[Wylug-discuss] Anything Happening in FLOSS Presentation Software?

[John R Hudson]

On Thursday 23 September 2010 01:57:16 Dave Fisher wrote:
> I'm in the process of writing and re-writing several training courses.
> 
> Since compositing the content is going to be a time-consuming process
> (whatever method I use) I thought I better look around to see if there
> were any better alternatives to my current methods of generating
> HTML/PDF slides and accompanying printed manuals (TOC, indexes,
> hands-on exercises, extra background, follow-up materials, etc) from a
> single markup/markdown source.
> 
> Unfortunately, I'm finding it practically impossible to generate
> search results which aren't full of irrelevant noise, or don't focus
> on 5 to 6-year old tools like Eric Meyer's S5.
> 
> So I figure I've a better chance of finding something useful if I ask
> around to see if anyone has been keeping an eye on developments in
> this field.
> 
> At present half of my course materials are generated by an old tool
> which generates HTML+CSS slides and PDF manuals from XML sources using
> a GBdirect-specific DTD (for which I still thank Aaron Crane, Smylers
> and Geoff Richards).
> 
> The other half are written in S5-compatible HTML (generating S5
> slideshows directly) and then filtered through OpenOffice to generate
> PDF manuals (more thanks Geoff).
> 
> Sadly, both are proving a bit clunky and limiting.
> 
> This is partly, because hardware and browser developments have
> outdated some of the assumptions behind the HTML/CSS/Javascript slide
> presentations in both systems; and partly because I want to do a lot
> more with my students and (hence) with the presentation of slides and
> manuals.
> 
> Given more time than I have available, I could probably roll my own
> upgrade to the S5-based system, but anything more than trivial coding
> is out of the question.
> 
> So here are my parameters:
> 
> * Sources should be easily writeable in a plain text editor (UTF-8)
> * The mark-up (or markdown) should support most HTML metadata,
> including micro-formats
> * Screen presentation should be easy on any common OS with a default
> PDF viewer or Browser (preferably both)
> * It should be possible to drive the slide show entirely by keyboard
> on all platforms
> * Screen output should be fully scaleable at 4:3 aspect on screen
> widths from 800 px to 2500 px, i.e. all page components should scale
> proportionally in 3 dimensions (including layers) and the aspect
> retained.
> * Printed output should have the kind of metadata and typesetting
> capabilities associated with LaTeX, e.g. automatic TOCs, Indexes,
> Footnotes, End-notes, Cross-referencing, Bibliographies, Appendices,
> etc.
> * Page Layout, including graphics and tables should be easier, richer
> and more flexible than it was traditionally in LaTeX, e.g. SVG,
> overlays, flowing text around irregular polygons and curves, text that
> scales with the graphics it's embedded in or overlaid on. (I'm really
> out of date on TeX-based developments, so I'd be willing to consider
> any suggestions of newer stuff, given some guidance).
> 
> I am not remotely interested in PPT-style mouse-driven presentation
> packages like the OO Presenter, Google Docs, and clones. I just can't
> stand the way they screw up entire slide shows and style-sheets,
> merely because you inadvertently place an insertion or selection point
> on the wrong side of a control character that you can't actually see.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> Dave

Never tried it but LyX, the LaTeX GUI, has HTML import and the LyX manuals 
have pretty comprehensive instructions on creating a wide range of effects 
using LaTeX. It also accepts utf-8 as input and works out the correct output 
package.

Apart from the standard floats there is a variety of ways of embedding 
graphics in documents and, as a last resort, there is pstricks.

I know there are commands available for creating non-standard size PDFs and 
hyperref is available for a variety of links.

The manuals are now fairly substantial. You can either install LyX and read 
them or read them online to see if it offers you the answers you need.

John