How good is Impress compared to PowerPoint?

users
#1

Hello

Before possibly recommending LibreOffice to a friend who needs an office
suite for her personal use, I need to know how good its Impress component
is compared to PowerPoint.

She won't need to create very sophisticated slides, and won't need to import
PowerPoint files. It's just to create some presentations for her class. She
has regular office skills, she's not a geek.

If you have extensive experience with both PowerPoint and Impress, would you
say Impress is good enough or still lacking?

Here's a review:
"Admittedly, PowerPoint still outperforms Impress, yet not by such an extent
that the difference couldn't be overcome in a release or two. In fact, the
lack of improvements in Impress over the last few years -- particularly in
its audio capabilities -- suggests that for most users the deficiencies are
unimportant."

www.datamation.com/open-source/libreoffice-vs.-ms-office-spreadsheets-and-slide-shows-1.html

Thank you.

#2

Impress can do an excellent job. If you want to help your friend, it
is good to teach on how to prepare a presentation, how to break down
the information so that they are put on slides. This is something
people are not being taught and end up with those boring Powerpoints.

With Impress, if you set up the projector to be an extended display
(to your laptop), then you can view the current slide on the
projector, and on the laptop it will show you the current slide + the
next slide. Also can show the time.

Simos

#3

Simos Xenitellis wrote

Impress can do an excellent job. If you want to help your friend, it
is good to teach on how to prepare a presentation, how to break down
the information so that they are put on slides. This is something
people are not being taught and end up with those boring Powerpoints.

Thanks. She's already used to PowerPoint. Is Impress familiar enough, and
does it have the main features that average PowerPoint users need?

#4

Yes and yes :wink:

Best,
Joel

#5

Ok, so I'll tell here to play with it and see how it goes.

Thank you.

#6

Hi :) 
PowerPoint is slightly in the lead imo (and from posts on the lists) but only by about £10-£20 worth.  Impress is developing faster so that slight edge may not last for long.  There are shed loads of other programs for producing slideshows and many are free
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentation_software

The basic concept is flawed.  Like playing a video it tends to put quite a lot of the audience to sleep or into zombie-like, tele-watching mode.  Bullet-pointed assertions at best just serve to stop people thinking hard about the subject and neatly avoid any of the detail, "the devil is in the detail".  Apparently the military like them for press briefings because it's style over content so it helps them minimise how much they tell.  On the other hand it seems many dislike them in mission briefings because they obscure the depth of information required for success.

Flip charts are more effective at engaging the audience and getting them thinking.  Interactive.

If you have a good presentation on Impress/PowerPoint/whatever then why would it need you?  Just upload it to YouTube.

At events i tend to have a slideshow going on in the background in the lobby or in the bar.  Sometimes parts of it catch people's attention enough to help boost their conversation, or to distract them from going tooo far off-topic.  But i don't use anything fancy, just a normal photo-viewer. 
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#7

IMPRESS does more, has more options; and has been my favorite for
years;
           it also allows for saving to PP, etc. - for those who refuse to
leave MSFT :wink:

Hello

#8

Hi :slight_smile:
+1

I think the important thing to remember is not that Impress is cheaper but that it is priceless.  It's part of an exciting world-wide movement towards greater intellectual freedom, creativity and the drive towards success.  It's a merging of the professionalism of corporate in-house systems of many companies around the world with the passion and dedication of freedom fighters volunteering for their cause.

By contrast with PowerPoint she might be able to avoid putting the audience to sleep if she is really good and puts enough work in and knows what she is doing and when to switch the machine off.

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#9

Hi :slight_smile:
Have you checked your glasses for roses?  That is about the first time i have heard anyone saying they thought Impress is actually better in terms of functionality.  Especially going back a few years.

I thought a lot of progress had been made over the last year and this new remote-control feature if it's on Gnu&Linux and you are using an Android all sounds intriguing. 
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#10

Huh ???

       I've been impressed with IMPRESS over MsFt's since I found it has
more options, including the ability to save to whatever;
            although saving to MsFt's loses some of those options - as
audio additions, and many of IMPRESS' transitional effects are also not
recognized by MsFt ...

