Zoho, the Web 2.0 software start-up, is bragging about beating Google to the punch and using Google's own Google Gears widgetry to make Zoho Writer, its online word processor, useable off-line as well as on - even if the job isn't completely done yet.

When Google introduced Gears not long ago, it was widely assumed Google would use it to make its online Docs and Spreadsheets software usable off-line too.

Google has subsequently cut a deal with Sun to distribute a free version of Sun's StarOffice, a classic desktop alternative to Microsoft Office, muddying an already opaque strategy. And Google is paying Sun for the privilege.

Anyway, Zoho says so far its users can only get read-only access to their Zoho Writer documents offline via a "Go Offline" link at the top of Writer's screen. Their personal and shared documents are automatically downloaded and taken off-line. Off-line they're accessed and run in a browser, either IE or Firefox.

Read/write capacities are supposed to follow. It will then make its other applications available off-line. It has something like 16 of them.

Zoho claims it had been working on its own off-line-enabling platform but jettisoned that when the open source Google Gears appeared on the scene.