Dennis Austin PowerPoint records
X6642.2013
Finding aid prepared by Bo Doub, Kim Hayden, and Sara Chabino Lott.
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA, 94043
(650) 810-1010
research@computerhistory.org
2015
Title:
Dennis Austin PowerPoint records
Identifier/Call Number: X6642.2013
Contributing Institution:
Computer History Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
4.67 Linear feet
3 record cartons and 1 oversize box
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1985-1994
Date (inclusive): 1984-2007
creator:
Austin, Dennis
Collection Processed By
Bo Doub and Kim Hayden, 2015.
Processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered
through the Council on Library and Information Resources, Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying
any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the
Computer History Museum,s collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer
History Museum.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], [Date], Dennis Austin PowerPoint records, Lot X6642.2013, Box [#], Folder [#], Computer History
Museum.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Dennis Austin, 2012.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 5 series:
Series 1, Forethought, Inc. records, 1984-1987
Series 2, PowerPoint source code records, 1985-1988, bulk 1988
Series 3, PowerPoint versions, 1987-1994
Series 4, Notes and correspondence, 1985-1996
Series 5, Promotional materials, user's manuals, and ephemera, 1984-2007, bulk 1986-1995
Biographical/Historical Note
First released in 1987, PowerPoint is the standard in presentation software. It has been included with Microsoft Office since
the software suite's first release in 1990. Dennis Austin designed and developed PowerPoint while working at Forethought,
Inc., in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California. He worked closely with Robert Gaskins, who conceived the program, and Tom
Rudkin, who helped develop it. Born May 28, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Austin studied electrical engineering at University
of Virginia, then attended graduate school at Arizona State University, MIT, and UC Santa Barbara. He worked as a software
architect for Burroughs Corporation and Gavilan Computers before joining Forethought in 1984. He worked for Microsoft from
1987 to 1996.
Originally called Presenter, PowerPoint was intended to be a simple program for the creation of professional-looking presentations.
PowerPoint was first developed for Apple Macintosh because of the computer's simpler programming interface, superior graphical
and textual systems, and eager user base, and Forethought was the first company Apple invested in. The first Mac version was
released April 20, 1987. Four months later, Microsoft purchased Forethought and the rights to PowerPoint for $14 million in
its first significant software acquisition. Microsoft continues to release PowerPoint software, building upon the initial
version with color, animation, and the slideshow it is now known for.
Scope and Content of the Collection
The Dennis Austin PowerPoint records contain materials assembled, and mostly authored, by Dennis Austin as a key designer
and developer of the slide show presentation software, PowerPoint. The records span 1984 through 2007 with the bulk of the
collection being from 1985 to 1994. The collection follows the design and development of PowerPoint from its beginnings at
Forethought, Inc. when its name was "Presenter," to its initial release for the Apple Macintosh in 1987, its purchase by Microsoft
later that same year, and through the software's subsequent versions — with the bulk of this collection covering versions
2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. The records in this collection include Dennis Austin's notes and design drawings, PowerPoint source code,
program and feature descriptions, correspondence, user's manuals, promotional materials, and business records from Forethought
and Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit (GBU). Since the late 1980s, PowerPoint has had a significant cultural impact on how
people give presentations.
Separated Material
Commercial software, ephemera, and media items were separated from the main collection. The software includes Typing Intrigue,
Forethought PowerPoint (1987), Forethought FileMaker Plus (1986), and various versions of Microsoft PowerPoint. The Ephemera
and media include a PowerPoint mouse pad, buttons, badges, and Desktop Publishing on VHS. To view catalog records for the
separated items please search CHM's online catalog at
http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search .
Related Collections at CHM
Austin, Dennis oral history, 2015-03-31, Lot X7445.2015, Catalog number 102740062
Beginnings of PowerPoint: A Personal Technical Story, 2009, Lot X6511.2012, Catalog number 102745695
Kramlich, Dick (C. Richard) oral history, 2015-03-31, Lot X7447.2015, Catalog number 102740064
PowerPoint demonstrations and panel discussion : Dennis Austin and Thomas A. Rudkin, 2015-03-30, Lot X7444.2015, Catalog number
102740061
Rudkin, Tom (Thomas A.) oral history, 2015-03-31, Lot X7446.2015, Catalog number 102740063
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Austin, Dennis
Computer programming
Computer software
Computer software design
Computer software industry
Computer software--Development
Microsoft PowerPoint (Computer file)
Source code (Computer Science)
Forethought, Inc. records,
Series 1,
1984-1987
Language of Material:
English
Scope and Contents
This series contains the business, design, and development records of Forethought, Inc., the company that first created PowerPoint
before it was known as PowerPoint. Also included are records surrounding the initial design and development of the presentation
software, first titled "Diagram" then "Presenter," and finally "PowerPoint." The records in this series most closely associated
with the design of the software are written by Dennis Austin and other employees of Forethought, including Peter Bishop, Tom
Rudkin, and Robert Gaskins. These records involve the general planning of the software as well as more specific design elements
like user interface, slide design, specifications, cutting and pasting within Presenter, and drawing tools – including some
of the source code associated with these topics. This series also includes some administrative records from Forethought including
a business plan, product proposals, training sessions, and a letter from Apple Computer, Inc.'s Developer Technical Support
team confirming Forethought's registration for the new file type and extension: .ppnt. This series is arranged chronologically.
