Zoho writer is described simply as an online word processor. You access it using your favorite browser and it's still in beta.

Before I start the review series I want to detail the equipment I am using. Here is a relevant list generated through Belarc. It is not cutting edge by any means:

• 2.15 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
• Board: First International Computer, Inc. AU31 PCB 1.x
• Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
• BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD TCB421Q 02/02/2004
• 2048 Megabytes Installed Memory
• Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE
• LGE L222W [Monitor] (22.0"vis, February 2007)
• Cable ethernet connection
• 1.5 DSL

When I started the review of Zoho Write I'd forgotten my Zoho password. Getting the password was easy. You enter your email address, an email is sent with a URL, you click on the URL and then you set a new password. There is no temporary password, but there is a need to logon after you change your password. I don't know why you wouldn't be logged in automatically after resetting the password.

Clicking the Zoho Writer from the main Zoho application menu takes you to the application. It loads very quickly with an indicator bar showing how much is left to load. It flashed by so fast I barely noticed it. Loading quickly is an important consideration when using online applications.

Once you are in Zoho Writer you'll see the following screen. There is some template text welcoming you to the applications and showing off some of the features. When I first opened it I wanted to look at the help available. There is nothing labeled help on the screen, but there is a section labeled FAQ. When you click on the FAQ it opens into a new browser window. There are no other help facilities available. It would have been neat to include the ability to search for help topics. You know, you hit the first letter of what you're looking for and it shows up.

I started the testing by selecting all the text then hitting the delete key. It didn't work. All delete did was remove the formatting of hello. There is a cut icon and you can also right click for a list of context sensitve commands. I selected cut and then proceeded to look for an undo function. There is no icon for undo, but they do offer tool tips when you mouse over an icon. There is a history option, which is very powerful. The revisions to your document are listed and you can choose which ones to revert through a drop down list. There is one issue that is concerning. If you type new information into a document, don't save it and then hit the history option you will lose your changes if you choose the edit command to return to your document. It seems Zoho Writer doesn't do an auto save when the history button is engaged.

Once I removed the text I proceeded to test out the formatting options. Everything worked as expected. I did notice a few things that are different than using Microsoft Word or another desktop application:

1. Font size choice. There is no way to change the font to something outside of the choices.
2. The lack of help can hinder you. There is an option to create a table of contents, but if you don't have any heading defined you get a simple error message with no offer of help. Why show the table of contents option if there are no headings? Grey it out. Better yet, the context menu is active in the application, why not add it there?
3. The spell check didn't work on first try. I typed spellled and then clicked spell check. A window appeared stating there were no spelling issues. I used the pull down menu associated with the spell check icon and noticed the language option was on AUTO. I changed it to English(US) and spell checked it again. It found the misspelling.
4. PageView not editable. There is an option to view your work as a printed page, but you cannot edit it. You are put back into the WYSIWYG interface to finish. Most people are used to working in Microsoft Word with their print view enabled.
5. Modifying the attributes of a table isn't intuitive. When you create a table you would think selecting the table and then clicking the table format icon would enable table formatting. It doesn't. The table formatting icon comes up with cell formatting by default.
6. Pageview and Preview show two different things. I added a page number through the footer option and wanted to see it in action. It shows up under Pageview, but not under Preview. I don't know what the difference is and the FAQ doesn't mention them.

Based on how I used the functions for basic testing it cannot replace a normal word processor. It does work as an adequate tool for light writing, though. You need to learn to work around your learned habits from other programs, though.

Now, there are a number of features I found invigorating when compared to a usual word processor.

Public share: This feature alone is a game changer. If you look below you will see my test document. The great thing is that it stays on the Zoho servers.

Public comments: You can also leave comments on your documents. This is represented by a cloud bubble. Of course, you can select whether comments are enabled or not. They are great to remind yourself of things and they are removed when you print or export.

Easy PDF export: One click and your PDF is ready for export. It works well, but there is a slight delay as the program loads in the background. There is no sign the program is working, though.

Integrated templates: Templates in a normal word processor can be a pain to access and use, but under Zoho Writer it's easy. You select the the Template Library command, find a template you want and click the ADD TO MY TEMPLATES OPTION. Zoho Writer then confirms it's been added to your list. When you want to use it select the TEMPLATES option on the left. Done.

I enjoyed the time I spent with Zoho Writer. Going into the review I expected the basic functions to be really good and the advanced functions to be poor. The opposite was true. The basic functions still need work. It looks like Zoho Writer was built on top of TinyMCE. The icons are the common and it works almost the same. TinyMCE is a free WYSIWYG editor, but it's not a word processor.

The advanced functions are what make the future of Zoho Writer bright. The sharing and editing ability among a group are top notch. One click and you're sharing. The ability to work with your files offline ensures the access you need when an internet connection is unavailable.

Zoho Writer is still in beta, which is a good thing since there is more work to do. The future of the application as a word processor can happen if more attention is paid to the basic functionality of a word processor. If you combine the sharing functionality of Zoho Writer with the usability of a stock word processor there wouldn't be a need to be desktop software again.

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