6 # Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat Inc.
8 # This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
9 # it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
10 # the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
11 # (at your option) any later version.
13 # This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
14 # but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
15 # MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
16 # GNU General Public License for more details.
18 # You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
19 # along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
20 # Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
29 use Cwd qw(getcwd abs_path);
30 use Glib qw(TRUE FALSE);
38 techtalk-pse - superior technical demonstration software
42 cd /path/to/talk/; techtalk-pse
44 techtalk-pse /path/to/talk/
48 Tech Talk "Platinum Supreme Edition" (PSE) is Linux Presentation
49 Software designed by technical people to give technical software
50 demonstrations to other technical people. It is designed to be simple
51 to use (for people who know how to use an editor and the command line)
52 and powerful, so that you can create informative, technically accurate
53 and entertaining talks and demonstrations.
55 Tech Talk PSE is good at opening editors at the right place, opening
56 shell prompts with preloaded history, compiling and running things
57 during the demonstration, displaying text, photos, figures and video.
59 Tech Talk PSE is I<bad> at slide effects, chart junk and bullet
62 This manual page covers all the documentation you will need to use
63 Tech Talk PSE. The next section covers running the tool from the
64 command line. After that there is a L</TUTORIAL> section to get you
65 started. Then there is a detailed L</REFERENCE> section. Finally
66 there is a discussion on L<WHAT MAKES A GOOD TALK>.
68 =head1 RUNNING THE TOOL FROM THE COMMAND LINE
70 A Tech Talk PSE talk is not a single file, but a directory full of
71 files. (If you want to start a new talk, see the L</TUTORIAL> section
72 below). To display or run the talk, change into the directory
73 containing all those files and run the C<techtalk-pse> command:
75 cd /path/to/talk/; techtalk-pse
77 You can also run C<techtalk-pse> without changing directory, instead
78 specifying the path to the talk:
80 techtalk-pse /path/to/talk/
92 Display brief help and exit.
100 Start at the last slide.
102 You cannot use this with the B<-n> / B<--start> option.
108 =item B<-n SLIDE> | B<--start SLIDE>
110 Start at the named slide. I<SLIDE> is the shortest unique prefix of
111 the slide name, so to start at a slide named
112 I<00010-introduction.html>, you could use I<-n 00010> or I<-n 00010-intro>,
113 or give the full filename I<-n 00010-introduction.html>.
115 The default is to start at the first slide in the talk.
123 Don't display the initial "splash" screen which advertises Tech Talk
124 PSE to your audience. Just go straight into the talk.
132 Display verbose messages, useful for debugging or tracing
133 what the program is doing.
141 Display version number and exit.
149 GetOptions ("help|?" => \$help,
151 "mozembed" => \$mozembed,
152 "mozembed-first" => \$mozembed_first,
153 "mozembed-last" => \$mozembed_last,
155 "splash!" => \$splash,
156 "start=s" => \$start,
157 "verbose" => \$verbose,
158 "version" => \$version,
165 pod2usage (1) if $help;
167 print "@PACKAGE@ @VERSION@\n";
170 die "techtalk-pse: cannot use --start and --last options together\n"
171 if defined $last && defined $start;
173 # Run with --mozembed: see below.
174 run_mozembed () if $mozembed;
176 # Normal run of the program.
177 die "techtalk-pse: too many arguments\n" if @ARGV >= 2;
179 # Get the true name of the program.
186 chdir $d or die "techtalk-pse: chdir: $d: $!";
188 # XXX In future allow people to specify an archive and unpack
190 die "techtalk-pse: argument is not a directory"
194 # Get the talk directory and set environment variable $talkdir
195 # which is inherited by all the scripts.
196 my $talkdir = getcwd;
197 $ENV{talkdir} = $talkdir;
207 foreach (glob ("*")) {
208 if (/^(\d+)(?:-.*)\.(html|sh)$/) {
209 print STDERR "reading $_\n" if $verbose;
213 warn "techtalk-pse: $_: command file is not executable (+x)\n"
214 if $ext eq "sh" && ! -x $_;
216 my $h = { name => $_, seq => $1, ext => $2, i => $i };
221 print STDERR "ignoring $_\n" if $verbose;
226 $files[0]->{first} = 1;
227 $files[$#files]->{last} = 1;
231 print STDERR "read ", 0+@files, " files\n" if $verbose;
233 warn "techtalk-pse: no files found, continuing anyway ...\n"
236 # Work out what slide we're starting on.
