The PowerPoint Killers

I have been working with the Open Office Suite instead of my usual Microsoft Suite this month. Other than OO being free, there aren't many differences between PowerPoint and Impress; Word and Writer; or Excel and Calc.

I click on "help" a little more often in OO. It's sort of like using someone else's kitchen for a month -- I know how to cook, but they arrange their cabinets a little differently. I keep my cinnamon on the left cabinet lower shelf, they keep theirs in a spice rack over the fridge.

So I have to hunt around a little bit more to find what I need. But "help" gives me a map to find the tools I need. So slowly, I am getting used to this kitchen. I'm finding the stuff I need.

But will I make the switch permanently? Ah, there is the rub....

I do not know. I don't know exactly why I don't know, either.

Seth Godin remarks in his post, Fear of Switching that "Just because something is newer or better or bigger doesn't mean you should switch."

There are so many newer, better, cheaper options than the programs in the Microsoft Suite -- witness Open Office or Google Spreadsheets. And there are numerous firms working on online slideware applications -- these are the potential PowerPoint killers -- firms like Thinkfree and Thumbstacks are working on online applications so that road warrior presenters don't have to lug their laptops around...among other benefits.

But what is it REALLY going to take for people to switch from using PowerPoint as their slideware instead of an alternative solution?

What would make YOU switch...for good? ¶ 6/14/2006 03:51:00 PM