3 ms·

Nice post, > that managers could review offline web pages can be viewed offline

by rando289 12y ago

rattray 12y ago
Not easily. Not by your average user.
- jhchen 12y ago
  From a technical perspective a standard web page could be saved in single HTML file that can be opened offline (with all JS/CSS inlined and images base64 encoded and inclined)--so it can be as easy as double-clicking on a file (just an .html file instead of .ppt). The average user probably lacks this knowledge though and wouldn't know to or try to double-click on an html file but it is technically feasible.
  - roel_v 12y ago
    Microsoft had technology to do just this in 1999 (!). It was known as 'HTA' (Html Applications) but was ahead of its time - the rich DOM manipulation and CSS effects we have now didn't exist. HTA was discontinued years ago afaik, but in hindsight it was a peak at the future.
    - roel_v 12y ago
      [can no longer edit but of course should have said 'peek' blush]
kgu87 12y ago
Agree, nice post. Two of the major challenges displacing PPT with interactive tools, particularly in consulting, market research type of business, where large 100+ slide decks are common, are going to be the (1) need to produce decks on clients' templates and (2) need to email decks. The direction in which a few emerging CSS/JS based tools (slides, reveal, etc) are going will not solve that problem. D3/WebGL etc. are awesome, of course, for the web. However it's relatively rare when a busy exec will have time to use non PPT based deck.
- o0-0o 12y ago
  I agree with your sentiment about email, and wanted to add that the major reason for this is still a fear of lack of Internet. There has never been a meeting I've attended in ~20 years where we didn't have a backup plan if we had no Internet. This still looks like a solutions that needs the Internet to work. MS would do well to make these formats offline and open-able with the next version of PPT. Take that to the bank!
  - coldtea 12y ago
    >There has never been a meeting I've attended in ~20 years where we didn't have a backup plan if we had no Internet. In what kind of business? This sounds like totally atypical in any modern enterprise.

Nice post, > that managers could review offline web pages can be viewed offline

rattray 12y ago

Not easily. Not by your average user.

jhchen 12y ago
From a technical perspective a standard web page could be saved in single HTML file that can be opened offline (with all JS/CSS inlined and images base64 encoded and inclined)--so it can be as easy as double-clicking on a file (just an .html file instead of .ppt). The average user probably lacks this knowledge though and wouldn't know to or try to double-click on an html file but it is technically feasible.
- roel_v 12y ago
  Microsoft had technology to do just this in 1999 (!). It was known as 'HTA' (Html Applications) but was ahead of its time - the rich DOM manipulation and CSS effects we have now didn't exist. HTA was discontinued years ago afaik, but in hindsight it was a peak at the future.
  - roel_v 12y ago
    [can no longer edit but of course should have said 'peek' blush]

kgu87 12y ago

Agree, nice post. Two of the major challenges displacing PPT with interactive tools, particularly in consulting, market research type of business, where large 100+ slide decks are common, are going to be the (1) need to produce decks on clients' templates and (2) need to email decks. The direction in which a few emerging CSS/JS based tools (slides, reveal, etc) are going will not solve that problem. D3/WebGL etc. are awesome, of course, for the web. However it's relatively rare when a busy exec will have time to use non PPT based deck.

o0-0o 12y ago
I agree with your sentiment about email, and wanted to add that the major reason for this is still a fear of lack of Internet. There has never been a meeting I've attended in ~20 years where we didn't have a backup plan if we had no Internet. This still looks like a solutions that needs the Internet to work. MS would do well to make these formats offline and open-able with the next version of PPT. Take that to the bank!
- coldtea 12y ago
  >There has never been a meeting I've attended in ~20 years where we didn't have a backup plan if we had no Internet. In what kind of business? This sounds like totally atypical in any modern enterprise.