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Subject:Re: Tools query From:Richard Frederick <Fred_Ri -at- CENTRAL -dot- PRINTRONIX -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 16 Jun 1998 08:24:41 -0700
Becca,
We just moved to FrameMaker here at Printronix. As a matter of fact, I
just finished my training in Advanced FrameMaker and FrameMaker plus
SGML.
We moved to FrameMaker from Interleaf. The company has been with
Interleaf for about 12 years. There were several reasons for our move
and I think most of them apply to your question.
* We needed SGML ability to meet a customer requirement. FrameMaker has
this capability and it is much easier to get to than it is with
Interleaf. This could help standardize your format and make your
multiple docs have the same "feel."
* We just started providing our documentation on CD using Acrobat. The
FrameMaker use of cross-referencing in and over files works well. We
were making these reference "by hand" prior to FrameMaker. What used to
take us days will now take literally minutes.
* Our products are very similar. The differences are with our OEM
requirements. It is our desire to handle these differences with
conditional text.
* It was becoming painfully clear that Interleaf customer support was
not there and the direction of Interleaf was not improving that
situation.
Now I have never used Ventura but understand that it is not the most
convenient tool to use. I get this from a document manager at Oracle.
She informed me that the worst thing about her job was the requirement
to use Ventura. Oracle decided that their own tech pubs group should use
their own tool. I don't have any experience with Ventura customer
support, but can't imagine that it is as good as FrameMaker's.
My short experience with FrameMaker would say that the graphics might be
a problem ... or is that a "challenge?"
As far as cost, money earned is money saved. Or something like that.
Someone once shared the wisdom that "Understanding does not necessarily
lead to agreement."
"Wisdom begins when you discover the difference between 'That doesn't
make sense' and "I don't understand.' "
Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell; pg 142-143
Sincerely,
Richard
Senior Technical Writer
Printronix Inc.
