Being able to compose letters, documents and spreadsheets has been one of the wonders of computing. I still remember the first time I used a word processing application on a computer. After one page, I was sold. The ability to edit a page again and again was amazing and wonderful. No more re-typing an entire page for a little mistake. I would never have to face that dreaded moment after I pulled the page out of the typewriter only to find I'd missed a word, failed to capitalize a letter or misspelled a word.

The ease of using word and excel applications are now just a fact of life that most take for grant, but not every computer comes with a word or office application. Discounted or refurbished laptops and computers often come with just the basic operating system and little else. Purchasing a word processing or spreadsheet application can be costly and downloading a free application can be time consuming if you're using dial-up.

Now you can add word processing and spreadsheet applications to any computer for free by using the online application google docs. This online program offers the bells and whistles you would expect from an office program including a wide selection of templates. To access google docs you must have or sign up for a google account.

One of the benefits of google docs includes being able to continue working on the same document when switching from on computer to another. Start a document on your laptop at the coffee shop and continue working when you switch to your desktop at home or at the office. You can also share documents with anyone with a google account.