operates like a program while Spreadsheets operates like an online application. So while selecting non-adjacent cells in Excel is relatively easy using the “ctrl” key, doing the same thing online is virtually impossible. This makes formatting much more time consuming as you either have to select a large area by dragging, or select each cell individually. Another limitation is that the applications’ canvas is significantly smaller. You can only have 20 columns and 100 rows. This is a big change from the 250+ columns and 65,000+ rows available in Excel. And while I do not usually use 65,000 rows of data, I do frequently use more than 100.

So in the end, Microsoft Office still rains supreme. While each of the above mentioned applications provide a piece of the overall package, no single application trumps Office in its ease-of-use and thoroughness (Open Office is close, but I really hate the X11 requirement). I should state however that Google Docs has quickly become my word editor of choice. As mentioned, it does not have the bells and whistles that Word has, but the convenience of opening any web browser on any computer and being able to add / edit my work is a priceless convenience that I am growing very fond of. However, Google Spreadsheets has gone almost entirely unused. I just cannot get over the size limitation and slight awkwardness of the user interface. Good thing for me I have an XP machine with Office 2K3 laying around.