MagicPoint
Template:Infobox Software Template:Portal MagicPoint is one of several open-source presentation programs,<ref name="dedicated">Using Linux for Presentations Mini-HOWTO</ref> often used to produce slides for conferences.<ref>List of MagicPoint presentation by Google</ref> Unlike most presentation programs, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, where a GUI is used to create slides, MagicPoint slides are created by writing text files using a simple markup language. The resulting file is then displayed with MagicPoint's X11-based viewer.
History
MagicPoint was originally created in the autumn of 1997, at a WIDE Project camp. It was originally known as tp, standing for TinyPoint,<ref>MagicPoint man page</ref> but in December the name was changed to MagicPoint.<ref>Jun-ichiro itojun Hagino: itojun's pictorial diary Template:Webarchive</ref>
Features
- Content is written in text files and formatting is indicated by text features. For example, different level bullet points can be created by simply indenting the text with tabs<ref>The Grumpy Editor's guide to presentation programs [LWN.net]</ref>
- Many image formats are supported<ref name=mgpuseful>David MacKay: Useful stuff: Magicpoint</ref>
- Slides can be scaled to different screen sizes<ref>MGP Toolbox</ref>
- External applications can be executed from inside the presentation
- A talk timer and slide guide are included<ref name=mgpuseful />
- Presentations can be exported to HTML or PostScript files.<ref>(Linux) Event HOWTO</ref>
Another feature of MagicPoint is the ability to draw on slides during a presentation.<ref name="dedicated"/> By pressing x on the keyboard, the slide can temporarily be scribbled on with red "ink". Shift x allows you to cycle through other pen colours.