I've used Powerpoint for the last 8 years as a wireframing tool (yes, really). It only took 2 weeks of using Omnigraffle for me to know I'm never going back to PPT, and it's a constant pleasure to work in a well-designed application.
However, I've gradually built up a sizable list of annoyances and feature requests. I'm posting it on the forum since other users may have answers or want to add their views, but let me know if I should submit feature requests elsewhere. (Organised by priority 1-3, from most to least important.)
I'm using OmniGraffle Pro 4.2.2 on Tiger 10.4.11 on a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo Powerbook with 2GB RAM.
Paste in Place makes no sense (priority: 1)
One of the most useful features in Powerpoint is that an element is always pasted in the same location on the page as where it was copied. To do this on OG, I have to copy, paste, undo, copy again, and paste again. This is just weird and a huge time-waster.
Shift-drag constrains. Alt-drag copies. Why can't I combine them? (priority: 1)
This is a baffling omission and very frustrating.
Shift-arrow keys to nudge objects by larger increments (priority: 1)
(Like Photoshop.) Moving objects using the arrow keys is too slow unless nudging very small distances.
Make it easy to repeat a duplicate + move operation by consistent increments (priority: 1)
Freehand does this very well. If you Alt-drag to copy, then Cmd-D to duplicate, the new object should be placed the same distance and direction as the first move. Very, very useful. (You can sort of kludge this by moving, then undoing, then duplicating, but it works only once.)
After an undo operation, the previous selection should still be selected so that you don't have to re-select (priority: 1)
Again, something Powerpoint does right. It's annoying to have to repeat a complicated selection.
[Bug] The longer OG stays open, the slower it seems to run (priority: 1)
Editing actions eventually become painfully sluggish (e.g. double-clicking a shape to edit text can over a second to work; same with zooming and panning). This may be partially due to a large number of other apps open, but OG claims 20-30% processor usage, usually the highest of all my apps. (I don't get a beachball, the app is just slow.)
[Bug] When OG becomes painfully slow, editing bugs start appearing (priority: 1)
E.g. double-clicking to activate a text box often has the effect of changing the text colour, if the text box contains text of more than one colour.
Object alignment doesn't work in an intuitive way (priority: 2)
Align Top, Align Left, etc., moves all elements to the edge of the *nearest* object, not the furthest. This differs from every other graphics application I've used.
Combine Alt with arrow keys to nudge and duplicate at the same time (priority: 2)
And like Photoshop, you should be able to combine this with Shift as well to nudge by a larger increment.
Text formatting should include paragraph spacing (above/below), not just leading (priority: 2)
Another advantage Powerpoint has over OG. This is probably a major feature request, but I would use it constantly.
When zooming, always center the screen around the selection (priority: 2)
Powerpoint does this, and it is very intuitive. Cmd-Opt-J is not a useful replacement, since it usually zooms in closer than you'd like.
Cmd-scrollwheel zoom would've been great if it wasn't unusably slow (priority: 2)
This feature (especially combined with centering around the selected object) would be invaluable, but at its current performance it's useless. I think it tries to be too smooth. I'm using an Apple mighty mouse. And see my system specs at the top of the post: not slow.
I'd like the ability to define custom variables (priority: 3)
I'd use it, for example, for version number (currently I have to edit it in 3 places on my document.)
I want a shortcut key for Zoom to Fit (priority: 3)
I'd use it constantly.
Home / End with nothing selected should go to first / last canvas (priority: 3)
Powerpoint does this.
Cmd-Home/End in text box should go to beginning / end of paragraph (priority: 3)
Most Windows apps do this. Just seems like an omission to me. (Kudos to OG for being one of the very few Mac apps to make use of the Home/End keys.)
Find / Replace formatting (priority: 3)
E.g. finding all occurrences of red text and replacing it with blue. Or all 10pt text and replace with 12pt. Probably quite a major development, but would be useful.
Provide option to paste as unformatted text (priority: 3)
This is something most MS Office apps have as Edit: Paste Special: Unformatted Text. Should be an option under the Edit menu, ideally with a shortcut key, e.g. Cmd-Alt-Shift-V.
When launched, OG doesn't remember my window settings from last time (priority: 3)
I.e. the size of the document window and its placement on the screen. I always have to re-enlarge it and move it into the top-left corner of the screen.
Let ESC key deselect selections (priority: 3)
It already changes an edited text box into a selected object, which is correct, but it would be useful if another press of ESC deselected the object entirely. (Powerpoint does this.)
Can't undo text edit operations inside Search / Replace dialog box (priority: 3)
Instead, it undos the last action on the canvas. This differs from most applications, where you can undo/redo edit actions inside of text fields in dialog boxes.
Add ability to hyperlink text (Browse actions) inside a paragraph (priority: 3)
This would be very helpful when simulating the behaviour of web sites.