       I don't understand the comment re. Android - I've heard the name,
along with these fruit-names, yet have not acquired any of these yet :wink:

Hi :slight_smile:

#11

Hi :slight_smile:
There was something about being able to use Android phones as a remote control device for running Impress slideshows.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

________________________________
From: anne-ology <laginnis@gmail.com>
To: Tom <tomdavies04@yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: users@global.libreoffice.org
Sent: Thursday, 31 January 2013, 17:41
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] How good is Impress compared to PowerPoint?

Huh ???

I've been impressed with IMPRESS over MsFt's since I found it has more options, including the ability to save to whatever;
            although saving to MsFt's loses some of those options - as audio additions, and many of IMPRESS' transitional effects are also not recognized by MsFt ...

I don't understand the comment re. Android - I've heard the name, along with these fruit-names, yet have not acquired any of these yet  :wink:

Hi :slight_smile:

Have you checked your glasses for roses?  That is about the first time i have heard anyone saying they thought Impress is actually better in terms of functionality.  Especially going back a few years.

I thought a lot of progress had been made over the last year and this new remote-control feature if it's on Gnu&Linux and you are using an Android all sounds intriguing. 
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

________________________________
From: anne-ology <laginnis@gmail.com>

To: Gilles <codecomplete@free.fr>
Cc: users@global.libreoffice.org
Sent: Wednesday, 30 January 2013, 23:48
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] How good is Impress compared to PowerPoint?

IMPRESS does more, has more options; and has been my favorite for
years;
          it also allows for saving to PP, etc. - for those who refuse to
leave MSFT  :wink:

Hello

Before possibly recommending LibreOffice to

a friend who needs an office

#12

remote controls ... :wink:
           well, to me remote controls are as silly as remote auto. windows
... ... ... :wink:

       yes, I like walking ... I like horses ... I like front-porch
communication ...
           and yes, I guess I'll always refer to these machines as
'glorified typewriters'; was I born a hundred years too late :wink:

Hi :slight_smile:

#13

      remote controls ... :wink:
          well, to me remote controls are as silly as remote auto. windows ... ... ... :wink:

I know you like joshing around, all in fun. still, being able to move around in a room where you are giving a presentation can add life to the proceedings or at least startle the nodding heads.

      yes, I like walking ... I like horses ... I like front-porch
communication ...
          and yes, I guess I'll always refer to these machines as
'glorified typewriters'; was I born a hundred years too late :wink:

I've got two typewriters from the 20's and 30's and since I've been seeing your phrase about 'glorified typewriters', I've been trying to figure out how to do calculations on them, download videos with them and send what I write to remote contacts instantaneously.

guess I'd be more inclined to say the keyboard is a 'glorified typewriter'.

I do love those typewriters though! but I don't miss them.

F.

#14

very cute responses, from a very cute responder :wink:
           [see my further responses [] below]

       remote controls ... :wink:

          well, to me remote controls are as silly as remote auto.
windows ... ... ... :wink:

I know you like joshing around, all in fun. still, being able to move
around in a room where you are giving a presentation can add life to the
proceedings or at least startle the nodding heads.

       [wandering 'round the room ... when did he jump off the stage - did
he knock o'er the podium to get to the audience;
            or are you perchance wandering 'round the schoolroom or in a
committee meeting ;-)]

       yes, I like walking ... I like horses ... I like front-porch

communication ...
          and yes, I guess I'll always refer to these machines as
'glorified typewriters'; was I born a hundred years too late :wink:

I've got two typewriters from the 20's and 30's and since I've been seeing
your phrase about 'glorified typewriters', I've been trying to figure out
how to do calculations on them, download videos with them and send what I
write to remote contacts instantaneously.

       [ah, those slide rules were not as efficient as the adding machine -
then along came the hand-held, electronic calculator;
           news reels were played in the movie houses between non-stop
showings of the movie, which stayed for about a month before moving on to
smaller towns, ... ... ... ;
               letters & packages were sent through the mails with minimal
postage - couple of cents :wink: ]

guess I'd be more inclined to say the keyboard is a 'glorified typewriter'.

       [well, thanks to those, my typing definitely improved -
           & it sure does help to see any errors rather than having to
re-type after erasing and/or white-inking them]

I do love those typewriters though! but I don't miss them.

       [yep, ya' cute ;-)]

F.

--
Felmon Davis

I did not believe in reincarnation the last time either.

       [good summation ;-)]