102733911
Forethought, Inc. certificates, business plan, and product proposal
1984-1987
102733910
Forethought Presenter development
1985-1987
PowerPoint source code records,
Series 2,
Bulk, 1988
1985-1988
Language of Material:
English
Scope and Contents
This series contains PowerPoint source code documents for Apple Macintosh dating from 1985 to 1988, with the bulk of materials
from 1988. Code languages include 68000 and Pascal. Of particular interest are programming conventions, an explanation of
the internal structure of PowerPoint in Macintosh Programmer's Workshop Pascal units, and notes on testing of Microsoft Windows
modules. This series is arranged chronologically.
102733914
PowerPoint source code
1985-1987
102733912
Apple Macintosh PowerPoint 68k source code
1986-1987
102733913
Apple Macintosh PowerPoint Pascal source code
1988-05
PowerPoint versions,
Series 3,
1987-1994
Language of Material:
English
Scope and Contents
This series contains software development and design records organized by the different versions of PowerPoint. Most of the
records in this series are written by Dennis Austin and appear in the forms of design drawings, software specifications, program
and feature descriptions, correspondence, release schedules, and presentation materials. The series begins with records leading
up to the release of PowerPoint 2.0 for the Apple Macintosh in 1988 and ends with the PowerPoint 4.0 releases for Windows
and Macintosh in 1994. For the records covering the first release of PowerPoint in 1987, see Series 1, "Forethought, Inc.
records." Many of the design notes for PowerPoint 2.0 focus on a more dynamic use of color in the software. PowerPoint 2.0
was also the first version of the software to be released for the Microsoft Windows operating system in 1990 (two years later
than the version 2.0 release for the Macintosh). This shift to Microsoft Windows is also reflected in both the administrative
and design records surrounding PowerPoint 2.0. A major feature represented in the PowerPoint 3.0 records is PowerEdit — the
text editing engine used in PowerPoint. In the PowerPoint 4.0 records, the bulk of the records are milestone and review documents
created within Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit (GBU). This series is arranged chronologically.
102733919
PowerPoint 2.0 development
1987-1990
102733921
PowerPoint 3.0 development
1988-1992
102733922
PowerPoint 3.0 development
1989-1991
102733920
PowerPoint 2.1 schedule and specification
1990
102733923
PowerPoint 4.0 development bugs
1992-1993
102733925
PowerPoint 4.0 design
1992-1994
102733924
PowerPoint 4.0 specification
1993-07
102733926
PowerPoint 4.0 review
1993-1994
Notes and correspondence,
Series 4,
1985-1996
Scope and Contents
This series contains Dennis Austin's notebooks relating to PowerPoint's design, the administrative records of Microsoft's
Graphics Business Unit (GBU), legal documents relating to a patent application, and general writings on software features
that are not tied to specific versions of PowerPoint. The notes in this series are mostly handwritten or drawn by Dennis Austin
in bound notebooks or loose, undated pages. These records also contain short program descriptions and email correspondence
on topics including the use of AppleShare, an early file server and network service at Microsoft's GBU offices, and other
writings on general principles of user interface. Of particular interest is a 1996 patent application for an invention by
Dennis Austin and Anders Kierulf for a method of black and white printing of color documents. This series is arranged chronologically.
102733916
Contact lists, correspondence, and AppleShare at Microsoft
1985-1994
102733915
PowerPoint design notes
1986-1995
102733927
Microsoft Graphics Business Unit
1988-1996
102733917
PowerPoint user interface notes
1990-1994
102733918
Legal documents
1996
Promotional material, user's manuals, and ephemera,
Series 5,
Bulk, 1986-1995
1984-2007
Scope and Contents
This series contains user's manuals, advertisements, brochures and other promotional items, conference programs, 3.5” demonstration
discs, and articles pertaining to PowerPoint from 1984 to 2007, with the bulk of materials from 1986 to 1995. The user's manuals
are for both Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows versions of PowerPoint. Also included are manuals for FileMaker, Factfinder,
and Xenix Mail. Articles in this series include Microsoft's purchase of Forethought Inc. in 1987 and reviews of PowerPoint
after its releases. Of particular interest is a sales source book, which demonstrates how Microsoft marketed PowerPoint. This
series is arranged chronologically.
102733930
Factfinder user's manual for the Apple Macintosh
1984
102733929
FileMaker user's manual for the Apple Macintosh
1985
102733940
FileMaker Plus user's manual for the Apple Macintosh
1986
102733934
Apple Macintosh Plus brochure : did you ever imagine you could come into power so
quickly?
1986-01
102733937
Microsoft PowerPoint tutorial and demonstration
1987
102733941
PowerPoint user's manual for the Apple Macintosh
1987
102733932
Quick reference guide to Xenix Mail : communicating on the XENIX/UNIX multiuser operating
system
1987
102733936
PowerPoint and Forethought articles
1987-1995; bulk 1987
102733939
Microsoft PowerPoint
1988
102733938
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows step by step
1992
102733931
Microsoft PowerPoint source book
1992-09-25
102733942
PowerPoint double-spread magazine advertisements
1992-1994
102733935
PowerPoint promotional material
1992-2007
102733933
Apple worldwide developers conference
1994-1995