238 if (defined $current) {
239 die "start slide not implemented yet XXX"
242 $current = $files[0];
244 # else $current is undefined
247 my $w = Gtk2::AboutDialog->new;
248 $w->set_authors ("Richard W.M. Jones");
250 "Superior technical demonstration software\n"
252 $w->set_program_name ("Tech Talk Platinum Supreme Edition (PSE)");
253 $w->set_version ("@VERSION@");
254 $w->set_website ("http://people.redhat.com/~rjones");
255 $w->set_license ("GNU General Public License v2 or above");
257 print STDERR "calling \$w->destroy on about dialog\n" if $verbose;
262 if (defined $current) {
263 my $go = show_slide ($current);
265 print STDERR "go = $go\n" if $verbose;
266 last MAIN if $go eq "QUIT";
268 my $i = $current->{i};
269 print STDERR "i = $i\n" if $verbose;
270 $i-- if $go eq "PREV" && $i > 0;
271 $i++ if $go eq "NEXT" && $i+1 < @files;
272 $current = $files[$i];
275 print "No slides found. Press any key to reload directory ...\n";
279 # Reread directory between slides.
282 if (defined $current && !exists $files{$current->{name}}) {
283 # Current slide was deleted.
285 $current = $files[0] if @files;
293 # Display an HTML page.
294 if ($slide->{ext} eq "html") {
295 # MozEmbed is incredibly crashy, so we run ourself as a
296 # subprocess, so when it segfaults we don't care.
297 my @cmd = ($0, "--mozembed");
298 push @cmd, "--mozembed-first" if exists $slide->{first};
299 push @cmd, "--mozembed-last" if exists $slide->{last};
300 my $url = "file://$talkdir/" . $slide->{name};
302 print STDERR "running subcommand: ", join (" ", @cmd), "\n"
305 die "failed to execute subcommand: ", join(" ", @cmd), ": $!\n"
308 # Subcommand probably segfaulted, just continue to next slide.
321 # Run a shell command.
322 elsif ($slide->{ext} eq "sh") {
324 # http://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/perl/cookbook/ch10_17.htm
325 local *run_process = sub {
327 die "fork: $!" unless defined $pid;
331 exec ("./".$slide->{name});
332 die "failed to execute command: ", $slide->{name}, ": $!";
336 local *kill_process = sub {
337 print STDERR "sending TERM signal to process group $pid\n"
345 my $w = Gtk2::Window->new ();
347 my $s = $w->get_screen;
348 $w->set_default_size ($s->get_width, -1);
350 $w->set_decorated (0);
352 my $bbox = Gtk2::HButtonBox->new ();
353 $bbox->set_layout ('start');
355 my $bnext = Gtk2::Button->new ("Next slide");
356 $bnext->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = "NEXT"; $w->destroy });
357 $bnext->set_sensitive (!(exists $slide->{last}));
360 my $bback = Gtk2::Button->new ("Back");
361 $bback->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = "PREV"; $w->destroy });
362 $bback->set_sensitive (!(exists $slide->{first}));
365 my $brestart = Gtk2::Button->new ("Kill & restart");
366 $brestart->signal_connect (clicked => sub {
370 $bbox->add ($brestart);
372 my $bquit = Gtk2::Button->new ("Quit");
373 $bquit->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = "QUIT"; $w->destroy });
375 $bbox->set_child_secondary ($bquit, 1);
379 $w->signal_connect (destroy => sub {
388 print STDERR "returning r=$r\n" if $verbose;
393 # If invoked with the --mozembed parameter then we just display a
394 # single page. This is just to prevent crashes in MozEmbed from
395 # killing the whole program.
400 my $w = Gtk2::Window->new ();
401 my $vbox = Gtk2::VBox->new ();
402 my $moz = Gtk2::MozEmbed->new ();
404 my $bbox = Gtk2::HButtonBox->new ();
405 $bbox->set_layout ('start');
407 $vbox->pack_start ($bbox, 0, 0, 0);
410 #$w->set_default_size (640, 480);
413 my $bnext = Gtk2::Button->new ("Next slide");
414 $bnext->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = 0; $w->destroy });
415 $bnext->set_sensitive (!$mozembed_last);
418 my $bback = Gtk2::Button->new ("Back");
419 $bback->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = 1; $w->destroy });
420 $bback->set_sensitive (!$mozembed_first);
423 my $bquit = Gtk2::Button->new ("Quit");
424 $bquit->signal_connect (clicked => sub { $r = 2; $w->destroy });
426 $bbox->set_child_secondary ($bquit, 1);
428 $w->signal_connect (destroy => sub {
434 $moz->load_url ($ARGV[0]);
