TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I've never become an expert at PowerPoint, but it seems to have most of
the basic tools that one could need for "presentations," strictly
speaking. There are better tools out there, but the issue seems to come
down -- again and again -- to having a tool for which books and classes
are readily available, and one which allows you to work well with and
transfer files to other users.
When compatibility with fundamentalist Microsoft people is not an issue,
I always use Corel Presentations -- which I AM quite familiar with.
There are a lot more features and flexibility in the product, and the
accompanying graphics and drawing tools (e.g., for manipulating bitmap
graphics, etc.) seem to be much richer and vastly more intuitive. A
recent example I encountered: there is a built-in capability to enter a
subtitle on a slide (not just a title), a feature I use again and again
(not a great example, but it comes to mind). Couldn't find it in
PowerPoint. Of course, I also consider that Corel WordPerfect blows MS
Word out of the water, which goes against the current Microsoft hype...
Steve Murphy
Senior Technical Writer, Shepard-Patterson & Associates
2001 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 209
Arlington, Virginia
Voice: (703) 412-5072 Fax: (703) 412-5078
sdmurphy -at- shepard-patterson -dot- com http://www.shepard-patterson.com
-------------------------------------------
Adobe Certified Expert - FrameMaker, Acrobat
murphus -at- idsonline -dot- com http://www.murphus.com
