- PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft Office suite that runs on Windows and Mac operating systems. Originally designed for Macintosh computers as "Presenter" in 1987, it was renamed PowerPoint and acquired by Microsoft. - PowerPoint allows users to create slide presentations consisting of text, graphics, videos and other objects that can be printed, displayed live, or navigated through by a presenter. It provides animation features to emphasize or transition between slides. - Since its initial release, PowerPoint has become a standard presentation tool used widely in business, education, and other fields to summarize information and engage audiences visually.

2. • PowerPoint is a presentation program developed by
Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office system,
and runs on Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS
computer operating systems.
• Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint,
is a non-free commercial presentation
program developed by Microsoft. It is part of
the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft
Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system.
The current versions are Microsoft Office PowerPoint
2010 for Windows and Microsoft Office PowerPoint
2011 for Mac.

3. • Originally designed for the Macintosh computers, the initial release was
called "Presenter", developed by Dennis Austin and Thomas
Rudkin of Forethought, Inc. In 1987, it was renamed to "PowerPoint"
due to problems with trademarks, the idea for the name coming from
Robert Gaskins.[ In August of the same year, Forethought was bought by
Microsoft for $14 million USD ($27.1 million in present-day terms), and
became Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit, which continued to develop
the software further. PowerPoint was officially launched on May 22,
1990, the same day that Microsoft released Windows 3.0.
• PowerPoint changed significantly with PowerPoint 97. Prior to
PowerPoint 97, presentations were linear, always proceeding from one
slide to the next. PowerPoint 97 incorporated the Visual Basic for
Applications(VBA) language, underlying all macro generation in Office
97, which allowed users to invoke pre-defined transitions and effects
in a non-linear movie-like style without having to learn programming
• PowerPoint 2000 (and the rest of the Office 2000 suite) introduced a
clipboard that could hold multiple objects at once. Another change was
that the Office Assistant was changed to be less intrusive.

4. • PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of individual pages or
"slides". The "slide" analogy is a reference to the slide projector. Slides
may contain text, graphics, sound, movies, and other objects, which
may be arranged freely. PowerPoint, however, facilitates the use of a
consistent style in a presentation using a template or "Slide Master".
• The presentation can be printed, displayed live on a computer, or
navigated through at the command of the presenter. For larger
audiences the computer display is often projected using a video
projector. Slides can also form the basis of webcasts.
• PowerPoint provides three types of movements:
• Entrance, emphasis, and exit of elements on a slide itself are
controlled by what PowerPoint calls Custom Animations
• Transitions, on the other hand, are movements between slides. These
can be animated in a variety of ways
• Custom animation can be used to create small story boards by
animating pictures to enter, exit or move.

5. It was Bob Gaskins, a former PhD student of Berkeley, who first came
with the idea of PowerPoint. Later, Gaskins, with the help of
software developer, Dennis Austin designed 'Presenter' to
implement his idea. But the original version of the program was
created by Dennis Austin and Thomas Rudkin and the name of the
program was suggested by Bob Gaskins.
Initially, the program was released in Apple Macintosh in the year
1987, and it was only in later part of that year that Microsoft
purchased the right of the program along with the company
Forethought, the original company for whom Bob
and Dennis worked. The Windows version of
the program was released in the year
1990, and since that year PowerPoint comes
as a standard part of the
Microsoft Office.

7. Versions for Microsoft Windows include:
* 1990 PowerPoint 2.0 for Windows 3.0
* 1992 PowerPoint 3.0 for Windows 3.1
* 1993 PowerPoint 4.0 (Office 4.x)
* 1995 PowerPoint for Windows 95 (version 7.0) — (Office 95)
* 1997 PowerPoint 97 — (Office 97)
* 1999 PowerPoint 2000 (version 9.0) — (Office 2000)
* 2001 PowerPoint 2002 (version 10) — (Office XP)
* 2003 PowerPoint 2003 (version 11) — (Office 2003)
* 2007 PowerPoint 2007 (version 12) — (Office 2007)
Versions for the Mac OS include:
* 1987 PowerPoint 1.0 for Mac OS classic
* 1988 PowerPoint 2.0 for Mac OS classic
* 1992 PowerPoint 3.0 for Mac OS classic
* 1994 PowerPoint 4.0 for Mac OS classic
* 1998 PowerPoint 98 (8.0) for Mac OS classic (Office 1998 for Mac)
* 2000 PowerPoint 2001 (9.0) for Mac OS X (Office 2001 for Mac)
* 2002 PowerPoint v. X (10.0) for Mac OS X (Office:Mac v. X)
* 2004 PowerPoint 2004 (11.0) for Mac OS X Office:Mac 2004
* 2008 PowerPoint 2008 (12.0) for Mac OS X Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

8. • Microsoft's PowerPoint program, which is
bundled with any MS Office suite, has emerged as one
of the most dynamic presentation tools. Today,
PowerPoint presentations in many forms, styles and
custom layouts are used by working professionals,
academics, students, medical practitioners, politicos
and others to showcase material, information and data.
Slide shows and complex presentations comprising
text, images, 3-D graphics, audio clips, sound effects
and flashy animations are used creatively to enliven
discussions, add value to lectures, make compelling
speeches and enrich studies and reports

9. •Flexibility and Customization
–The introduction of newer tools and custom templates and the ability to be
–used in many platforms makes PowerPoint a flexible and highly customizable tool.
–User ingenuity can be meshed with this flexibility and customization characteristics
• to present information and material to suit specific needs and audiences.
• Summarize Detailed Reports
– PowerPoint presentations capture the essence and summarize key points of highly
detailed reports, surveys and studies on any subject or domain. Slides with
statistical highlights and important facts are also used to present critical
information.
• Educational Value
– PowerPoint presentations are used by professors and teachers to add value to their
lectures and notes. Students use PowerPoint slides and presentations to enrich their
assignments, projects and other coursework submissions.
• Sales Presentations
– Sales professionals regularly use compelling PowerPoint presentations comprising
of data and informative content to inform, educate and enthuse different user
audiences about products and services.
• Effective Visual Tool
– The visual imagery made possible by juggling various PowerPoint combinations,
design templates and other tools is used by speakers to add value to speeches and
presentations and engage audiences via projector screens during conferences,
seminars and symposiums.

10. Preparation
The disadvantages that might be encountered when preparing a Powerpoint presentation
include the lack of necessary skills needed and a sense of overwhelming freedom.
Although most people do not find the Powerpoint program difficult to use, it still
requires a certain set of skills to effectively create a successful presentation. Individuals
with little or no experience with the program may find it difficult to use. For those who
are familiar with the program, they understand that it offers tremendous flexibility and
creativity. Occasionally, individuals allow for too much creative output, which distracts
from the main focus of the presentation. Graphics, video clips and decorative elements
need to be minimized to allow the text to have its necessary impact.
Presentation
The disadvantage associated with Powerpoint presentations is the system requirements
involved. A computer, projector, screen and electricity will all be required. It will also be
necessary to dim the lights in the room to allow for proper viewing. The other
disadvantage is the risk of technical difficulties. The success of the presentation depends
entirely on the proper functioning of technology.
Storage
After the presentation, the Powerpoint slides can be easily distributed to the
necessary people for future references. Unlike paperwork, a Powerpoint
presentation can be stored easily on the computer and cannot be easily lost or
misplaced. However, the disadvantage is that the electronic file may be lost as a
result of a computer virus or accidental deletion.