• Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program that is part of the Microsoft Office Suite. There are several versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, including 2002 and 2007. Over these five years, there were many changes in software design. The differences between PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2007 are a prime example of these changes.
  
  

Appearance

• PowerPoint 2002 and PowerPoint 2007 have difference layouts. The most notable new layout features in PowerPoint 2007 are the ribbon and the Microsoft Office button. While PowerPoint 2002 uses the "File" menu to open new files and perform similar tasks, the 2007 version has a small icon called the "Microsoft Office Button" which opens the drop-down menu for these functions. In the same way, the ribbon in PowerPoint 2007 replaces menus like "Edit" and "Tools" with a set of icons, organized by category, at the top of the screen.
  
  

Display Resolution

• The display resolution, or number of pixels used to display items on the screen, is larger in PowerPoint 2007 than in 2002. PowerPoint 2002 supports a maximum 1280x800 resolution, while the 2007 version can go up to 1280x1024. This means that pictures, text and items in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation can be more clearly visible.
  
  

Complexity

• Microsoft designed PowerPoint 2002 to easily make slides, presentations and projects. Using the basic wizard or starting a new presentation is very simple; even adding transitions is just a matter of selecting one of them. Powerpoint 2007 is more complex, and requires more patience. While the basic mechanics of making slides are the same, adding transitions and animations and editing slides requires more practice and clicking in the 2007 version.
  
  

Opening Presentations

• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 can open any presentation from a previous version of the software, including one made in 2002. PowerPoint 2002, however, is unable to open presentations made in the 2007 version: the new file formatting used in PowerPoint 2007 prevents the 2002 version from viewing them.