Powerpoint is a program designed for
making visual presentations to an audience.
It was designed by a UC Berkeley graduate
student named Bob Gaskins back in the
early 1980s, and has since grown by
leaps and bounds to become one of the
most widely used presentation software
programs by businesses, schools, and
even governments around the world. Different
versions of Powerpoint have been made
for both the Apple and the PC, produced
by its vendor Microsoft. Powerpoint
2000 is the version released in conjunction
with the Microsoft Office 2000 package,
and is designed to word on a Windows
operating system platform.
Powerpoint 2000 offered a number
of steps forward from its previous
versions. In the 2000 version, it
became easier to access recently used
documents using the 'Open File' selection.
A history of the last 20 to 50 documents
used is readily available with just
a click, reducing the amount of time
spent searching through folders for
the desired file. The copy and paste
function was enhanced as well, allowing
up to 12 items to be stored on a 'clipboard'
that could be accessed later using
any of the Microsoft Office 2000 programs.
The Powerpoint 2000 version also
had a number of advances in its presentation
design features as well. The Office
Assistant feature was enhanced, taking
up less screen space and generally
being a little less obnoxious than
the previous versions. It also was
updated with a host of new tips, and
advice to offer learning users of
the program guidance in using its
less obvious functions. The newer
assistant also offers direct links
to the internet, should your questions
go unanswered. Many critics still
find the assistant to be more annoying
than helpful, but not to worry; it
can be easily disabled if you find
it too distracting.
The 2000 version of Powerpoint offered
a host of other advances over previous
versions, including and 'auto-fit'
text function, better viewing options,
graphical bullets, support for using
numbered lists, a more advanced voice
narration feature, some new design
and content templates, and a more
in depth tutorial for new users of
the program. Powerpoint 2000 also
offers an updated clip art gallery,
more graphics and objects to use,
better scanner support and the ability
to use animated GIF files in your
presentation.
Even though there have since been
several newer versions of the program,
the advances of Powerpoint 2000 was
a significant benchmark for the series,
and is still widely used around the
world today.
