Additional information pertaining to my last post about working in the Cloud with Acrobat.com:
Acrobat.com is using its own proprietary software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and databases. It is a great way for a group of people to work together on the same project without anyone having to buy software. Adobe’s online software allows you to work on the exact same document at the exact same time as others; each individual can see what the others are doing. This would be a fabulous solution for a small company that didn’t want to spend money on offices or software. All employees could work from home and still work together. Many community projects would benefit from this service, too. I don’t know if the simultaneous editing works with the rest of the Adobe Creative Suite, though. I will test it out and report. It would be great to work in PhotoShop or InDesign or Illustrator simultaneously with someone.
If the end result must be sent to a client in Word format, the proprietary software won’t work. If the end result can be a pdf, this will work well. I don’t see law firms doing this. They have way too much invested in the Microsoft Office suite of products. I wonder how well Acrobat’s word processor handles a table of authorities and a table of contents on 28-line pleading paper with an embedded logo. Does it link with a macro package or your Outlook Contacts? I shall report back when I have tested this.
It would still be a productive product for groups within a larger organization to work on specific projects…web content, pdf projects, marketing materials, newsletters all come to mind. And Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations etc. can still be stored in the workspaces. They just cannot be accessed simultaneously.
I think it’s time to Climb the Clouds (Sly and the Family Stone).
