Contents
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO POWERPOINT.
1
1.
Presenting PowerPoint
Page 1
2.
Contemporary Evidence
Page 3
3.
The First Qualification of an Historian
Page 4
4.
Powerful Emotions Recollected in Tranquility
Page 5
5.
PowerPoint Has Many Fathers, Especially Three
Page 7
6.
All the Wizards in Order of Appearance (Division I)
Page 9
7.
All the Wizards in Order of Appearance (Division II)
Page 13
8.
Presentation Formats before PowerPoint
Page 15
9.
How Different Presentation Formats Were Used
Page 17
PART II: PREPARING FOR POWERPOINT.
21
10.
“Why Did You Pick This Idea to Work On?”
Page 21
11.
The Audio-Visual Industry
Page 23
12.
Computers and the Humanities
Page 25
13.
Northern Telecom Company Culture
Page 28
14.
How Much Pain Will They Endure?
Page 30
15.
The Global Presentation Grand Tour
Page 32
16.
Focused Prediction of New Categories
Page 34
17.
This Wouldn’t Make Sense with the Internet
Page 35
PART III: FORETHOUGHT BEFORE POWERPOINT.
39
18.
Forethought’s Earlier Idea
Page 39
19.
The “Lab Day” Demonstration
Page 42
20.
Liquidate or Restart?
Page 44
21.
Why Would Forethought Want to Hire Me?
Page 45
22.
Why Would I Want to Join Forethought?
Page 47
23.
Alternatives to Joining Forethought
Page 49
24.
The Restart Strategy: Two Parallel Paths
Page 51
25.
Dual Paths Reflect Dual Managers
Page 53
26.
To Refocus: Applications for Standard Platforms
Page 56
27.
The MACWARE Brand
Page 57
PART IV: POWERPOINT 1.0.
61
28.
The First Two-Page Description of PowerPoint
Page 61
29.
Enlisting Dennis Austin
Page 64
30.
Evaluating Microsoft Windows Before It Shipped
Page 67
31.
Shipping FileMaker in the Mac Doldrums of 1985
Page 70
32.
Starting on PowerPoint Planning
Page 72
33.
But Isn’t PowerPoint Too Simple?
Page 73
34.
Why I Thought Many People Wanted PowerPoint
Page 74
37.
There Are No Successful Competitors
Page 78
35.
Leveraging Personal Motivations
Page 75
36.
Potential Customers Are Spending Heavily Now
Page 77
38.
Presentations Require Graphical PCs
Page 79
39.
Presentations Will Be One of the Largest Markets
Page 81
40.
This Is More Than a Replacement Market
Page 83
41.
The Best Feature Was Hard to Understand
Page 85
42.
There Is No Market Leader to Displace
Page 87
43.
Analyzing My Corpus of Slides from the Grand Tour
Page 88
44.
The Design Spec Was Vital Before the Internet
Page 90
45.
PowerPoint Design Beginnings
Page 91
46.
Initial Design: Principles
Page 92
47.
Initial Design: Slides
Page 93
48.
Initial Design: Drawing
Page 95
49.
Initial Design: Text
Page 96
50.
Initial Design: Pictures
Page 98
51.
Initial Design: Master Slide
Page 99
52.
Initial Design: Title Sorter and Slide Sorter
Page 100
53.
Initial Design: Slide Show
Page 101
54.
Initial Design: Notes and Handouts
Page 102
55.
Design for a Particular Task (Don’t Generalize)
Page 103
56.
PowerPoint Development Begins for Macintosh
Page 104
57.
Explaining the Decision to Develop for Mac First
Page 107
58.
Cross Development of Mac PowerPoint on Lisa
Page 110
59.
The Target Environment for Macintosh PowerPoint
Page 110
60.
Arguments for Leaving Out Features
Page 111
61.
Sharpening the Focus for PowerPoint 1.0
Page 115
62.
Overheads as a Growing Business Market
Page 116
63.
When I Learned about Overhead vs. 35mm Style
Page 118
64.
How Overhead Style Differs from 35mm Style
Page 120
65.
PowerPoint 1.0 Feature Prioritization
Page 124
66.
Windows 1.0 Ships, with Forethought as an ISV
Page 125
67.
FileMaker and Other Distractions
Page 126
68.
Designing to the Limit of Macintosh Capabilities
Page 128
69.
Forget Earlier Software, Match What Presenters Do
Page 130
70.
Unsuccessful Competitors Prior to PowerPoint
Page 131
71.
PowerPoint Fails an Assessment
Page 134
72.
The PowerPoint Idea Is Leaked, but Misapplied
Page 137
73.
Resistance Was the Problem, not Espionage
Page 140
74.
System Requirements for PowerPoint 1.0
Page 141
75.
The State of Macintosh at Predicted Shipment
Page 143
76.
Macintosh Implementation Considerations
Page 144
77.
The State of Windows at Predicted Shipment
Page 147
78.
Enlisting Tom Rudkin
Page 149
79.
