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> I hope not. The last thing we need is another case of >bloatware. I agree Frame lacks some features that would be >really useful, but we can do without the animated help >characters and the like. If Adobe can target Frame toward the >computer-adept market and not the neophytes, we will
> all be better off in the long run.
Based on the seminar I saw last month, I'd say that Adobe doesn't seem
to be after the neophyte market, or even the general user market. So I
don't think that animated help is too likely.
>As a group, I'd say technical writers are pretty good at >figuring things out which makes a lot of "features" not really >that beneficial.
Agreed, but Frame is overdue for some features, such as macros and
global searches which really would help to remove some of the drudgery
of a typical documentation project.
I'm not a big fan of monopolies (and Adobe certainly has one in
professional graphic design, and is seeking one in professional
documentation), but, in my experience, Adobe is fairly sensible in its
software development. I suspect we're more likely to see things like
special character tables than a bunch of wizards (although I do think
that FrameMaker's help needs a serious overhaul).
--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
(bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com) (604) 421-7189 http://www.axionet.com/outlawcommunications
Job Bank Team, STC Canada West Coast Chapter http://www.stc.org/region7/cwc/www/job_bank.html
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