OK, I confess, I rarely use Powerpoint. But now I need to do a presentation for a client in April.
I have a legal copy of Powerpoint on my development machine, but not one for my laptop.
Can I create a presentation on my dev box and then show it on the laptop without having PP on the laptop? IOW, is there a free “reader” like Adobe makes for their PDF format?
I know there are some OpenSource alternatives. Are any format-compatible? Are they any good and easy to use?
Sure. Go to the Microsoft website and download the free PowerPoint Viewer.
Thanks Dewey! I should have looked there first, eh? 
PowerPoint has a feature called “Pack and Go” or “Package For CD” depending on the version. This allows you to create a standalone package containing the presentation, any linked graphics and files, and the PowerPoint Viewer. It’s pretty slick.
Alternatively, OpenOffice Impress is a popular open source presentation program which can open PowerPoint files. I haven’t used it much, but from what I’ve heard its functionality is almost identical to PowerPoint.
You could also consider one of the online PowerPoint players out there; all you’ll need on the display machine is a web browser with Flash. Here’s a list of 'em.
That’s correct. I’ve used the OpenOffice equivalents to Excel, Powerpoint and Word with no difficulty beyond minor formatting differences.
If you go this route, be sure to view your presentation in Impress before you give it. You don’t want to be surprised by what doesn’t look right.
I use open office to do presentations on my laptop 3 or 4 times a month and never had a problem in opening or a PP file. Pretty seemless with PP 2003 to 2007
But it always smart to be safe!
and I aint no guest!