Eugene,
Thank you for the detailed response. I currently sit alone in a home office with no access to tattoed,ponytailed, eyebrow pierced IT types who call me "Dude in the end cube" that I can hand my laptop off to and say "perform your voodoo on this and get my presentation back".

So, if I was reading your detailed reply correctly, my understanding is I can create my documents in word, excel etc (where my skill sets lie), and then save them off and convert them to the more universal format by downloading the program on the link? Then when I retrieve them, I simply convert them back to word, excel, make revisions and resave to the open format?

I am not asking for a tutorial, just a basic "flowchart" type understanding of the process.

Thank you for any help you are kind enough to give.

And on another topic, from 1998 through 2000, I was "on deck" during a series of acquistions, consolidations and office moves. Over the course of that time, I observed 10s of thousands of new and used sheet protectors tossed in various dumpsters. So I began gathering them and built up quite a stockpile which I am still burning down today. I was mocked endlessly by business associates as my signature work product was almost always in sheet protectors.
My daughters would have a laugh at dad as well when I would pull stuff out in sheet protectors. You should see the howling my "travel folder" gets when we would go on family vacations.
Now my youngest is a senior in college and she recently showed me one of her upper level class projects...completely enclosed in sheet protectors. I don't know if I was more proud of her A, or her presentation binder...

Will they melt in a fire safe? Thanks...something new to worry about.