Google Should Buy eXpresso
Like a lot of people, I had my problems with Google Apps this week. Sure, Google "feels my pain" but they also lost my confidence. And confidence is a delicate thing. What crashed for me was Spreadsheet. That has always been the weakest component for Google and the strongest for Microsoft. Excel rocks, its just a tad behind the times on collaboration.
But in this post we explain how Google could still win the spreadsheet game by buying eXpress Corp.
Let's look at the context. Google can win in Gmail and Document by getting Gears working. But the Spreadsheet problems go deeper and spreadsheets are mission critical. If you lose confidence its over. Today I got "Updating" in nice red letters, but that was still the same thing 10 minutes later. Then I got "We're back! Updating" and I thought, "phew". But still not working. My email (yes, in Gmail) to my collaborator read:
"forget about Google - they are having probs!
So here is good old fashioned xls"
The rule for start-ups - confidence takes a long time to win and a second to lose.
Google could win by buying eXpress Corp. We reviewed the product here. It is a natural bridge product for Google. They can get clients onto a collaborative Excel and then switch them to a mature all Google product when it is really ready for prime time.
Or Microsoft or Yahoo could buy eXpresso. No, I do not have any interest in eXpresso - I wish I did :-)
Then again, Google could just buy stronger Expresso and give it to their programmers and tell them to work harder and faster :-)
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"Excel rocks, its just a tad behind the times on collaboration."
Maybe it's just me, but the most logical conclusion is that Microsoft should buy eXpresso.
Perhaps then there would be no need for Google's product.
Maybe Google should buy Microsoft and Express ?
We have also suffered with the Google Apps 502 etc errors at interest.co.nz after switching from our existing email host. It is very annoying and makes me reluctant to switch the email accounts for our other publications. It is annoying because I really like having a single login for all the tools I use all day everyday from email through adwords and docs.
I don't think Google would be interested in buying Expresso because Expresso uses Microsoft Office Web Components for their spreadsheet. You can read about it here.
http://blog.expressocorp.com/2008/01/28/expresso-and-microsoft-office-web-components/
Web 2.0 has certainly been taking some lumps lately.
Remember, you have to be 10x better than the software you replace. NCSA Mosaic vs. GOPHER/WAIS/FIDO-NET? Easy.
Visicalc -> 123 -> Excel was entirely predictable.
Is collaboration a 10x feature on a spreadsheet? Uh, no. And especially not if the spreadsheet has 1/50th the functionality I need.
Plus, since 99.9% of all spreadsheet users have highly developed security habits (^S) in the PC/Mac arena they'd have to have something 10x better to learn new.
Uh, huh.
-OT
Thanks for all who pointed out that eXpress maybe a better fit for Microsoft. Most people don't want to replace Excel, they just want better online collaboration that is native to Excel (ie that is not tightly coupled to some other MS product).
I think you mean: "Google could just buy stronger espresso and give it to their programmers "
Is collaboration the only next killer feature? I like Oliver's point about being 10x better than the product you replace, and I'm not sure if collaboration makes spreadsheets an order of magnitude better.
The pot of gold is making spreadsheets behave like lightweight databases, but still simple enough for common spreadsheet users to comprehend. This would be the holy-grail of medium-complexity analysis.
And why exactly do you want Google to win here too??
Don't we want some competition, even if it's from Microsoft?
They are way too powerful..
I have to say I agree with Bernard. I have tried google apps and I hated it. So I switched to eXpresso and love it.I liked the fact that it is excel and I didnt have to learn a new spreadsheet. I bet if Microsoft came in and bought them the eXpresso app would be 10x better.
As a Windows-only offering, Expresso is a non-starter.
Sure... Google could ruin another startup by acquiring it... OOOORRRRR... and brace yourself for this one folks... maybe eXpresso should stay independent and kick Googles ass on it's own merit. I'm tired of the calm acceptance that people have whilst watching Google take over (and subsequently destroy) the web app by app.
If this app were bought by Google then it would sit in a dungeon and it's developers would be exiled into obscurity... The App would re-emerge in 2 years a mere fraction of what it used to be while sporting an all new design that uses every possible shade of blue. (but hey, you'd be able to search the web from it so who cares, right?)
Good point Matt. I just read on PC World this morning that eXpresso will soon have Word and PowerPoint files. Who needs Google after that?