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Buzz · 03-16-2006, 09:29 PM

Powerpoint Question

I have a computer running XP Home Edition. I installed Office Small Business 2000 and want to install Powerpoint.

The Powerpoint viewer that came with the Office software is Powerpoint Viewer 2003.

Question is …What version of Powerpoint do I want to buy and install?

Thanks for your help.

Buzz

JustRalph · 03-17-2006, 08:45 AM

you should probably buy a whole new version of "office"

But, if you just want powerpoint.......buy the latest greatest version, that you can afford. The price will be lower for older versions that are sitting on the shelf somewhere..........but make sure you know what features are missing from the older versions...............don't forget that "student " discounts are some of the best on software.........so if you are a student or have one in the family...........have them buy it.

OTM Al · 03-17-2006, 08:55 AM

Definitely have a student or someone that works at a university buy the Office suite for you. The normal student price is around $200 for the whole professional suite. We had a special deal at New York University a few months back that was offering it for only $80

cj · 03-17-2006, 09:03 AM

The best deal on software isn't the "student deal", is is the OpenOffice deal.

You get the whole suite, free, and it is compatible with Microsoft Office.

Here is the page for "Impress", the PowerPoint compatible program, that is part of the package.

http://www.openoffice.org/product/impress.html

Stevie Belmont · 03-17-2006, 11:03 AM

Make sure its office 2003. Earlier versions of Powerpoint are not as updated. 2003 Powerpoint was fully overhauled when they re did office 03. The other applications have changes as well, but minor compared to what they did with powerpoint. Powerpoint viewer is to just show presentations, you can not produce any with that.

traynor · 03-18-2006, 02:56 AM

cj wrote: <The best deal on software isn't the "student deal", is is the OpenOffice deal.>

I agree wholeheartedly. And for all you Micro-softies out there who cringe at the thought of using anything that doesn't come from Redmond--you can't really tell the difference unless you know a lot more than most of the people who use Office. Same windows, same menu system, etc.

The only problem I have ever encountered with Open Office is in the file saving, not the file opening. If you ship a lot of Word docs around, save the Open Office files as .doc instead of .sxw. Aside from that, Open Office is about at good a clone as you can get, and a lot of technical writers have already switched away from Office. I am definitely not anti-Microsoft, nor am I an open-source advocate--Open Office is a great product, and will do everything Office does and more.
Good Luck

Dave Schwartz · 03-18-2006, 03:33 AM

Last time I noticed, Costco had a complete Student version of Office for around $150.

Dave

hcap · 03-18-2006, 05:49 AM

Anybody know if OpenOffice will do vba as in excell? Or does it have its own programming language?

Buzz · 03-18-2006, 07:32 AM

Thanks Everyone for your input.

Does anyone know if I can import PDF files into OpenOffice and use them in a PowerPoint presentation?

If not, can I do it using MS Office and PowerPoint?

Buzz

hurrikane · 03-18-2006, 07:39 AM

I think you need to save the pdf as a jpg and then bring it into powerpoint. not sure about openoffice. Don't believe you can bring a pdf into powerpoint student office or the regular office suite. Even in the enterprise edition it you do you can't manipulate it very well.

Buzz · 03-18-2006, 08:49 AM

Hurrikane,

I am having a problem with poor quality when I convert a PDF file to any other format. Converting to a Gif works best but even that produces a poor finished image. Oddly enough the quality holds up when I view it after I post it. However when I print it out the image is barely usable.

I am wondering if I need to scan the original and convert that to a Gif and work from there.

Any suggestions?

Thanks ,

Buzz

michiken · 03-18-2006, 10:37 AM

The best way to nab images from a pdf:

1. If the photo you want to nab is large enough to view entirely, try hitting the ALT+PRINT SCREEN buttons simultaneously.

a. In windows, this will copy the screen to your clipboard. In Linux, this will automatically want to save the photo to your desktop.

b. Next in Windows, open up paint or your photo editor (try IrfanView available from download.com) and crop/edit/resize the photo.

c. If you have openoffice, try opening it with DRAW.

d. Saving your photos in .png format will give you better resolution than jpegs because it is not a lossy format.

2. If the photo is too small to view in its entirety - try hitting the F11 key first to go into Full Screen Mode first before doing step 1.

PM me if you need more help.

michiken · 03-18-2006, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcap

Anybody know if OpenOffice will do vba as in excell? Or does it have its own programming language?

*H* - See this link for an answer

michiken · 03-18-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiken

b. Next in Windows, open up paint or your photo editor (try IrfanView ...

Oops forgot a step... When you open your photo editor, you will have do to an 'Edit / Paste' or 'Edit /Paste as New' first to copy the contents from the clipboard.

hcap · 03-18-2006, 03:01 PM

michiken,

Thanks. One last question. I make use of the "advanced filter" in excel. Not the "auto" filter. Lends itself to lots of stuff that I do in excel with vba. Do you know if there's an similiar tool in OpenOffice? I only see pivot table capability in Open Office. No mention of auto or the advanced filter in the on-line help.