Nothing remains permanent. Everything has to change. And so, the same goes with the Microsoft. I am a big fan of Microsoft Products especially Microsoft Office. I have been using it from long and no complaints as such till date. I have worked on all versions of Microsoft Office..from Office 2000 to the most recent 2007. Frankly speaking...no other office application can be compared to the MS Office. Though there are still many other free applications around, yet the power and flexibility which MS Office offers is unbeatable.

Now, Microsoft Office is out with yet another major innovation to its most popular desktop office application. Its most awaited office application - MS Office 2010 has hit the market. Launched just a few days back, Office 2010 is similar to Office 2007 but with same major additions and innovations. The best thing which I have often appreciated in any MS Product is the ease of use and flexibility. Plus it offers hoards of customization options which anyone would love to play with. Office 2010 has moved a step further from Office 2007 by adding a support for accessing office online and that too completely free. Yes, users can freely access office applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and One Note...online. This is a welcome move from Microsoft and is being hailed like anything by millions of its users worldwide. Even I am looking forward to it. Plus Office 2010 has many other features which truly makes it the best deal. But make sure you have enough money to spend on its purchase;)

Now as I said earlier, I am a big fan of Microsoft. But I am a big fan of Google too. I love all its products and services especially Google Docs. The web seems to be heating up once again with Google recommending that those who are planning to buy MS Office 2010 or those who want to upgrade their earlier office version to Office 2010, must rethink on their decision and should consider using Google Docs for the same. No doubt, Google Docs is one of the finest online office application I've been through till date. I've been using it more often these days than MS Office. The best thing which I like about Google Docs is that it is available free for everyone to use. But yes, you need to have an account in Google first ;) Also, being cloud based..it can be accessed anytime and anywhere provided there is an internet connection.

Now, Google has been urging people to move to Google Docs which is worth appreciating. But frankly speaking, I don't think there is any competition between Google Docs and MS Office. MS Office has no comparison with any other office application. And Google Docs is not an exception. Google Docs is a cloud based office package whereas MS Office is a complete suite of desktop office applications containing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc... Google Docs does have the similar suite of applications but with limited functionalities. But yes one thing where Google Docs excels is the real time collaboration in the web browser. Google Docs allows up to ten people collaborate on word-processing files or presentations at the same, and allows up to fifty people collaborate on a worksheet. Real-time collaboration right from the Web browser is a winning feature for ease of use and Google Docs will work from almost any computer with connectivity. That is one area where MS office needs to work out if it has any such plan to get ahead in the race. It seriously needs to work out on its cloud based technologies.

Microsoft Office is having a similar cloud based feature like Google Docs but it is not as efficient as the same. This situation is likely to change in the times to come with Microsoft promising a suite of Web Apps later this year. These Web Apps will let will let you create, edit, and save documents right online. Cloud-based applications work best when they're fast enough to work over a slow connection and compact enough to work well in your browser. Google Docs excels at both, and the result is an impressive balance of efficient operation and elegant design. But it is not the same case with Microsoft cloud based Office applications at present. Hopefully, it will be much better with the arrival of Web Apps. Yet another area where Google leads Microsoft is the sharing feature. Google's capability to share with anyone in the world right through the Web browser gives it a slight lead over the extra features of Microsoft's Web Apps.

So, we have seen how MS Office and Google Docs vary in their features and functionalities. For me, it is quite foolish to compare MS Office with Google Docs though both may have the similar suite of applications. Google Docs being cloud based is smoother and more reliable in overall operation. It is truly one of the best cloud based office suite but in the end, one has to accept that it lacks in advanced features and not to mention, security too. It cannot provide me each and everything which I may need at times for my document management. It is good for basic purpose and is mostly for students and for those who are optimist enough to trust their data on cloud. On the contrary, Office 2010 is truly for professional who work in the real world. Finally, it is upto you to decide!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further readings :
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362921,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2362923,00.asp