Google Docs could become a good alternative since it is web based and does not require any installation at all. The problems: you have to login everytime and you can’t set it as the default word processing application.

The solution? Zoho Webservice.

Zoho web service is a project developed by Canonical (the team behind Ubuntu) that integrate the Zoho Web office suites to Ubuntu. Once installed, you can easily run Zoho applications in your browser.

Installation

You can search for “zoho webservice” in Ubuntu Software Center or simply type the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install webservice-office-zoho

Users of older version of Ubuntu can grab the package here.

Once installed, you can access Zoho via Applications -> Office -> Zoho Web Service. You can even right-click at a word document and open it in Zoho.

Functionality

What Zoho webservices can do at the moment include:

• Open, read, edit and save email document attachments.
• Open, read, edit and save local documents.
• Open, read, edit and save remote documents linked to with a url.
• Launch the required application, Writer, Show or Sheet (Word Processor, Presentations, Spreadsheets) which will present the user with an empty document of that type ready to edit.

Zoho Webservice Word Processor

The Word processor comes with a ribbon-like menu bar where you can click on each tab to see the options. Basic text-editing tools are available, but you won’t find any advanced features (such as annotation) here.

File format that you can export your document to include: doc, docx, odt, pdf, sxw, rtf, html, txt and latex.

Zoho Webservice Spreadsheet

The Spreadsheet only comes with a single row of toolbar with simple text editing and cell management ability.

File format that you can export your document to include: xls, xlsx, ods, sxc, gnumeric, csv, tsv, html and pdf.

Zoho Webservice Presentation

The Presentation supports all the tools/features that you need to create great slides, but don’t ever compare it to the latest Microsoft Office 2010 Powerpoint. It will have no where to hide.

File format that you can export your document to include: html, ppt, pps, odp and pdf.

Some Tips and Tricks

1. Zoho Webservice does not have any dependencies and can run in most browser. I found that it runs well in Google Chrome, but can be lagging in Firefox. You might want to consider making Google Chrome the default browser so Zoho Webservice can run smoothly.

2. Enable cookie in your browser to allow Zoho webservice to save your document automatically

3. To make Zoho Word the default application for opening .doc file, right click on any .doc file and select Open with. Scroll down all the way to the end and highlight Zoho Word Processor. Check the box “Remember this application for Word document files”.

4. When exporting files, you can save your documents to your Ubuntu One folder so that it get synced across all your Ubuntu machines.

Have you tried Zoho Webservice? Is it good enough to replace your Open Office?

Related Posts:

• How to Sync Your MS Office Documents to Online Office Apps (Google Docs, Zoho, Office Live)
• How to Integrate Skype With Ubuntu Unity
• How to Install Java Runtime In Ubuntu 12.04
• How to Connect to A VPN In Ubuntu [Quick Tips]

I am typically use Google Docs for my word processing and spreadsheets, but do on occasion tinker with OpenOffice. I tend to use OpenOffice if I am on my netbook and not connected to the internet. I can use the word processor to write and not be tempted to go on Twitter or use Stumbleupon to find random sites.

At first, I didn’t realize you could use extensions; once I found that out, I was hooked. One of my favorites was covered in a previous post about OpenOffice extensions. It allows you to import, export and update documents you create in OpenOffice with Google Docs and other cloud office apps.

Below are several more extensions to help you tailor this opensource app to the way you use it.

1. MultiCloud File Manager

If you use an cloud storage provider like Amazon S3 or Mobile Me (among others), this is a must have. Access and save your files offsite incase of a hard drive disaster. Here is a link to their quick walk through video http://goo.gl/SV8h.

2. CropOOo

If you use Draw or Impress, you know cropping isn’t always the easiest thing to do. This extension helps cure that dilemma.

3. Compose Special Characters

When using Writer and Calc, you can type a few characters and use a keyboard shortcut to transform normal characters to special characters. This can save you having to look them up or remember the what the unicode value is.

If you already have those values memorized, you can use them with this extension as well.

4. Professional Template Pack II – English

This is a great pack of templates to get you going. It offers event posters, business cards, letters, invoices, projest planning and business correspondences. It is a great starting point to get your document headed in the right direction.

