Re: Replacing FrameMaker with OpenOffice.org
Like Ian, I think Frame's keyboard shortcuts deserve to be given more
weight. I use them a lot, to apply character and para styles, insert
variables and symbols, apply and remove conditional text, and much more.
Well, as I indicated, there are individual preferences. Some people prefer the keyboard shortcuts, while others hardly use them at all.
Being able to record macros is good but it's not really the same thing.
No, it's not out-of-the-box functionality. However, you could probably save a template that has all the key bindings that FrameMaker has if you cared to.
- Generated lists (of paragraphs, markers, references, etc). This is
another feature I use quite a lot, though admittedly it's mainly to do
things that aren't provided directly through the Frame UI.
Yes. They all come under "User-Defined" in the index/tables tool.
- Equation editor
Yes. It's called Math. You can open it directly, or invoke it from a text document or spreadsheet.
I don't personally have much use for an equation editor, but those who do sound fairly pleased with it. A common comment is that it's much easier to use and has better features than the one in MS Office.
- Document comparison. Frame's isn't very good--if Writer has a decent one
that would definitely be a plus.
Yes. Edit > Compare Document.
- Table designer. You mention that Frame has a Tables menu, but so does
every mickey-mouse WP package. I think that, as with the Paragraph and
Character Designers, having the Table Designer is a step up in usability
over simply having styles.
Writer's is packaged differently, but there's not much to choose between the two programs either way in table functionality.
The absence of multiple undo and drag-and-drop are 'unique features' of
Frame that probably should be mentioned as pluses for Writer.
True. Good addition. In Writer, the number of undo levels is customizable.
Another feature I like in Writer is the drag and drop from data sources. It's very handy for composing alternate versions of short documents.
--
Bruce Byfield
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield
"I suppose I fall somewhere between
a lost soul and a romantic who believes
that if we live in forgiveness
we die in our dreams."
- Ray Wylie Hubbard
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Best tool for the job, and am I insane?
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