Mark wants to know how good the business version of Google Docs is. Leo says that the business version, Google Workspace (formerly called G Suite) is what they use on TWiT to run their daily operations. It's simple and easy, and very affordable. Microsoft Office with One Drive is another option if you want to stay in the Microsoft Universe. It's called SharePoint. That's probably what Mark wants.
David is concerned that his office will be moving from Microsoft Office to Google's G Suite. Leo says that Google Docs just like Microsoft Office, but some of the advanced features may be missing. And if you have "custom access" you may need to subscribe to Office 365 to use that feature. For $8 a month, it's not that bad a price. However, if you want to avoid that, Microsoft is also offering next month, a perpetual license for Office 2020. It comes with 1TB of storage.
An open-source option is Libre Office which is free.
Lee wants to know if she can buy a computer to use as a word processor. Leo says that since Lee has a Chromebook, she already has all she needs. Just use Google Docs. Or, she can also use Microsoft Office Online. So there's no need to buy a separate device. And the best thing is, Chromebook will back up everything you do in the cloud, protecting data automatically. Learn to love the cloud.
Tracy wants to know how her husband can do voice dictation on his Mac. Leo says to go to the System Preferences pane for keyboard settings and enable voice dictation on the Dictation tab. Then he can tap the function key twice on his iMac, and that will trigger voice dictation. It's pretty accurate. It won't be perfect, but it'll be 80% there. He can even do voice editing.
Benny wants to be able to work on his documents no matter where he's at. How can he set that up? Leo says that Benny's already ahead of the game using Gmail. That also means he has access to Google Docs. He can also check everything from his laptop on his mobile phone and desktop.
Deborah wants needs a database and wants to be able to have a limited number of people in the company to share it. Microsoft Office can do it, but it usually uses a locally run Exchange server.
Leo suggests looking at this tech note from community.office365.com. Leo suggests creating a spreadsheet and then see if it can break. Leo did it with Google Docs and they got 150 current users before it started to refuse connections. So Google Docs would work as well.
Stacey wants to know if a Chromebook can run Microsoft Office functions. Leo says that it can run Google Docs, but it won't run Windows apps like Office. Google Docs has a spreadsheet program that's almost as good as Excel, though. She's also having trouble using the trackpad. Leo says to just buy a mouse, plug it in via USB, and it'll be just like a desktop.
Bob would like to create a master drive that he can put in a safe deposit box that has all his private information on it. Leo says that's a good idea, but he doesn't really have to go to that extreme. One option is Google Docs, which would be sharable to his attorney.
Paul's business uses iPads for his employees and he needs an app to enter data in the field. Leo says that Filemaker has a great app called Filemaker Go that enables users to create custom data forms to enter and then sync to the desktop. He'll also need the desktop app as well. The chatroom says Google Docs will also do the job.
Pat has four macs in various locations and wants to know if they will all be synced with iCloud like DropBox does. Leo says yes and no. It will sync, but not via a folder. The key is all the same Macs running the same shared Apple ID. Can she go work on different macs simultaneously? Leo says that could be problematic. To do team operations, a good third party app is GitHub.
