The guys at 37 signals approach business problems in a way that seems unique to them. It isn't clear from a casual observer if their various efforts are profitable, but they certainly are inspiring and thus popular.
Their latest effort, Writeboard, is a lightweight, web based, word processor with versioning and collaboration built in. Writeboard allows anyone with a need to write to very quickly begin editing a document and just as quickly save it to some hidden storage area on the web. While this may not sound like much, it's a pretty useful tool to writers who have persistent and ready access to the web.
My own experience with Windows and Microsoft Word is that my word processor has become so slow to launch that I find myself writing articles in my text editor, NoteTab rather than waiting for Word to launch. When I think I might need to access the document from computers other than my own, I use a personal wiki that I have set up on a private webserver. Both of these tools launch very quickly and allow me to get to the business of writing while I can still remember why I am writing. Writeboard delivers the same immediate gratification to writers with a far easier entry point.
Using Writeboard instead of a wiki saves you from installing wiki software on a webserver, configuring it, maintaining it, and protecting it against vandals, simple security is built into the Writeboard architecture. Writeboard is lean, fast, and easy to use. The question, as it seems to be for all of 37signals most recent offerings is... Is it enough?
qv: www.writeboard.com
Tags: basecamp, backpack, 37signals, writeboard