Just tried 3.0 beta. Sorry, but in one area there is very little improvement compared to previous version: Video handling. Tried to import a couple of Powerpoint presentations. The videos didn't play, their positions on the slide were random, starting and stopping didn't work, didn't loop. Then I tried to create an Impress presentation with video clips. Having made more than 500 presentations with videos with Powerpoint where even the first one was easy to create, it was impossible for me to get the video clips play the way I wanted. I even couldn't get the videos to start on a click, even if there was a command for it. To end a clip with a click to get the next clip playing was apparently not thought about.
I am working at a University, and almost any professor/teacher I know about are using video clips now and then. Then they have to use Powerpoint, and then they have MS Office, and then they don't need OpenOffice. It is so sad because the OO otherwise seem to be a very very good product. However, if the video problem is not solved, it will never never penetrate the academic institutions.
Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
Re: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
The title shoul be: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to use Powerpoint
Re: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
Do you really speak for the "whole academic community"?
You can edit the title of your first post; why not consider changing it to "Why I am still forced to use Powerpoint", or "Why many are still forced to use Powerpoint", or even "Poor video support forces many to use Powerpoint". Then you'll have a complete thread title, and It will be more accurate.
Other than the scope of it, I don't think you'll find anyone here who disagrees with your statement. Impress is far behind Powerpoint in most functions, and audio/video content is nearly unusable. Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing anyone here can do about it: we're merely users, not developers.
Have you read the Forum Survival Guide?
I would also say that, in my experience, video in Powerpoint is not altogether wonderful either. When it works, it works well, but it often fails to work at all, depending on the storage format of the video.
You can edit the title of your first post; why not consider changing it to "Why I am still forced to use Powerpoint", or "Why many are still forced to use Powerpoint", or even "Poor video support forces many to use Powerpoint". Then you'll have a complete thread title, and It will be more accurate.
Other than the scope of it, I don't think you'll find anyone here who disagrees with your statement. Impress is far behind Powerpoint in most functions, and audio/video content is nearly unusable. Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing anyone here can do about it: we're merely users, not developers.
Have you read the Forum Survival Guide?
I would also say that, in my experience, video in Powerpoint is not altogether wonderful either. When it works, it works well, but it often fails to work at all, depending on the storage format of the video.
AOO4/LO5 • Linux • Fedora 23
Re: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
No, of course I am not speaking for every single person in academic institutions, but since every teaching institution (University level) I know about, any academic Congress I have attended, every single presenter I have met, have standardized on Powerpoint, I think my heading is quite descriptive of the situation.
I know that there are lots of features missing compared to MS Office, but a lot of them are unimportant. Good video handling, however, is a must, and I really think significant improvement in that area would make a lot of academic personell change to OO. I certainly would.
I see, however, that I may be on the wrong forum since I thought this forum was some kind of a feedback forum to OpenOffice.org. I just now see that there is a difference between OpenOffice.org Community forum and OpenOffice.org forum. Thanks for making me aware of that.
I know that there are lots of features missing compared to MS Office, but a lot of them are unimportant. Good video handling, however, is a must, and I really think significant improvement in that area would make a lot of academic personell change to OO. I certainly would.
I see, however, that I may be on the wrong forum since I thought this forum was some kind of a feedback forum to OpenOffice.org. I just now see that there is a difference between OpenOffice.org Community forum and OpenOffice.org forum. Thanks for making me aware of that.
Re: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
Hi there,
under Linux it took me some internet research and some messing around with the JRE but I finally got videos playing pretty well in my open office presentations (They won't play on a click though - they start automatically after entering the viewgraph containing them is shown.)
I give all my talks and all my lectures (physics, acoustics-with plenty of sound demonstrations, statistics and the like) under openoffice on an ubuntu-linux system. I agree that most of my colleagues use powerpoint but at least at our Institution (University of Applied Science, Wedel) may be one out of five or ten lecture series are held under openoffice and some 20 percent of my colleagues use linux instead of windows for presentations(some of them present pdf documents under the adobe reader). Regarding the students I would estimate that about 30% of my students use openoffice for their seminar talks (mostly under windows).
So I insist that not all the academic community uses Powerpoint!
From my personal experience: The effort of converting a fundus of lectures from Windows/Powerpoint to a free system takes a lot of effort. It took me about a year until everything ran smooth - as far as any lecture series involving different notebooks, different beamers, different hardware and multimedia equipment can run smooth at all.....
But I consider it worth the effort to demonstrate to our students the benefit of using open standard/open source (and free of charge) software. Of course Microsoft pampers us and we lecturers would never really have to pay personally for our commercial standard(microsoft) software. But the students have to pay. By accepting the special offers for universities and being lazy enough to go the easy way and use Powerpoint and the like we let us use as the worm on the hook.
Yes it takes an effort to convert to free and open source software, but the hard part is the conversion itself. Once you got through you are up for a smooth ride and you'll find yourself independent and empowered. (Maybe this sounds a bit too pathetic but thats what I feel.)
Have fun with open office
regards
micha137
under Linux it took me some internet research and some messing around with the JRE but I finally got videos playing pretty well in my open office presentations (They won't play on a click though - they start automatically after entering the viewgraph containing them is shown.)
I give all my talks and all my lectures (physics, acoustics-with plenty of sound demonstrations, statistics and the like) under openoffice on an ubuntu-linux system. I agree that most of my colleagues use powerpoint but at least at our Institution (University of Applied Science, Wedel) may be one out of five or ten lecture series are held under openoffice and some 20 percent of my colleagues use linux instead of windows for presentations(some of them present pdf documents under the adobe reader). Regarding the students I would estimate that about 30% of my students use openoffice for their seminar talks (mostly under windows).
So I insist that not all the academic community uses Powerpoint!
From my personal experience: The effort of converting a fundus of lectures from Windows/Powerpoint to a free system takes a lot of effort. It took me about a year until everything ran smooth - as far as any lecture series involving different notebooks, different beamers, different hardware and multimedia equipment can run smooth at all.....
But I consider it worth the effort to demonstrate to our students the benefit of using open standard/open source (and free of charge) software. Of course Microsoft pampers us and we lecturers would never really have to pay personally for our commercial standard(microsoft) software. But the students have to pay. By accepting the special offers for universities and being lazy enough to go the easy way and use Powerpoint and the like we let us use as the worm on the hook.
Yes it takes an effort to convert to free and open source software, but the hard part is the conversion itself. Once you got through you are up for a smooth ride and you'll find yourself independent and empowered. (Maybe this sounds a bit too pathetic but thats what I feel.)
Have fun with open office
regards
micha137
OOo 3.0.X on Ubuntu 8.x
Re: Why I and the whole academic community are still forced to u
Nice! Thanks, micha, for sharing your experiences.
I agree with you that it's worth some extra effort to have control over my own documents, but of course people must decide for themselves how much effort it's worth.
I agree with you that it's worth some extra effort to have control over my own documents, but of course people must decide for themselves how much effort it's worth.
AOO4/LO5 • Linux • Fedora 23