Mix06 and Powerpoint

posted 2006-03-17

I'll be speaking at Mix06 in Las Vegas this Monday -- I'm giving a developer-focused overview of WPF (4:30 on Monday, if you're interested).

One of the original goals (gimmicks?) for my talk was to not use Powerpoint -- I didn't want my talk to turn into a boring, slide-focused hour. I hoped that not having Powerpoint would force me to come up with a gripping, unique talk that would win many awards, honors, an Oscar, presidential medal of honor, and possibly a pony.

Well, after working on the talk for a few weeks, I'm removing this goal for a couple of reasons:

  1. Just like the PDC talks, the sessions at Mix will be recorded and archived on video. However, the chaptering is integrated with Powerpoint. Without slides, there will be no chaptering in my talk, making it very hard to scan later on.
  2. It's silly. Plenty of great talks have been given with Powerpoint -- and plenty of horrible talks have been given without it. Content, flow, and the speaker are what make or break a talk, not the file format.

Alternatively:

Why I'm Using Powerpoint, as a Powerpoint Slide

Don't worry -- I don't think that slide will make the cut.