444 =head2 START WRITING A TALK
446 [Before you start writing your real talk, I urge you to read
447 L</WHAT MAKES A GOOD TALK> below].
449 To start your talk, all you have to do is to make a new directory
455 A tech talk consists of HTML files ("slides") and shell scripts. The
456 filenames must start with a number, followed optionally by a
457 description, followed by the extension (C<.html> or C<.sh>). So to
458 start our talk with two slides:
460 echo "This is the introduction" > 0010-introduction.html
461 echo "This is the second slide" > 0020-second.html
463 To run it, run the command from within the talk directory:
467 Any other file in the directory is ignored, so if you want to add
468 Makefiles, version control files etc, just go ahead.
470 =head2 TIPS FOR WRITING HTML
472 You may have your own techniques and tools for writing HTML, so
473 this section is just to share my ideas. I start every
474 HTML file with a standard stylesheet and Javascript header:
476 <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" type="text/css"/>
477 <script src="code.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
479 That just ensures that I can put common styling instructions for all
480 my slides in a single file (C<style.css>), and I have one place where
481 I can add all Javascript, if I need to use any (C<code.js>).
483 =head3 BACKGROUNDS, FONTS AND LOGOS
485 To add a common background and font size to all slides, put this in
490 background: url(background-image.jpg) no-repeat;
493 To add a logo in one corner:
496 background: url(logo.jpg) top right no-repeat;
499 =head3 SCALING AND CENTERING
501 Scaling slide text and images so that they appear at the same
502 proportionate size for any screen resolution can be done using
504 L<https://developer.mozilla.org/En/DOM/window.innerHeight>).
506 If you want to center text horizontally, use CSS, eg:
512 To center text vertically, CSS3 is supposed to offer a solution some
513 time, but while you're waiting for that try
514 L<http://www.w3.org/Style/Examples/007/center#vertical>.
516 =head3 PREVIEWING HTML
518 I find it helpful to have Firefox open to display the HTML files and
519 styles as I edit them. Just start firefox in the talk directory:
521 firefox file://$(pwd) &
523 When you edit an HTML file, click the Firefox reload button to
524 immediately see your changes.
526 Tech Talk PSE uses Mozilla embedding to display HTML, which uses the
527 same Mozilla engine as Firefox, so what you should see in Firefox
528 should be identical to what Tech Talk PSE displays.
530 =head2 CREATING FIGURES
532 Use your favorite tool to draw the figure, convert it to an image (in
533 any format that the Mozilla engine can display) and include it using
534 an C<E<lt>imgE<gt>> tag, eg:
538 Suitable tools include: XFig, GnuPlot, GraphViz, and many TeX tools
539 such as PicTex and in particular TikZ.
541 =head2 EMBEDDING VIDEOS, ANIMATIONS, ETC.
543 Using HTML 5, embedding videos in the browser is easy. See:
544 L<https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Using_audio_and_video_in_Firefox>
546 For animations, you could try L<Haxe|http://haxe.org/> which has a
547 Javascript back-end. There are many other possibilities.
549 If you are B<sure> that the venue will have an internet connection,
550 why not embed a YouTube video.
552 =head2 DISPLAYING EXISTING WEB PAGES
554 Obviously you could just have an HTML file that contains a redirect to
557 <meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="0; url=http://www.example.com/">
559 However if you want your talk to work offline, then it's better to
560 download the web page in advance, eg. using Firefox's "Save Page As
561 -E<gt> Web Page, complete" feature, into the talk directory, then
562 either rename or make a symbolic link to the slide name:
