arvino’s posterous

Office System is facing one of the greatest transformation ever. No longer it will be just about bold, italic and numbers, eventually it will start incorporating true collaborative feature, which essentially connects these front-end system that we all already understand, with the new way of working that would enable people not only to create and compose document and store it on their computer, but a new way of working that would also allow us all to share, collaborate and work together on those document, building a completely new way of how people communicate, work together, collaborate and interact, around the globe.
 
Contributing to such to happen, as well as seeing it truly happening, is (and would) always be a truly awesome endeavor to pursue.

A great old article from Google Docs, which may increasingly be relevant again these days.

http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2008/02/stop-sharing-spreadsheets-start.html

Recently Google just released a built-in PDF viewer for Gmail. I gave the feature a try. The result is magnificently awesome!

The Romulans attack the Federation for they can’t read the Peace Treaty sent to them in Word 2307 format… they only have Word 2303. A hilarious cartoon by Geek and Poke. Joke? Perhaps … or not.
 
How many files, documents and paper that you composed during your university days (or a couple of years ago), which now -- suprisingly -- become unreadable?
How many files, documents and paper that you compose today (which you already keep, backup, copy, store very very carefully these days) yet -- unexpectedly -- would/might/may become unreadable soon (or later into the future) ??
 
This is exactly the reason why open document format (ODF) is important. ODF ensure content can be read, no matter when, where and what type of tool you use to create it. It ensure content can be read no matter what type of tool you use to read it -- today, and into the future.
In that retrospect, that's where OpenOffice becomes relevant and important. It ensures ownership of the content (and its format) belongs back to the user, and not being 'proprietarily trapped' inside the silos of particular companies, nor company.
 
OpenOffice fully embrace ODF concept since day 1. Microsoft Office until today is not. People need to make the right strategic choices in regards with such. It's people that shall be the owner of their digital content, at all time. Never companies, nor company, after all!
 
It's content -- not tools -- that is really important, and truly matters.

Even if one day MS-Office becomes free, should people use it forward to compose and store their business documents and electronic writings?
 
May be yes, may be not.
 
Ensuring the format (and the content) of the file would readable forever across any device and across any tool that people had is more important than having the tool itself. This fact is very similar to the fact that the content of our harddisk, or the address book of our handphone is more important than the computer, laptop, nor the handphone itself.
 
These crucial areas are exactly where Microsoft Office tools up to this far seems so weak and screwed up big time. Until today, MS-Office has not shown any real intention of storing their office files and office document in content format that is open, comply to global standard (so called ODF -- Open Document Format), hence would enable people to read, own and see their files from whatever device, computer, working tool, and operating system they had. As such: unless you use things on Windows, your files won't be readable as perfect as it should had.
 
In such retrospect, the 91% discount attraction that Microsoft offer to students feel more like a 'dope' for a wrong cause, rather than something that is magnificently excellent. This looks like something that 'feels free' for those students today .. yet only that it will cost them later ... at the end, when their files 'get trapped' into a tool and format that only belong to a closed, proprietary standard.
 
It is exactly in this area where MS-Office need to be improved. Without such, the 91% discount is simply feels like a 'dope', to a wrong cause.

Office of the future shall be like this.
 
No boring cubicles attached, no ineffective collaboration space around. People shall be able to connect, share, discuss, rediscuss, decide and act effectively, freely, timely and from everywhere. Innovation, ability to work together, ideas and great imagination flourish around.
 
Such would create a great office environment of the future.
 
Now imagine if "these" being made digital! Such probably is what 'office 2.0' is all about!

DataViz, makers of Documents To Go, a Microsoft Office editor app for mobile devices, has confirmed that they are developing an application for the iPhone. The application would allow for editing of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on your iPhone, or, presumably, your iPod Touch. According to a company representative, the application will likely be available in early 2009.

This would be awesome! This would make iPhone or iPod touch the 'smallest workable portable computer', ever invented.

Anytime, anywhere, whenever you're connected, you're at the office already.

     

Click here to download:

Office_Of_The_Future.zip (9612 KB)

Could this be the look of office of the future?; where everybody just connecting from everywhere, and once they're connected, the exact same place where they got connected becomes their office right away? Take this view at Hongkong Airport for example. Could this be the "early look" of people's "office" of the future? 

Let's study, study, study. :-P

           

Click here to download:

Does_Direct_Conferences_Still_.zip (2067 KB)

Everybody work connected. Cubicles become "strange, old artifact" of the past. Documents, video, call, sound, chat, mail is integrated. Connectivity is everywhere. Everything works seamlessly around the context of work, around the globe.

No limiting physical boundary. No limiting time boundary. Everything is one connected web of seamless work process.