Four tools for non-linear presentations
Guidelines
Thousands of users sit through talks twiddling their thumbs while looking at bullet point parades against garish backgrounds. Four tools in the current test prove that presentations can be visually appealing, dynamic, and even exciting.
Most people listening to a lecture will not openly ask the heretical question: “Is he just using PowerPoint, or does he have a message?” However, it does reveal a dent in the market leader’s halo. The software isn’t necessarily to blame, even though it does tempt lecturers to create slides as cues, rather than underlining their message with meaningful visual information. It is more of a problem with the rigid format in PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress, and the like, and it is always hard to keep track of a presentation with complex slides.
When an artist and a computer scientist got together in 2007 to define an alternative to dusty deserts of slides, they had no need to reinvent the wheel. Adam Somlai-Fischer and Peter Halacsy polished up the old kindergarten technique of wall collages by adding a clear guide line, and Prezi is their interactive presentation workspace for the browser. The platform-independent tool served as a template and inspiration for the other test candidates and is thus the first to enter the ring. From the rich choice of open source me-toos, the test team also picked the browser-based tools dizzy.js and impress.js, as well as the Inkscape add-on Sozi. All of our presentation experiments used Firefox 14.0.1 and Inkscape 0.48 on Linux Mint version 12.0 and Ubuntu 12.04, as well as Chromium 18.0 (only on Ubuntu 12.04).
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
News
-
The First Point Release For Ubuntu 22.04 is Now Available
Canonical has released the first point upgrade for Jammy Jellyfish which includes important new toolchains and fixes.
-
Kali Linux 2022.3 Released
From the creators of the most popular penetration testing distributions on the planet, comes a new release with some new tools and a community, real-time chat option.
-
The 14" Pinebook Pro Linux Laptop is Shipping
After a considerable delay, the 14" version of the Pinebook Pro laptop is, once again, available for purchase.
-
OpenMandriva Lx ROME Technical Preview Released
OpenMandriva’s rolling release distribution technical preview has been released for testing purposes and adds some of the latest/greatest software into the mix.
-
Linux Mint 21 is Now Available
The latest iteration of Linux Mint, codenamed Vanessa, has been released with a new upgrade tool and other fantastic features.
-
Firefox Adds Long-Anticipated Feature
Firefox 103 has arrived and it now includes a feature users have long awaited…sort of.
-
System76 Refreshes Their Popular Oryx Pro Laptop with a New CPU
The System76 Oryx Pro laptop has been relaunched with a 12th Gen CPU and more powerful graphics options.
-
Elive Has Released a New Beta
The Elive team is proud to announce the latest beta version (3.8.30) of its Enlightenment-centric Linux distribution.
-
Rocky Linux 9 Has Arrived
The latest iteration of Rocky Linux is now available and includes a host of new features and support for new architecture.
-
Slimbook Executive Linux Ultrabook Upgrading Their CPUs
The Spanish-based company, Slimbook, has made available their next generation Slimbook Executive Linux ultrabooks with a 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake CPU.