Google Spreadsheets Sneak Peak

Check it out!
http://www.google.com/googlespreadsheets/tour1.html

I haven't tried it yet since I'm trying to fit in a workout in the mornings and really have to hit the gym RIGHT now. But it seems verrrrrry interesting.

Comments

[Scott B]

No one can try it yet. You have to sign up for the beta on a first-come first-served basis. I signed up but haven't received confirmation yet.

[Solveig Haugland]

Aha! I have signed up, as well. Thanks!

[larrydag]

I also think this will be big. I believe Server Side Apps are going to be the wave of the future. Is OpenOffice looking to get into this arena?

Two things will hinder Server Side Apps, in my opinion, that if they overcome them would be huge.
1) Security. Is my letter, spreadsheet, or anything truly my own?
2) Portability. Will my document work on another platform or app?

[Solveig Haugland]

I agree, Larry; absolutely huge. Imagine traveling even without a laptop, much less infinite backups. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the compatibility, as well as seeing what kind of charting it has.

Not sure what OpenOffice.org is looking at for this. There's some sort of Sun/Google alliance but so far it seems like kind of a vapor alliance.

[Louis Roederer]

I question the real-world viability of server-side apps when delivered by Internet. It is cool for all the reasons mentioned, but there are too many issues yet to be solved:

Ownership: Who owns the data?
Security: Who has access? Everything is hack-able. Does your company want its financials out there for the taking?!
Dependability: Will my data always be available? What if I need my file and the server is down?
Features: Users bitch when their favorite feature has moved! No way these light apps will offer a competitive feature set; users will give up.
Speed: Still an issue despite all the broadband buzz.

Again, this is still a cool technology. I just can't see it as huge. But hey, I've been wrong before.

[Solveig]

Louis, you're such a buzzkill. ;> OK, true, valid points. I think for some people, the online mobile aspect will be huge and for others, no benefit at all. Perhaps this will be the Myspace or Flickr of spreadsheets. Not that spreadsheets are as fun to share but I'm sure there are shared aspects I'm not thinking of.

I mentioned Writely/AjaxWrite to a friend recently because she's stuck at school for a few hours, without her own computer, and needed to work on her term papers. Perhaps the same sort of utility will be a benefit for spreadsheets.