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I often use PowerPoint for presentations. Confronted with such disadvantage: PowerPoint is not installed on each computer. Advise me an alternative solution, as you can get without having to install PowerPoint, and is it possible?

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Do you send the presentation on CD or other media and need for it to be self running, or will you be there to set things up and run the presentation? What version of PowerPoint do you need to support, and what features do you use (for example, links to external files, links to the net, movies, sounds, etc)? – Steve Rindsberg Nov 15 '11 at 15:45
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6 Answers

up vote 2 down vote
  • I wrote a website with a script catching pressed key. (Browser in fullscreen mode)
  • I often simply use PDF files
  • You can take a PPT viewer with you (portable version, no installation required)
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up vote 2 down vote

You can :

  • export the presentation from PowerPoint to a self contained presentation
  • use Google docs
  • use a tool like Prezi ( my recommendation, never looked back to PowerPoint)
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up vote 2 down vote

Microsoft provides PowerPoint Viewer free of charge. It won't allow you to modify PowerPoint presentations, but it will allow you to play them. I don't think there's a portable version that can be run from a thumb drive, but it's a small install for computers that don't have the full Office treatment.

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up vote 1 down vote

You can use Windows Live Webapps.

You can also use the Broadcast feature which allows all your users to watch the same slideshow.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps-help/about-the-broadcast-slide-show-feature-HA010383019.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA010378340

You send a link to your users and they can all watch your slideshow. You can control which slide they see from inside Powerpoint.

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up vote 1 down vote

As far as I know, PowerPoint is able to produce a standalone .exe file that plays your slideshow. I guess that would be a suitable solution for almost any computer, because you do not need to install anything and you do not need any user privileges at all. Unfortunately I do not have MS Office on my own, but I guess you should find the option to do that on "export" or "save as". I also heard the it is possible to export the slideshow as flash (.swf) file (I know for sure in LibreOffice) which would be a possibility, too because most systems nowadays have an internet browser with installed flash player.

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PowerPoint isn't able to produce a standalone EXE. While it can't export Flash on its own, there are add-ins that will convert PPT to Flash. – Steve Rindsberg Nov 15 '11 at 15:43
I am pretty sure that I used that feature a few years ago, it may be that it was only in a very old office version. Exporting as flash, like I said can be done in LibreOffice. It is one additional tool, but using a tool or using a plugin is mostly not a very big difference. – Michael K Nov 15 '11 at 15:45
I'm guessing you may've used something like this: indezine.com/products/powerpoint/pp2003/ppt2exe.html (not exactly built into PPT but semi-close). Subject to the limitations of the viewer, it'd work nicely for many uses, but wouldn't work with the 2010 viewer, in case that's a necessity. – Steve Rindsberg Nov 15 '11 at 15:57
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up vote 0 down vote

GoogleDocs has a presentation tool.

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