The software industry is in transition. Where once we purchased their products in colorful, shiny boxes or via quick and efficient downloads, now, more and more, we have the option of going to the Internet and using a hosted application. Even as you read this, Microsoft  is working out the kinks of the Windows Live service for its Office product line.
But if your small-business and personal word-processing needs do not require a program filled with feature bloat and fancy publishing tweaks, you can use an online writing system that lets you invite associates to read and edit your files without writing over earlier versions. And it will not cost you a penny for the program or the access time.
Writeboard is really more of a basic text editor than a word-processing program. But if you're working on a project that involves authors in separate locations, Writeboard lets you do some of the same things offered by costly subscription-based services.
Installation
One of the big benefits of so-called on-demand software is the easy set-up. Just go to the Web site and log on. There is nothing to install, no drivers to download. 37Signals, the company that operates Writeboard, does not require registration or any personal information other than an e-mail address.
Features
Using Writeboard to create a document or edit an existing document could not be easier. You enter a document title, a password for the document, and your e-mail address. When you save a new or edited document, the Writeboard server sends you an e-mail linking back to the document.
You can invite others to share in the work of writing and editing by clicking on the Invite button while connected to Writeboard, or by sending the document's e-mail notification yourself to the intended collaborators.
The collaboration tools are simple but effective. Click a link at the bottom of the page to add a comment and Writeboard adds the comments with the user's name. If you select two versions of the document and click the Compare button, it shows all the edits made in the newer version. Deleted text is grayed out and new text is highlighted green. This makes it easy to follow an edit trail among many collaborators, and to know who exactly made what changes, and when. (continued...)
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