Adobe buzzword problem

In this case, I was surprised how comfortable I was with Buzzword in a very short time -- it is a bit more like a traditional "word processor" like than Google Docs, but the way its features are organized is a bit less overwhelming than Zoho Write. For example, Buzzword's features are grouped in categories represented by icons found at the right-hand side of the upper toolbar: Font the default open toolbar , Paragraph, List, Image, Table, Comment, and Docs which brings up your list of existing documents.

Roll over an icon and it slides over to the left to reveal the name of the category. Click on it, and the entire toolbar slides gracefully out over the length of the window, giving access to its tools.

Other nice touches: For those of us anal enough to need a constant reminder of our word counts, Adobe provides a running total at the bottom right-hand corner, along with the number of "flagged" i. And Buzzword actively encourages you to make comments: a tiny floating icon on the right side of your document invites you to fill in a comment box. Of course, Adobe's advantage here is that it's got the example of its competitors to follow.

As a result, many of the features in Buzzword -- such as inserting images and tables -- were planned as part of the application from the beginning rather than shoehorned in later. On the other hand, there are some features are missing. The one that really surprised me was the fact that you can't tag your documents -- or organize them into folders -- which is a rather awkward omission for a Web-based app. Buzzword's ability to share documents with others is pretty similar to that of Google and Zoho, with one nice exception: it lets you allow another user to add comments, but not otherwise affect the original document.

Microsoft, meanwhile, is expected on Monday to detail its own document collaboration service called Office Live Workspace , a free online tool for viewing, sharing and storing Office documents online. Adobe Media Player version 1. The programs were written using its Flex development tool.

The company's strategy is to assemble a series of collaboration products and services on top of its development platform, said Erik Larson, director of marketing and product management at Adobe. Larson said Adobe will focus on online collaboration of "high fidelity" documents, or those that appear the same on-screen and when printed out.

Rick Treitman, CEO of Virtual Ubiquity, said his company decided to use Adobe developer technologies because they were better than other available programming methods. Adobe invested in the company last year as part of a venture fund set up to promote applications on Flash and AIR. What sets Buzzword apart from other online word processors is the pagination--it allows people to get an accurate view of how a document will print out as the document is edited. It also has the ability to embed graphics, track changes and organize files.

No one else realized how powerful it was as a virtual machine," Treitman said. John Doyle, CommuniGate Systems' vice president of business development, said Adobe has the wherewithal to build a line of compelling and simple-to-use rich Internet applications that could lure businesses away from Microsoft Office.

N recently introduced an online word processor as part of its Lotus Symphony suite of business productivity applications. In a related move, Adobe has set up a new file-sharing service to its existing line of online document services. Users select the documents they want to share, send a message to recipients and determine whether to let their files be publicly accessible or restricted. Adobe officials declined to spell out how the company plans to distribute Buzzword, but said it will eventually be tied to its document management software used widely in business.

The acquisition is expected to close by the end of November. Adobe said the Virtual Ubiquity deal is not expected to have a material impact on its results in fiscal The founders of Virtual Ubiquity have agreed to join Adobe. Users will be able to import or export documents from rival word processor programs into Buzzword.