Choose the right presentation program: PowerPoint, Presentations, or Impress?
When comparing the word processing and spreadsheet applications of Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Corel Presentations 9, and the beta version of StarOffice Impress 6, the first thing we noticed was their similar interfaces. However, the opposite is true of the presentation packages. Both Presentations and Impress have left-hand tool bars, but PowerPoint uses this space to display a graphic representing each slide in a presentation.
Presentations and Impress allow you to move between slides via tabs at the bottom of the screen, while PowerPoint provides thumbnails displayed on the left of the main window for the same function. Also, PowerPoint displays each slide´s notes at the bottom of the window, while Presentations and Impress do not. There are many other differences among the three programs, so I could go on and on. But all the applications allow you to customise the interface to some degree, so you should be able to find a configuration that works for you.
We found Sun´s StarOffice word-processing and spreadsheet components to be well-designed applications with few, if any, major flaws. This is in spite of the fact that StarOffice is still in beta. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for Impress. A myriad of problems appeared during testing.
First, when we attempted to create a new presentation using the built-in wizards, none of the preview screens worked, which left us guessing what the final presentation would look like. What´s worse, as soon as we clicked the wizard´s Finish button, StarOffice crashed rather violently, requiring a full reboot. Even worse, none of the other StarOffice components would start after this problem occurred.
Regrettably, Sun´s beta-download program ended December 31, and we no longer have the original distribution. This left us unable to reinstall the application and continue the evaluation. We only hope Sun can work out these bugs prior to Impress´ final release.
While their interfaces differ, Presentations and PowerPoint have very similar features and both do an excellent job. They both have very handy outline features (which, in my opinion, is one of the most useful aspects) that give you a quick overview of your presentation´s content.
With PowerPoint, access to the outline is granted by clicking a tab immediately under the menu bar, while in Presentations, you click a tab to the right of the presentation. We much prefer PowerPoint´s outline display because it allows you to view the slide and outline side by side.
Presentations displays the outline as a completely separate window. This means a lot of switching back and forth to see any changes.
A critical factor when choosing any software package is how that product will affect end-user productivity. It´s good practice to always choose software that allows users to accomplish their work in the quickest, most efficient manner. When we evaluate software, we generally take that, as well as many other factors, into consideration. One minor annoyance with Presentations is its insistence on double-clicking. Many users are accustomed to single clicking to move around a document, a la Word and Corel´s own WordPerfect. When switching to a different package, consistency in operation is important. With PowerPoint, the user can single-click on a heading or text box to make changes; however, the same action in Presentations requires a double-click.
Both Presentations and PowerPoint include features to write presentations across multiple floppy disks for portability. Both products also provide a separate viewer for their presentations, but Corel´s requires the use of a Web server— a major problem if users simply want to share a presentation. If users frequently share files with people outside the organisation, PowerPoint is the hands-down winner, because it allows you to save files in a variety of formats. Presentations will not save files in a format readable by PowerPoint.
For us, PowerPoint is the clear choice . . . for now. In previous word processor and spreadsheet reviews, we have stated that choosing an application was more a matter of personal preference, budgetary guidelines, and organisational history than product functionality. Such is not the case with presentation software. If making a choice between one of the three packages, we would choose PowerPoint for its ease of use and portability. At present, Sun´s Impress seems too unstable for my tastes and Corel´s Presentations, while a quality product, lacks PowerPoint´s polish.
By the time this article goes to print however, Corel Prensentations 10 will be available as part of the Word Perfect Office Suite 2002. New features include an integrated dictionary, a new spreadsheet charting tool and a brand new e-mail client. Also, new support for Macromedia Flash, MP3 sound and animated GIF files will help with preparing more dynamic presentations.
| Product: | Microsoft Powerpoint 2002 |
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| Price: | AU$809, Upgrade AU$258 |
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| Vendor: | Microsoft |
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| Phone: | 13 20 58 |
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| Web: | www.microsoft.com.au |
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| Interoperability: |
Presentations can be written across multiple floppy disksâ€"good for portability. Can also save presentations in a variety of formats. |
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| Futureproofing: |
Easy to use and great in terms of productivity features. |
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| ROI: |
A clear winner in presentation software. |
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| Service: |
Service and support maintained as long as product is on current price list. Ph: 13 20 58. |
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| Product: | Corel Presentations 10 (now available) |
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| Price: | AU$878, upgrade AU$350 |
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| Vendor: | Corel |
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| Phone: | 1800 658 850 |
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| Web: | www.corel.com.au |
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| Interoperability: |
Can use multiple floppy disks to save presentations,but requires the use of a Web server for viewing, this can be a problem. |
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While a quality product, lacks Powerpoint's polish. |
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| ROI: |
A good solid product, but powerpoint is cheaper. |
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Free for 30 days after purchase. Ph: 1300 650 601. Priority and Premium service also for sale. |
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| Product: | Star Office Impress 6 (beta) |
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| Price: | Not available at press time. |
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| Vendor: | Sun Microsystems |
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| Phone: | 02 9844 5000 |
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| Web: | www.sun.com/software/staroffice |
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| Interoperability: |
Good compatibility with other packages. |
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| Futureproofing: |
Sun's Star Office is well designed, but for the moment Impress is an unstable choice. |
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| ROI: |
While still in it's beta version, a myriad of flaws appeared during testing. |
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Not available at time of print. |
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