5. History Manager

This extension is not essential, but offers a the convenience of seeing more of your recently used documents. Super handy of you are working on lots of projects simultaneously.

6. Screenwright(R) screenplay formatting template

If you have aspirations of being a screen writer, you will want every advantage you can get. By adding this extension that formats your film script to industry standards, you can concentrate on your work.

7. OpenCards

One way to remember something is through repetition. Using flashcards is a common practice to help memorize things. OpenCards makes it easy to create flashcards as well as rank how you did.

8. Sun PDF Import Extension

Import and modify PDF documents for free, enough said.

9. Web2.0 OpenOffice.org collaboration & document management extension

Collaborating on documents can be a huge time saver. Giving multiple people access to edit a single file not only saves you from having a ton of emails, it also makes it easier to keep track of the most recent version of the document. The community license allows up to 5 users to use this service for free. If you have more collaborators, you will need one of the paid versions.

More info can be found at o3spaces.com

Leave a comment with your “must have” OpenOffice extensions.

Related Posts:

• 5 Must-Have Firefox Extensions For Blogging
• How to Easily Convert A Spreadsheet to HTML [Quick Tips]
• 5 Lesser Known, But Extremely Useful Chrome Extensions To Make Gmail Super User-friendly
• 10 Of The Best Gnome Shell Extensions

I have been using OpenOffice for the past few years and on the whole, I am very happy with it. If there is anything that is causing me frustration, it has to be the splash screen that forcefully take over your desktop when you load an OpenOffice application.

If you are feeling the same frustration as me, here is the way to remove the splash screen. It works for StarOffice and NeoOffice as well, since they are basically a branch out of OpenOffice.

In Windows:

Go to Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 3\program.

Open the file soffice.ini with your notepad.

Locate the line Logo=1 and change it to Logo=0.

Save and close the file.

In Linux

This example is with respect to Ubuntu system. If you can’t find the respective file in the etc/openoffice folder in other distributions, you might want to do a search for sofficerc in your file manager.

Open your terminal and type:

gksu gedit /etc/openoffice/sofficerc

Locate the line Logo=1 and change it to Logo=0

Save and close the file.

In Mac

Open your Finder and navigate to the Applications folder. Locate the OpenOffice or NeoOffice. Right-click and select Show Package Content

Navigate to Content->MacOS. Look for a file sofficerc. Double click to open it in Textedit.

Locate the line Logo=1 and change it to Logo=0.

I have tried this with OpenOffice 3.0 and it works. However, for NeoOffice, it required administrator access to edit the file. If you see this message,

Go back to the Contents folder. Right click on the MacOS folder and select Get Info. On the new window that pop up, scroll all the way down till you see the sharing and permission. Click on the lockpad to unlock and change the file permission to Read and Write

You should be able to edit the sofficerc file now.

Once you are done, remember to change the file permission back to Read only.

Related Posts:

• Using Zoho Web Service as an Alternative to Open Office in Ubuntu
• 9 More OpenOffice Extensions
• How To Create And Install Your Own GRUB Splash Image
• Twittering From Open Office

Using clients like twhirl or twitterfox, you can post tweets to twitter from your desktop and Firefox browser. However, if you spend a lot of time on Open Office, you may want a quicker way to get your twitter updated, without having to leave Open Office.

OOoTwitter is a simple Open Office extension that allows you to post to Twitter. Once installed, it will load an input field where you can submit your message to Twitter. It is very easy to use and it is unobstructive and can be loaded from the menu Tools -> Add-ons -> Post to twitter.

OooTwitter uses cURL to send message to Twitter. You will have to install cURL in order for the extension to work.

A point to note is that OOoTwitter only allows you to send tweets. It won’t be able to receive any updates from your friends.

Download OOoTwitter.oxt

Related Posts:

• Are You TwitterTastic? 4 Tools To Determine Your Influence On Twitter
• How to Add Social Shortcuts to Your Windows Desktop
• 3 Easy Ways To Embed A Tweet And Why You Should
• GrabInbox Manages Your Social Accounts In One Place And Allows You to Schedule Messages