Freedom251 › Presentation software
sent
What sent is
Sent is a free plaintext presentation tool for Linux (X11). You describe slides in a plaintext file, with each paragraph becoming a separate slide, or provide the content through standard input when no filename is supplied or a hyphen is used. Sent displays presentations in an X11 window with black text on a white background, automatically scaling slide content to fit the presentation window. UTF-8 is supported, and image slides can be shown, although an image cannot share a slide with text. Arrow keys move between slides and q exits. Presenter mode and offline access are available. The tool is aimed especially at Takahashi method presentations and quick lightning talks. Configuration can be changed by editing config.h and rebuilding. Building requires Xlib and Xft; image presentations also use farbfeld tools. Sent has no animations, export function, font styles, fancy layouts, or automatic paragraph layout. The official download page lists sent-1 dated 20170904, with source in a Git repository.
Who it suits
Sent suits Linux X11 users who want a small, offline plaintext presentation tool for Takahashi-style slides or quick talks. It is less suitable when animations, export, styled fonts, or advanced layouts are required.
What it does well
- Free plan with no listed cost
- Plaintext paragraphs become individual slides
- Works offline with presenter mode
- Supports UTF-8 and image slides
- Content scales to the window
What to know first
- Linux X11 only
- No animations or export function
- Images cannot share slides with text
- Requires building from source dependencies
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Simple plaintext slides · build from source | Free |
As tools.suckless.org lists them, read 10 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Sent focuses on simple plaintext presentations that run offline on Linux X11. Its narrow feature set fits quick talks, while users needing rich layouts or PowerPoint exchange should look elsewhere.
Facts from sent's own pages
- AI assistance
- No · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- Automatic scaling
- Slide content is automatically scaled to fit the presentation window. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Build dependencies
- Building requires Xlib and Xft; image presentations use farbfeld tools. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Users can edit config.h and rebuild to customize the configuration. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Display
- Presentations appear in an X11 window with black text on a white background. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Download
- The official download page lists sent-1 dated 20170904. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- Images
- It can display image slides, but images cannot share a slide with text. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Input
- Sent reads a named file, or reads from standard input when the file is omitted or specified as a hyphen. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- The maker describes it as especially useful for Takahashi method presentations and quick lightning talks. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- Sent has no animations, export function, font styles, fancy layout options, or automatic paragraph layout. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Navigation
- Slides can be navigated with the arrow keys, and q quits the presentation. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Offline access
- Yes · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- PowerPoint export
- No · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- PowerPoint import
- No · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- Presenter mode
- Yes · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Sent is a simple plaintext presentation tool. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Real-time collaboration
- No · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- Slide format
- It uses plaintext files to describe slides, with each paragraph representing one slide. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Source code
- The maker provides a Git repository that can be cloned from git.suckless.org/sent. · git.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- Linux (X11) · tools.suckless.org, 24 Sept 2026
- UTF-8
- Sent supports UTF-8. · tools.suckless.org, 10 Oct 2026
Where sent stands on Freedom251
- Presentation software#76 of 93