Blog Entry #15

Traditional Office Software vs. Free online software

Traditional office software was popular for many years. Microsoft Office, Lotus and Openoffice were the most popular. Now there are dozens. On of the best is Libreoffice, which is available on every major platform. It does everything Microsoft Office can do and more. But the question is, can free online software do the same thing?

Two of the biggest free online software suites are Google Drive and Apple suite. Google has Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms. The same for Apple. Both of these are good, but I prefer Google's suite more. After using both, I can honestly say that both are good. So, can they both do what traditional office software can do? Only a few years ago, I would have said no. However, today, yes, it can replace traditional software and even do more in some cases. Plus, as long as you have an internet connection, you can assess your work from anywhere. 

Online office suites such as Google Docs and Apple are great for collaborative work. It's great for working for with colleges and friends on projects and other such things. There is very little these online office suites can do that traditional offices suites cant. However, remember that if you download your work to your computer, you will need an office suite like Libreoffice to edit and view it. 

In conclusion, it doesn't really matter if you use online office suites or traditional ones. It comes down to personal choice and preference. They both work well and they both do pretty much the same things. I would argue online suites can do more because they allow you to collaborate with peers. However, one is not better than the other. It just comes down to what you need it to do for you.