Startup Ingenuity for Source Code Control
Page 151
80.
The PowerPoint Paper Blizzard of 1986
Page 152
81.
Invasion of the Xeroids
Page 153
82.
Problems with Publishing
Page 155
83.
Apple Gets Interested in Investing
Page 158
84.
Why We Thought Apple Should Invest
Page 160
85.
Adding Final Resources for PowerPoint Ship
Page 162
86.
How PowerPoint Got Its Name
Page 163
87.
Columbus Becomes the PowerPoint Mascot
Page 165
88.
The Countdown to First Customer Ship
Page 168
89.
Apple’s Very First Ever Investment, in PowerPoint
Page 169
90.
Apple’s Private Side Letter
Page 171
91.
Microsoft Invites Itself to See PowerPoint
Page 172
92.
Staffing Up for the PowerPoint Launch
Page 173
93.
New Manufacturing for PowerPoint Launch
Page 174
94.
Microsoft’s First Offer to Acquire PowerPoint
Page 177
95.
The Golden Masters for PowerPoint 1.0
Page 178
96.
PowerPoint 1.0 Ships
Page 181
97.
The Restart is Complete
Page 182
PART V: MICROSOFT ACQUISITION OF POWERPOINT.
185
98.
Are We Planning for an IPO or an Acquisition?
Page 185
99.
Progressively Better Offers from Microsoft
Page 187
100.
How Microsoft Decided to Pursue PowerPoint
Page 189
101.
Forethought Managers Decide for Acquisition
Page 193
102.
Reasons Why I Favored Joining Microsoft
Page 195
103.
Bill Gates Has to Approve Bob Gaskins
Page 196
104.
Forethought Investors Decide for Acquisition
Page 198
105.
Final Negotiations on the Microsoft Deal
Page 199
106.
The Internal Announcement of the Acquisition
Page 201
107.
Agreeing on the Organization (and No P-Code)
Page 204
108.
Final Steps to a Definitive Agreement and a Price
Page 206
109.
The Payout at the Acquisition
Page 207
110.
The Outcome for People Who Didn’t Get Acquired
Page 209
111.
What If There Had Been No Acquisition?
Page 211
112.
Resolution of the Dual Companies Strategy
Page 212
113.
Did the Dual Strategy Help PowerPoint?
Page 214
114.
How Much Did the Dual Strategy Cost?
Page 217
115.
Could the Publishing Business Have Succeeded?
Page 218
116.
Did the Slow Development of PowerPoint Hurt?
Page 220
117.
Was PowerPoint Just Luck? How Risky Was It?
Page 223
PART VI: POWERPOINT JOINS MICROSOFT.
227
118.
Reverse-Acquiring a Senior Management Team
Page 227
119.
Action Items to Enter Heaven
Page 228
120.
“We Charge Those People to Talk to Them”
Page 230
121.
We Avoid Becoming Woroftics
Page 231
122.
Starting as I Meant to Go On
Page 233
123.
The Ultimate Resource
Page 234
124.
“Planning” for All Applications at the Same Time
Page 236
125.
Don’t Hire Anyone without a Career Path
Page 237
126.
Our First Microsoft Company Meeting
Page 240
127.
Our Silicon Valley Holidays Survive
Page 241
PART VII: POWERPOINT 2.0.
243
128.
First PowerPoint Review with Bill Gates
Page 243
129.
Design of Color PowerPoint 2.0 for Mac
Page 246
130.
Including 35mm Style in PowerPoint
Page 247
131.
How Can 35mm Slides Be Made by Amateurs?
Page 250
132.
Looking for Genigraphics, and Vice Versa
Page 253
133.
Genigraphics: First Contact
Page 256
134.
Immediate Agreement with Genigraphics
Page 260
135.
Real Work Begins with Genigraphics
Page 261
136.
A Blind Spot in My Understanding of Genigraphics
Page 264
137.
Reflections from the Apps Division Staff Retreat
Page 268
138.
Permanent Home for the Graphics Business Unit
Page 270
139.
PowerPoint 2.0 for Mac Ships
Page 274
140.
Print Production for PowerPoint 2.0
Page 278
141.
PowerPoint 2.0 Mac Ship Party
Page 279
142.
Post-Mortem for the Mac PowerPoint 2.0 Schedule
Page 280
143.
Genigraphics Expands to Europe
Page 284
144.
PowerPoint First Year Sales
Page 285
145.
Mike Maples Arrives
Page 287
146.
My Memo on GBU First Year Results
Page 289
147.
Excruciatingly Slow Progress at Genigraphics
Page 291
148.
Bill Gates’s Review of PowerPoint 2.0 for Windows
Page 294
149.
From Resource Planning Meeting to Re-Org
Page 297
150.
Genigraphics Sheds its Hardware Business
Page 300
151.
Bathing in Fountains of Champagne
Page 303
152.
PowerPoint for Windows 2.0, Then for OS/2 PM
Page 305
153.
