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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

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.

hexane360 10y ago
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. . .
- martin-adams 10y ago
  I put some cheesy sound effects in a powerpoint slide when I was up late working on it, then forgot when I was presenting. Completely threw me off.
- matt4077 10y ago
  Nah, Powerpoint karaoke is where it's at :)
mikehearn 10y ago
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 circulated.
- martin-adams 10y ago
  Actually you're right. I know a UX designer who had all the UI elements in wireframes and would move things around in Powerpoint based on feedback on conference calls. I think my observation is when someone who 'thinks' they know what the right thing to do is from a UI point of view and shares it around before getting the actual designers involved. The ones who say, we need another button here, rather than asking, what is the user trying to achieve.
  - surganov 10y ago
    > Keynotopia transforms Keynote and PowerPoint into the best rapid prototyping tools for creating mobile, web and desktop app mockups http://keynotopia.com http://keynotopia.com
- hnal943 10y ago
  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.
- nashashmi 10y ago
  You just inspired me to see everything in its simplest yet powerful form. Hell with intent!
- derriz 10y ago
  Agreed. I've also used (pre-ribbon) Excel effectively for this purpose by drawing the UI using cell background colors and border effects on multiple sheets. Occasionally breaking out some controls and bits of VBA if necessary.
- blt 10y ago
  I was shocked the first time I saw someone use Powerpoint to make diagrams for an academic paper. Then I realized it's the closest thing to a real vector graphics editor in a typical person's toolbox. I won't stop being an Illustrator/LaTeX snob for my own work, but I can't fault people for using something they already know to get the job done and move on.
pmarreck 10y ago
The first version of Excel was ALSO for Mac. I think the Macintosh doesn't get enough credit for what it inspired at the time.
- Razengan 10y ago
  As well as the first SimCity and a few other series that started in the Apple ecosystem. One of the bigger ironies is how Doom was developed on NeXTSTEP then went on to make the IBM PC cool among gamers. Also the first web server if I'm not mistaken. Thankfully, unlike the Amiga etc. the Mac didn't completely die and has been having a great resurgence in the past half-decade. Looking forward to this Monday and hoping for Apple to focus on making this platform even better.
  - wlesieutre 10y ago
    Halo was being developed for Mac as well, until MS went and bought Bungie. They presented on stage at MacWorld in 1999.
    - ethbro 10y ago
      sighs Oh, Marathon.
      - lostlogin 10y ago
        I still hear the rocket launcher occasionally.
      - vt240 10y ago
        Somewhere I have DATs with like 1GB of custom Marathon levels and texture designs. Including a complete model of our Junior High School a friend of mine made. I'm not sure how I missed the announcement they open-sourced them.
    - uxp 10y ago
      It was released on Mac. http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo/ http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo/
dogma1138 10y ago
Where's the irony? Microsoft started (ignore the DOS part) as a company that developed applications for Macintosh specifically word and excel which started on the Mac and only got Windows support in later versions with Word 4/Word for Windows 1.0 and Excel 2.0.
- vidarh 10y ago
  The Macintosh didn't exist when Microsoft started, and neither did the PC.
- kalleboo 10y ago
  The first version of MS Word was for MS-DOS, not the Mac
  - dogma1138 10y ago
    Looks like you are correct Excel 1.0 and Word 1.0 were released for the Mac in 1985, Word 1.0 was released for MS-DOS 18 months earlier. Excel was never released for the MSDOS and both it and Word came to Windows in 1987.
    - xorcist 10y ago
      Excel and Word for Windows was created to showcase Windows, but I doubt it was as early as 1987. Multiplan was the DOS based spreadsheet software they sold (successfully) at the time.
      - dogma1138 10y ago
        The dates were from MSFT and Wikipedia, I was 1 year old then so I would have to take your word for it.
      - dreamcompiler 10y ago
        Multiplan was also sold for the Mac in 1984 or 85. I still have a copy of it.
    - 10y ago
rogerbinns 10y ago
I work with someone who uses PowerPoint as a digital whiteboard. It does turn out to be very effective at that, and as a bonus the results can easily be shared without viewers having to use some obscure whiteboard software.
Tomte 10y ago
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.
- tboughen 10y ago
  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.
treebeard901 10y ago
Same here. I had one of the stereotypical insecure manager types try to compete on an enterprise business intelligence solution by creating something in powerpoint that read some data point from an excel file. Not too sure how that worked out for him.

