Given that it's name is also its URL, it seems kind of ridiculous to say that OpenOffice.org [1] has "gone online." But that's precisely what Ulteo has done with the open-source application, transforming it into a true web-based app. Ulteo's beta version of online OpenOffice runs directly in your browser (IE, Firefox, Safari), allowing you access to all of the software's functions without having to download and install the program.

So, how does it perform? Ars Technica reports that while the online version seems to boast all of the features found in the desktop version of OpenOffice 2.3, many of those features are marred by noticeable slowdown. "For example, some mundane tasks like selecting a full line of text in Impress, the suite's PowerPoint-like presentation app, can take just a split second longer than a desktop app," Ars writes. And while OpenOffice offers far more features and options than competing web-based productivity suites, it doesn't include any collaborative features like those found in Google Docs. "As OpenOffice.org's GUI matures-and if Ulteo's implementation keeps in step-Online OpenOffice.org has a good chance of evolving into a feature-rich, easy to use, web-based office suite."

For more on the online version of OpenOffice:
- see this Ars Technica article [2]