Bill Seeks Tools to Make “Windows 3.0” a Big Hit
Page 307
154.
PowerPoint Should Skip Windows, Go to OS/2 PM
Page 309
155.
Tentative Feelers about Windows 3.0
Page 311
156.
Bill for Windows vs. Steve for OS/2 PM
Page 312
157.
PowerPoint for Windows 3.0, not for OS/2 PM
Page 313
158.
The GBU Building Is Completed
Page 316
159.
Windows 3.0 Eclipses OS/2 PM at Microsoft
Page 319
160.
PowerPoint 2.0 Sells Windows 3.0
Page 321
PART VIII: POWERPOINT 3.0.
325
161.
Bill Gates’s Early Input on PowerPoint 3.0
Page 325
162.
Beginning on PowerPoint 3.0
Page 326
163.
PowerPoint 3.0 Drawing
Page 327
164.
The First Promise of Moving from Diskettes
Page 328
165.
Even More Travel Is Recommended
Page 329
166.
Reorganizing For PowerPoint 3.0
Page 331
167.
Genigraphics Development in Silicon Valley
Page 332
168.
A Prototype Conference Room of the Future
Page 333
169.
Stand By to Repel Boarders
Page 335
170.
Melinda French Discovers a PowerPoint Feature
Page 337
171.
PowerPoint Improved the Fonts in Windows 3.1
Page 337
172.
Refocusing with Genigraphics
Page 342
173.
Another Bill Gates Review of PowerPoint 3.0
Page 344
174.
Genigraphics’ Enlarged Role in PowerPoint
Page 346
175.
The Temporarily Successful Story of 3-D Charts
Page 347
176.
Genigraphics Symbol Library in PowerPoint 3.0
Page 349
177.
Real Templates in PowerPoint 3.0
Page 353
178.
Not Chiefly …
Page 354
179.
Incentives to Fix a Problem with Support
Page 356
180.
Microsoft Office Rears Its Head
Page 356
181.
Video in PowerPoint 3.0, Despite the Consultant
Page 361
182.
PowerPoint 3.0 Will Be Hostage to Windows 3.1
Page 363
183.
Complexity Grows in the PowerPoint 3.0 Project
Page 364
184.
My Unsystematic Testing Program
Page 368
185.
Continued Changes in Genigraphics’ Business
Page 369
186.
Planning for the Windows 3.1 Announcement
Page 370
187.
Increasing Development Effort for PowerPoint 3.0
Page 371
188.
The World’s First Laptop Video Presentation
Page 373
189.
A Heavy Company Tax on Shipping
Page 375
190.
What to Do After PowerPoint 3.0?
Page 377
PART IX: LEAVING POWERPOINT.
381
191.
My Longstanding Plan to Retire from Microsoft
Page 381
192.
Finding a Good Time to Leave
Page 383
193.
Reasons to Be Gloomy
Page 384
194.
The Mechanics of Leaving
Page 386
195.
Circumspice
Page 388
196.
The Superannuated Man
Page 389
197.
PowerPoint Continues Its Success without Me
Page 390
198.
Genigraphics Comes to an End
Page 391
199.
The Strangest PowerPoint Feature Ever Shipped
Page 395
200.
Where Did All the Competitors Go?
Page 397
201.
A Microsoft Sand Hill Road Campus Disappears
Page 399
202.
The Distribution of PowerPoint Returns
Page 400
203.
How Accurate Were PowerPoint Sales Forecasts?
Page 402
204.
PowerPoint and GBU Profitability
Page 404
PART X: AFTERTHOUGHTS ABOUT POWERPOINT.
407
205.
How PowerPoint Took Advantage of “Social”
Page 407
206.
When Did Video Presentations Become Common?
Page 410
207.
PowerPoint and the Advancement of Science
Page 414
208.
Was PowerPoint the First Presentation Program?
Page 415
209.
Is PowerPoint the Problem, or Is It the Users?
Page 416
210.
Did PowerPoint Invent “PowerPoint Style”?
Page 420
211.
Why Have So Many Adopted “PowerPoint Style”?
Page 421
212.
Showing One Thing and Saying Another
Page 423
213.
The Transition Away from “Long-Form” Writing
Page 425
214.
PowerPoint for Startups
Page 426
215.
PowerPoint and the Military
Page 428
216.
Famous CEOs Who Banned PowerPoint
Page 434
217.
Why Didn’t Xerox PARC Invent PowerPoint First?
Page 437
218.
The “Smartest Acquisition” in 35 Years
Page 441
219.
PowerPoint Observed in Books
Page 443
220.
PowerPoint Observed in News Articles
Page 444
221.
PowerPoint Observed in Dilbert
Page 445
222.
Why Did PowerPoint Become Popular So Slowly?
Page 454
223.
You Could Look It Up
Page 455
224.
PowerPoint Operator
Page 457
ABOUT ROBERT GASKINS.
463
REFERENCES.
475
INDEX OF NAMES.
485