What I always wondered: is PPT = PowerPoinT or PowerPointPresenTation?
Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
131–140 of 180 posts
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a tech weirdo I still think PPTs are the best way to convey concepts. You can mix bullet points with images and video and have everything be progressively revealed exactly when you explain it. I can‘t even think of an alternative to this other than adhoc whiteboard drawings which can‘t match PPTs on any axis except if you‘re just (collaboratively) developing an idea/concept
On the other hand, there's a good reason that bullet points aren't how formal communication is actually done, which is that they're terrible for actually doing the job of conveying information. For that, you need sentences in paragraphs, and PPT can't really do that. The best option is probably just an html doc — mix text (real text, not bullet points) with whatever media you want. Can be viewed on every device in th…
Bullet-points deliver facts and concepts. Paragraphs deliver narrative.
Both have their place, and you could trace each to far earlier forms, such as religious iconography or clan shields, and sagas or mythic poems.
Iconography encapsulates an existing notion, or expresses an identity or affinity.
Sagas and mythic poems contain stories with characters, events, themes, morals, and other teachings, and are structured mnemonically through verse, meter, rhyme, allusion, and often musical intonation or accompaniment, to facilitate recollection both for the teller and the audience.
I'm not much of a fan of slide decks myself, largely, though as a storytelling aid they can be quite useful. That takes skill however, and instruction. Edward Tufte's suggestions for how to use slides to accompany a talk (but not substitute for it) are excellent.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#133Dennis Austin dies at 76. * Born in Pittsburgh, studied engineering at the University of Virginia * Collaborated with Robert Gaskins at Forethought to create PowerPoint * Forethought acquired by Microsoft * By 1993, PowerPoint generating more than $100 million in sales * Product is widely used, but controversial and target of jokes > Mr. Austin and Gaskins acknowledged the complaints, but thought they were unfairly a…
>thought they were unfairly aimed at the software
Yeah. I’ll bet that all of the Microsoft office engineers feel this way, and it explains a lot about why the suite is such a bug ridden, shitty performing fucking mess.
The only thing keeping the office suite alive at this point is the enormity of the task to disrupt it.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#134I demand the black ribbon!
I've suggested a dark bullet in this specific instance.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#135When I got a job in academia and was faced with creating my first conference poster, I was amazed to discover PowerPoint is the customary software for creating them. It does a pretty good job, too.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#136Dennis Austin dies at 76. * Born in Pittsburgh, studied engineering at the University of Virginia * Collaborated with Robert Gaskins at Forethought to create PowerPoint * Forethought acquired by Microsoft * By 1993, PowerPoint generating more than $100 million in sales * Product is widely used, but controversial and target of jokes > Mr. Austin and Gaskins acknowledged the complaints, but thought they were unfairly a…
>thought they were unfairly aimed at the software Yeah. I’ll bet that all of the Microsoft office engineers feel this way, and it explains a lot about why the suite is such a bug ridden, shitty performing fucking mess. The only thing keeping the office suite alive at this point is the enormity of the task to disrupt it.
I surmise that Google workspace has managed to supplant it in a very real ways.
For the last 3 places I’ve worked everything is done in Google Workspace. The only thing that Microsoft has a hold over is with Excel, that’s all anyone used from MS
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
>thought they were unfairly aimed at the software Yeah. I’ll bet that all of the Microsoft office engineers feel this way, and it explains a lot about why the suite is such a bug ridden, shitty performing fucking mess. The only thing keeping the office suite alive at this point is the enormity of the task to disrupt it.
I surmise that Google workspace has managed to supplant it in a very real ways. For the last 3 places I’ve worked everything is done in Google Workspace. The only thing that Microsoft has a hold over is with Excel, that’s all anyone used from MS
At my work (Fortune 100 company), it is Excel and Outlook. I’m not certain why the powers that be settled on outlook.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#138Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
I surmise that Google workspace has managed to supplant it in a very real ways. For the last 3 places I’ve worked everything is done in Google Workspace. The only thing that Microsoft has a hold over is with Excel, that’s all anyone used from MS
At my work (Fortune 100 company), it is Excel and Outlook. I’m not certain why the powers that be settled on outlook.
I worked at a company that used IBM's Lotus for six months.
Outlook was no longer the worst for me.
Re: Dennis Austin, developer of PowerPoint, has died
#140PowerPoint wasn't the first though, was it? I remember Harvard Graphics and something from Lotus also?
Harvard Graphics was more charting software. A bunch of office suites in the early/mid-80s had the 'required' charting module.
Harvard Graphics truly was horrible to work with. Very unintuitive. PowerPoint felt like a revelation in comparison.