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How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

blog.zamzar.com

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Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#51

Post by peteri »

baldfat wrote: post #24
bluedino wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> they out Advertised or eventually caught up and passes you (Word Perfect). WordPerfect kind of killed itself. They never embraced the GUI because they thought Windows was ugly. The keystroke-based interface was trashed by critics. They were all over the map trying to make a suite of strange, semi-office-related programs. When they went from 4.x to 5.0 they had to re-do the printer driver model, just as Windows was…

OK same kind of idea: Netscape vs Internet Explorer (MS just gave the browser away for free) For a good 6 months Netscape was out "selling" IE but eventually IE won the war for a good 15 years.

Netscape at that time was very buggy I couldn't print to a HP laser jet on windows via a netware print queue. It's why I gave up on it.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#52

Post by stephengillie »

babuskov wrote: post #30
eli wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vim is a tiny fraction of a percent of word processor usage. Most people like GUIs.

Yes. Most people who aren't in the tech just launch a word processor (word, libreoffice, etc.) Tech people on Windows use Notepad or a similar GUI program. Vim is used by a tiny, tiny fraction of people in the world.

> Tech people on Windows use Notepad.

Tech people on Windows use Notepad++ when they can.

Vim is rarely used outside of editing config files on appliances.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#53

Post by matt4077 »

hexane360 wrote: post #6
martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

I love me some powerpoint jeopardy. Buttons to go to hidden question slides, have used options grey out after being clicked, put in some cheesy sound effects. . .

Nah, Powerpoint karaoke is where it's at :)

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#54

Post by Tomte »

martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

It's my go-to vector graphics tool.

Easy to use and understand, powerful _enough_.

For my simple uses I'm not fighting Inkscape or Visio ever again.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#55

Post by euyyn »

Quinner wrote: post #42
babuskov wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's interesting. I also read it as "Four", but now I look at it and it reads "five". Could be some brain trick.

Interesting, same here, perhaps we actually processed the numeral in the child comment subconsciously while reading the written-out five in the parent.

Or the numeral in the buy price.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#56

Post by tboughen »

Tomte wrote: post #54
martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

It's my go-to vector graphics tool. Easy to use and understand, powerful _enough_. For my simple uses I'm not fighting Inkscape or Visio ever again.

Mine too. Though I've never been sure why PowerPoint is so much more capable for this than Publisher. When creating resources I intend to be printed I've had to make things in PowerPoint then copy them over after finding out Publisher doesn't have the feature I need but PowerPoint does.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#57

Post by babuskov »

euyyn wrote: post #55
Quinner wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, same here, perhaps we actually processed the numeral in the child comment subconsciously while reading the written-out five in the parent.

Or the numeral in the buy price.

This seems more plausible, because the initial comment only had that one.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#58

Post by hnal943 »

mikehearn wrote: post #9
martin-adams wrote: post #3

I think it's so ironic that the first version of Powerpoint was for Mac which ended up helping give Windows it's name when running Office. I've seen Powerpoint used for so many crazy things. Most notably non-technical managers designing a UI in Powerpoint. It's just one of those, lets just get the job done pieces of software.

I am unabashedly in support of using presentation software for initial UI design. For basic wireframing, you don't need much more than the ability add shapes, text, color, images + a way to demonstrate user flow (e.g. by ordering slides). Presentation software is perfect for this. It is accessible to everyone, lets non-technical users offer constructive input and is just incredibly fast to get something basic circula…

I agree that you want a lightweight wireframing tool; Balsamiq Mockups has my allegiance. Powerpoint is incredibly slow and frustrating to use by comparison, even for non-developers.

Re: How Microsoft beat Apple to buy PowerPoint for $14M

#60

Post by baldfat »

efaref wrote: post #32
bad_user wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Back then Internet Explorer was the superior product, being fast and clutter free.

It's weird, but I really do remember IE4 being great.

IE4 came out in Sept 1997 vs August 1995 IE. IE4 was the first time that IE was bundled with Windows. There was a ton of development with a huge IE development to catch up and eventually surpass Netscape.

FUNNY IE 4 release story: > In October 1997, Internet Explorer 4.0 was released. The release party in San Francisco featured a ten-foot-tall letter "e" logo. Netscape employees showing up to work the following morning found the giant logo on their front lawn, with a sign attached that read "From the IE team ... We Love You". The Netscape employees promptly knocked it over and set a giant figure of their Mozilla dinosaur mascot atop it, holding a sign reading "Netscape 72, Microsoft 18" representing the market distribution. http://home.snafu.de/tilman/mozilla/stomps.html

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