ThinkFree began as a Microsoft Office compatible, Java-based online application. Later, it evolved into an office application suite that taps the advantages of Ajax technology. What began as a desktop office suite is now available as an online office service and many users are of the opinion that this position suits it better.
ThinkFree offers an Online office software that allows the user to access files and documents, keep an online calendar, which can be accessed from location, anytime as long you have access to a computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser.
T.J Kang, CEO of ThinkFree, began developing the software in 1999. According to him, the technology was not quite ready at that point and he decided to sell it as a desktop application. ThinkFree Online was revived in June 2005, and released as a beta in April 2006. Users did not prefer the initial versions because the three applications – Write, Show and Calc took a long time to load. But the newer versions of ThinkFree showed a considerable improvement.
New Features in ThinkFree Online Office Suite
The ThinkFree Online office suite has four editions—Online, Server, Desktop and Portable and all four have three main applications - ThinkFree Write (word processor), ThinkFree Show (presentation software) and ThinkFree Calc (Spreadsheets). The Server Edition can be used via a Web browser on a LAN. The Desktop Edition allows the software to be run locally from a Windows, Mac or Linux computer. The Portable Edition allows the suite to run off an iPod via the hard disk mode or a thumb drive.
You can start a new document with any of the two options presented—Quick Edit and Power Edit. Quick Edit gives most of the editing features like fonts, justification, bold and others. PowerEdit gives extra features, usually found in word processors like Format Painter, superscript, subscript, show/hide editing marks. The extra features come with a price. Besides creating Excel, Word and PowerPoint compatible documents, it is possible to upload and store similar documents created in Microsoft Office. It is possible to incorporate popular blogging resources with your account.
ThinkFree Extensions
ThinkFree has Firefox and Internet Explorer (IE) extensionsthatallow you to create Web applets for your site. TheExtensions allow you to view documents on other Web sites by right clicking a link to a document, then choosing appropriate ThinkFree application. The menu is context sensitive. This means the correct application will automatically appear, even when the file type is not keyed in. The files supported are .doc, .rtf, .txt, .xls, .csv, .ppt, and .pps. After installing ThinkFree Extensions, the user can open a presentation file in a new window by clicking "View with ThinkFree Show"
ThinkFree Widgets
The ThinkFree Widgets enable you to view any ThinkFree or Microsoft Office word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files without having any other office applications installed. It is possible to drag and drop files from the desktop or copy and past the Web URL into the ThinkFree Widget.
Features:
- View office documents in a Web browser
- Drag and drop or cut and paste to open
- Open Web mail attachments
- Support for MS Word files of doc, rtf, txt
- Support for MS Excel files of xls, csv
- Support for MS Powerpoint files of ppt, pps
ThinkFree Widgets allows users to open email attachments with ease, and supports the following file formats: .doc, .rtf, .txt, .xls, .csv, .ppt, and .pps. In order to use ThinkFree Widgets users must first have Yahoo Widgets, Google Module, or Apple Dashboard already installed.
The ThinkFree online office software is available for free and offers one gigabyte of office space. Its three Microsoft compatible applications load more quickly now and it is possible to buy a desktop version of the office products. It provides for collaboration and sharing of documents. The company offers a premium service for payment.
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