No More Microsoft Word?

A few converging factors are leading me towards a decision I feel is inevitable: ditching any/all relationship I once had with Microsoft “productivity” applications.

Here’s the rundown:

  • GMail beats Outlook (or, god forbid, Web Outlook) so much so that I want to read ALL my mail through it.
  • I’m getting a new PC next week and I don’t want to have to install Word, Excel et al. I’m thinking Google Docs (nee Writely) is a solution.
  • I LOVE my Moleskine and I’m definitely using it, but my writing lives here online, at other blogs and in an as-yet-unfinished novel (Damn you, NanoWrimo!), so I should probably move to an online platform.
  • I don’t use any of the PIM features of Outlook, relying on MySpace and LinkedIn, so maybe I should use Google Calendar to manage my social life, such as it is.
  • I already read Bloglines all day long, with multiple Firefox tabs being the norm, so why not move to more web-based applications? It works for my photos on Flickr.

I think I’m ready to make the switch away from Microsoft (apps at least).

I didn’t buy a Mac as I’d planned, I’m not ready to try a different desktop productivity suite like OpenOffice, but I LIVE on the internet. Is Google the right solution for me? Only time will tell.

It’s not the Year of Living Digitally, but it’s a start.

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