hexane360 10y ago

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. . .

martin-adams 10y ago
I put some cheesy sound effects in a powerpoint slide when I was up late working on it, then forgot when I was presenting. Completely threw me off.
matt4077 10y ago
Nah, Powerpoint karaoke is where it's at :)

mikehearn 10y ago

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 circulated.

martin-adams 10y ago
Actually you're right. I know a UX designer who had all the UI elements in wireframes and would move things around in Powerpoint based on feedback on conference calls. I think my observation is when someone who 'thinks' they know what the right thing to do is from a UI point of view and shares it around before getting the actual designers involved. The ones who say, we need another button here, rather than asking, what is the user trying to achieve.
- surganov 10y ago
  > Keynotopia transforms Keynote and PowerPoint into the best rapid prototyping tools for creating mobile, web and desktop app mockups http://keynotopia.com http://keynotopia.com
hnal943 10y ago
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.
nashashmi 10y ago
You just inspired me to see everything in its simplest yet powerful form. Hell with intent!
derriz 10y ago
Agreed. I've also used (pre-ribbon) Excel effectively for this purpose by drawing the UI using cell background colors and border effects on multiple sheets. Occasionally breaking out some controls and bits of VBA if necessary.
blt 10y ago
I was shocked the first time I saw someone use Powerpoint to make diagrams for an academic paper. Then I realized it's the closest thing to a real vector graphics editor in a typical person's toolbox. I won't stop being an Illustrator/LaTeX snob for my own work, but I can't fault people for using something they already know to get the job done and move on.

pmarreck 10y ago

The first version of Excel was ALSO for Mac. I think the Macintosh doesn't get enough credit for what it inspired at the time.

Razengan 10y ago
As well as the first SimCity and a few other series that started in the Apple ecosystem. One of the bigger ironies is how Doom was developed on NeXTSTEP then went on to make the IBM PC cool among gamers. Also the first web server if I'm not mistaken. Thankfully, unlike the Amiga etc. the Mac didn't completely die and has been having a great resurgence in the past half-decade. Looking forward to this Monday and hoping for Apple to focus on making this platform even better.
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  Halo was being developed for Mac as well, until MS went and bought Bungie. They presented on stage at MacWorld in 1999.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    sighs Oh, Marathon.
    - lostlogin 10y ago
      I still hear the rocket launcher occasionally.
    - vt240 10y ago
      Somewhere I have DATs with like 1GB of custom Marathon levels and texture designs. Including a complete model of our Junior High School a friend of mine made. I'm not sure how I missed the announcement they open-sourced them.
  - uxp 10y ago
    It was released on Mac. http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo/ http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo/

dogma1138 10y ago

Where's the irony? Microsoft started (ignore the DOS part) as a company that developed applications for Macintosh specifically word and excel which started on the Mac and only got Windows support in later versions with Word 4/Word for Windows 1.0 and Excel 2.0.

vidarh 10y ago
The Macintosh didn't exist when Microsoft started, and neither did the PC.
kalleboo 10y ago
The first version of MS Word was for MS-DOS, not the Mac
- dogma1138 10y ago
  Looks like you are correct Excel 1.0 and Word 1.0 were released for the Mac in 1985, Word 1.0 was released for MS-DOS 18 months earlier. Excel was never released for the MSDOS and both it and Word came to Windows in 1987.
  - xorcist 10y ago
    Excel and Word for Windows was created to showcase Windows, but I doubt it was as early as 1987. Multiplan was the DOS based spreadsheet software they sold (successfully) at the time.
    - dogma1138 10y ago
      The dates were from MSFT and Wikipedia, I was 1 year old then so I would have to take your word for it.
    - dreamcompiler 10y ago
      Multiplan was also sold for the Mac in 1984 or 85. I still have a copy of it.
  - 10y ago

rogerbinns 10y ago

I work with someone who uses PowerPoint as a digital whiteboard. It does turn out to be very effective at that, and as a bonus the results can easily be shared without viewers having to use some obscure whiteboard software.

Tomte 10y ago

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.

tboughen 10y ago
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.

treebeard901 10y ago

Same here. I had one of the stereotypical insecure manager types try to compete on an enterprise business intelligence solution by creating something in powerpoint that read some data point from an excel file. Not too sure how that worked out for him.