564 ln -s "haXe - Welcome to haXe.html" 0010-haxe-homepage.html
566 =head2 TIPS FOR WRITING SHELL SCRIPTS
568 Make sure each C<*.sh> file you write is executable, otherwise Tech
569 Talk PSE won't be able to run it. (The program gives a warning if you
572 A good idea is to start each script by sourcing some common functions.
573 All my scripts start with:
578 where C<functions> is another file (ignored by Tech Talk PSE) which
579 contains common functions for setting shell history and starting a
582 In C<functions>, I have:
584 # -*- shell-script -*-
586 export HISTFILE=/tmp/history
591 echo "$@" >> $HISTFILE
599 --geometry=+100+100 \
602 -e '/bin/bash --norc' \
606 By initializing the shell history, during your talk you can rapidly
607 recall commands to start parts of the demonstration just by hitting
608 the Up arrow. A complete shell script from one of my talks would look
613 add_history guestfish -i debian.img
614 terminal --title="Examining a Debian guest image in guestfish"
616 This is just a starting point for your own scripts. You may want to
617 use a different terminal, such as xterm, and you may want to adjust
622 =head2 ORDER OF FILES
624 Tech Talk PSE displays the slides in the directory in lexicographic
625 order (the same order as C<LANG=C ls -1>). Only files matching the
626 following regexp are considered:
628 ^(\d+)(?:-.*)\.(html|sh)$
630 For future compatibility, you should ensure that every slide has a
631 unique numeric part (ie. I<don't> have C<0010-aaa.html> and
632 C<0010-bbb.html>). This is because in future we want to have the
633 ability to display multiple files side by side.
635 Also for future compatibility, I<don't> use file names that have an
636 uppercase letter immediately after the numeric part. This is because
637 in future we want to allow placement hints using filenames like
638 C<0010L-on-the-left.html> and C<0010R-on-the-right.html>.
640 =head2 BASE URL AND CURRENT DIRECTORY
642 The base URL is set to the be the directory containing the talk files.
643 Thus you should use relative paths, eg:
647 You can also place assets into subdirectories, because subdirectories
648 are ignored by Tech Talk PSE, eg:
650 <img src="images/fig1.gif">
652 When running shell scripts, the current directory is also set to be
653 the directory containing the talk files, so the same rules about using
654 relative paths apply there too.
656 The environment variable C<$talkdir> is exported to scripts and it
657 contains the absolute path of the directory containing the talk files.
658 When a script is run, the current directory is the same as
659 C<$talkdir>, but if your script changes directory (eg. into a
660 subdirectory containing supporting files) then it can be useful to use
661 C<$talkdir> to refer back to the original directory.
663 =head1 WHAT MAKES A GOOD TALK
665 I like what Edward Tufte writes, for example his evisceration of
666 PowerPoint use at NASA here:
667 L<http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB>
669 However it is sometimes hard to translate his ideas into clear
670 presentations, and not all of that is the fault of the tools. Here
671 are my thoughts and rules on how to deliver a good talk.
673 B<First, most important rule:> Before you start drawing any slides at
674 all, write your talk as a short essay.
676 This is the number one mistake that presenters make, and it is partly
677 a tool fault, because PowerPoint, OpenOffice, even Tech Talk PSE, all
678 open up on an initial blank slide, inviting you to write a title and
679 some bullet points. If you start that way, you will end up using the
680 program as a kind of clumsy outlining tool, and then reading that
681 outline to your audience. That's boring and a waste of time for you
682 and your audience. (It would be quicker for them just to download the
683 talk and read it at home).
685 B<Secondly:> How long do you want to spend preparing the talk? A good
686 talk, with a sound essay behind it, well thought out diagrams and
687 figures, and interesting demonstrations, takes many hours to prepare.
688 How many hours? I would suggest thinking about how many hours of
689 effort your audience are putting in. Even just 20 people sitting
690 there for half an hour is 10 man-hours of attention, and that is a
691 very small talk, and doesn't include all the extra time and hassle
692 that it took to get them all in one place.
694 I don't think you can get away with spending less than two full days
695 preparing a talk, if you want to master the topic and draw up accurate
696 slides. Steve Jobs is reputed to spend weeks preparing his annual
697 sales talk to the Apple faithful.
699 B<Thirdly:> Now that you're going to write your talk as an essay, what
700 should go in the slides? I would say that you should consider
701 delivering the essay, I<not> the slides, to people who don't make the
702 talk. An essay can be turned into an article or blog posting, whereas
703 even "read-out-the-bullet-point" slides have a low information
704 density, large size, and end-user compatibility problems (*.pptx
707 What, then, goes on the slides? Anything you cannot just say:
708 diagrams, graphs, videos, animations, and of course (only with Tech
709 Talk PSE!) demonstrations.
711 B<Lastly:> Once you've got your talk as an essay and slides, practice,
712 practice and practice again. Deliver the talk to yourself in the
713 mirror, to your colleagues. Practice going backwards and forwards
714 through the slides, using your actual laptop and the software so you
715 know what to click and what keys to press. Partly memorize what you
716 are going to say (but use short notes written on paper if you need
721 The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint, Tufte, Edward R.
725 Richard W.M. Jones L<http://people.redhat.com/~rjones/>
729 Copyright (C) 2010 Red Hat Inc.
731 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
732 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
733 the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
734 (at your option) any later version.
736 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
737 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
738 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
739 GNU General Public License for more details.
741 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
742 along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
743 Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.