ThinkFree Online Software: Web-based Java Applications Come of Age

Free Microsoft Office-compatible Suite Takes Online Applications to New Heights

For over twenty-five years, one of the most promising potential uses of the Internet has been distributed processing. While database applications like e-mail, calendars, and address books, to name only a few, have been developed through several generations, office applications like word processing and spreadsheets have lagged behind. There are many reasons for this lack of development, but ThinkFree has rendered them all moot with release 3 of their Online Office software.

ThinkFree Office Online is programmed in Java and requires Version 1.5.0 (or higher) of the Java 2 runtime environment and a high-speed connection like DSL, cable modem, or faster. As long as your system can handle the Java requirements and has a reasonably standard graphical Web browser available, you should be able to run ThinkFree Office Online.

The initial download of the application to the local system's cache takes a few minutes. How long depends on the connection speed, the load on the server at that time, and the configuration of the downloading computer. On my old Pentium II running Windows98 SE and a DSL Lite connection, the initial download took about ten minutes. That was aggravating, but still worth while. On a Pentium 4 system with a T3 connection, the download was less than three minutes. After the initial download, application launch is much faster.

Once the application has been downloaded, it is ready for use. Performance is not exactly snappy, but is certainly acceptable considering the nature of the program. Having software that is available from any high-speed Internet connection requires ome trade-offs, and performance is one of them.

Another of the trade-offs is richness of features. These programs are not and do not claim to be as powerful or feature-rich as their stand-alone cousins. This is an advantage in many ways, as the menu system is vastly simpler, and the hot-keys are not as numerous and thus easier to remember.