Thing #12 Open Source Applications

The availability and use of free, online Open Source software and web-based applications (think word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets) has exploded over the past two years and for good reason! Powerful web-based applications provide users the ability to create and share documents over the Internet without the need of installed desktop applications. Some experts speculate that this emerging trend may mean the death to Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools, while others think web-based applications have their place, but not in the office. But no matter which side of the office suite platform you side with, on this both sides seem to agree; web-based apps have their place and Open Source software is here to stay.

One large benefit of web-based applications is that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to Mac to Linux operating systems. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versions) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and .pdf).

And, you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs, to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other Web 2.0 tools that make web-based apps so appealing.

Discovery Exercise:

• Take the Google Docs tour.
• Watch the video Google Docs in Plain English from Common Craft:

• Create a free account with ZOHO or Google Docs (you already have a Google account for your blog). Create a simple document, try out various fonts and colors, spell check it, and then document your discoveries in your blog. If you are up to the challenge, you might even export your document as a .pdf or web file. You can even publish it directly to your blog.
• Explore OpenOffice.org (from Sun Microsystems). Although this is an application you download to your computer (thus giving you offline capabilities), it is a free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office Suite. Files can be saved in a format that can be opened by MS Office, giving the user an option for creating documents at home on personal computers, but having the portability benefit of opening the documents at school or the office. How could this product be of value to students?
• Write a blog post about your discoveries. Discuss some of the features of open source software and web-based applications. Are there things you like better than in Microsoft applications? What things are still lacking in these types of programs? Do you see a use for them in the library? Do you think our staff and students could use these tools? Could this replace users needing to bring disks or USB drives? Are these type of applications something you will use for your own personal productivity?

If you want more:

• Read about the Open Source Initiative. Blog about your thoughts on this movement.
• Create a document and invite several collaborators to work on the document with you. Create a Presentation (online version of PowerPoint) slide show in Google Docs or ZOHO.