All Points North

For the three of you wondering what happened you’re in the same boat as me. Suffice to say power has been returned and normal service can now resume.

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Down time, MYSQL, Database fun, Database hell

I’d love to be impartial and not get totally involved in this football lark. I’d love to sympathise with all those people who don’t like football whose life is going to be a living hell for the next month if England progress but my current state of mind can be accurately described in one word; Wibble.

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England, World Cup, Germany 2006, Football, Wibble

I’d be inclined to agree.

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Review, Paul Thurrott, arse

Online application

Supplier www.google.com

Rating 8/10

For Immediate and universal access. Simple to use.

Against Some refresh issues. Not as flexible as Excel.

Google Spreadsheet has been seen by some as the search company’s latest stab at the dominance of Microsoft in the business arena. The basic online application was released last week to those that signed up to test the application in its beta form. Making applications available that are unfinished gives the company a platform from which to grow public interest while gathering invaluable information about what real users actually want. It represents the best of focus group application building but on a much larger scale than is usually possible. The beta state of the application also protects it from criticism as each complaint is protected by the caveat that ‘it’s unfinished’.

Once you’ve signed up to the Google Spreadsheet service you’re sent a link that takes you to the application. (Fig. 1) Anyone who has used a spreadsheet of any provenance will recognise the format immediately. This basic screen allows you to enter data, choose colour for backgrounds and text, set alignment amongst other layout editing options. There are seven font options with eleven size options from 6 point to 36 point. (Fig. 2 + 3)

fig.1

fig.2

fig.3

Each sheet is one hundred cells long by twenty wide and each document can handle twenty separate sheets. To add a new sheet all you have to do is click on the button at the bottom right of the screen. To rename or delete a sheet simply click on the title and then on the arrow that appears and you are presented with those two editing options. (Fig. 4)

The three tabs at the top of the page help you to navigate around the various options Google Spreadsheet offers. Though the sort option does only allow from least to greatest and vice versa. You can exclude certain rows from your sort however. (Fig. 5) Basic formulas are available in the appropriate tab though more can be called upon and these are presented in a floating information window. (Fig. 6)

fig.4

fig.5

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One of the much-vaunted features of Google Spreadsheet is the ability to share the document with others. You can invite a person to edit the sheet in question or restrict their access and simply give them permission to view it. However, right now you can only share with others who have Google Accounts. (Fig. 7) The reason for this is unclear though it’s probably to keep sharing and therefore bandwidth usage down.

To save your data simply click on the save button and you’re presented with a dialogue box where you can name the document. (Fig.8) To open a saved spreadsheet go to file and open and you’re presented with a list of your saved documents. (Fig. 9)

fig.7

fig.8

fig.9

The easy and most appealing aspect of Google Spreadsheet is the simplicity it offers. Open the document and start creating, editing, sorting and adding formula with consummate ease. Navigating around the interface is simple and elegant and Google has managed to make it sufficiently the same yet different to Excel for the application to make just the right balance between power and usability. Mac users might be a little miffed that copy, cut and past is done through the control rather than option keyboard button but this is a minor complaint. The fact that Google Spreadsheet isn’t supported in Safari will probably cause more consternation. (Fig. 10)

There are a few nervous ticks with the software in that if you get a bit speedy when entering data you’re told to slow down a bit to let it catch up. (Fig. 11) On a few occasions the document we were working on was disconnected from the server and changes made were lost. To be fair this was only when we’d ignored the slow down command and stressed the application in way you’re not likely to in real world use. With larger documents response time is a little sluggish and deleted sheet titles and tabs often stay visible even after they’ve been deleted.

fig.10

fig.11

You can upload any .csv file to the application and also save your word in the same format to your local hard drive. If you update the file it’s possible to upload it back to the same document to add any changes. This is certainly a nod in direction of those that don’t trust Google’s servers for whatever reason.

It’s important to remember that Google Spreadsheets isn’t a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Excel though comparisons are inevitable. The online and offsite methodology certainly isn’t going to appeal to large organisations with sensitive data. Small to medium companies and individuals that need a document instantly available no matter where they are though will find the service very useful. Imagine being able to go to any room in the house or office in the building fire up a browser and edit a document without the need for expensive servers and networking and the inevitable I.T. support that entails.

This application is a very sturdy and responsive one that does nothing new. However, what it does have is the strength and image of Google behind it and this makes gives the application real power. The real debate about this application is not what it can’t do in comparison with Excel but data integrity and security. How can Google ensure that my personal data isn’t made available to all and sundry whilst it’s being transmitted from my computer to their servers? How can Google get me to trust that it’s better to open Firefox than to double click on a document on my hard drive? Still it’s a great application that has the Google sense of style and usability going for it.

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Google Spreadsheet, Review

Cool scrolling site that explains every American conflict since 1801 to the present day. Information about each of the 163 interventions right up to the present day.

read more | digg story

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American wars

I’ve just spent twenty minutes playing around with Google spreadsheet and I have to admit I’m very impressed. The functionality is basic but responsiveness is excellent. Were I to be contemplating a new basic spreadsheet for anything I’d certainly be creating it here. Time will tell if the Network computer sorry Web 2.0 model will work but with Writerly and Spreadsheet Google have a couple of strong competitors to the popular word processors and spreadsheets. Not with functionality but with availability and mobility.

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Google Spreadsheet

I’d been shown OnOneMap before by Nik but i’d totally forgotten about it until I was transferring my bookmarks to the new iMac. It’s a really cool Google Maps mash-up where you can see exactly where property for sale is on a Google Map. Not only that you can click on the location and see a picture and price details.

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Yorkshire, OnOneMap, Houses for sale, Googgle Maps

Ok, so the search strings that hit my website are all fairly reassuring. Numbers one through to 5 are all things I’ve blogged about or have links to. Number 6 is me, which is reassuring. Number 7 though, what have I done to deserve that? It’s the Guy Kewney post I know but really it’s a bit harsh.

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Blog, Google, Guy Kewney, Are you a miserable old git?

Game manufacturer creates video game to cast Islam in a better light.

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Can you spot the deliberate mistake in this graphic illustrating how the Israeli air force destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor ? If only Saddam had put the guns at the other side of the reactor.

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BBC News, Israel, Iraq, Osirak