Google Docs and MS Office

WiFO215

I had to deliver a presentation last week. As I didn't have access to MS Office, I decided I'd do my presentation on Google docs. The interface itself is very good and I am used to it. We were told to bring our presentations on a flash drive to insert into the computer connected to the projector. This computer did have MS Office. I downloaded my presentation to .pptx format from docs just before my presentation started and found that the entire thing was garbled! I had to run elsewhere to get someone's laptop, find a wifi spot, connect to docs and load the presentation there, all while professors were waiting in the auditorium. Very embarrassing!
This is a major problem with Google Docs. It doesn't play well with MS Office or the office on OSX. I should have expected this as something similar happened when I edited my CV using docs and then with MS Office last time. It totally ruined my formatting and was a headache to fix.

This is just a heads up to all those out there to keep in mind to use either GDocs alone or only MS Office. Mixing = pain.

Pythagorean

Here's a better heads up. Always check your presentation out exactly as its going to be before you try to present.

And always have both an online and a USB stick version that you trust to work. So many things can go wrong and you'll never be recognized for being well prepared... But you'll be recognized for not being prepared!

WiFO215

Good advice. I learnt the hard way. Thanks!

Greg Bernhardt

I've had this frustration before trying to go between Google Docs, LibreOffice, Open Office and MS Office. For anything professional it's best to stick with MS Office. I hate to say it.

Pythagorean

jhae2.718

If you don't have any dynamic content, I would save the presentation as a PDF.

Personally, I do all of my presentations using LaTeX-beamer.

Greg Bernhardt

Good point!

Joid666

Well, i think both the tools would differ with the file formats. I too faced some challenges while using Excel and Google docs. When I was in my previous company I had to share the sales report to my team and also to my boss, so I made the report on Excel and for sharing used Google docs. And the format had changed n data had scrambled.
The problem was when i used Excel I couldn't play with transient data and with Google docs I had no option of sending parts of my spreadsheet data. It simple increased redundancy.