Re: Frame, Quark Xpress and a recalcitrant client

Subject: Re: Frame, Quark Xpress and a recalcitrant client
From: David Knopf <david -at- KNOPF -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 15:02:37 -0700

Candace -

My company does a lot of large, complex documentation projects (both for
online and print media), and we also do a fair number of "high design"
marketing pieces. Therefore, we have extensive experience with both
FrameMaker and Quark XPress.

All I can say is that you are, IMHO, one hundred percent correct. It
would be an immense mistake to attempt to use Quark for a documentation
project like the one your describe. There is much to love about Quark
XPress; it is the ideal tool in many situations. Using it for a large
scale doc project like the one you described, though, would be like
trying to eat soup with a fork. The tool doesn't fit the task.

That's not to say we've never used Quark XPress for a documentation
project. We did once, and it worked out just fine. That project had
unusual requirements, though. The manuals we created were for a color
image editing program for the Macintosh, and every page was process
color and very "high design." We got the results we wanted (and incurred
the expected additional time and cost). At that time, we couldn't have
gotten the results we wanted with Frame.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

- David Knopf

------------------------------------------------------------
David Knopf Tel: 415-731-8398 david -at- knopf -dot- com
Knopf Online Fax: 415-731-8399 http://www.knopf.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
* Writing * WinHelp * Web Sites * Training * Consulting *
"Blue Sky RoboHELP Certified Trainer"
------------------------------------------------------------


Candace Bamber wrote:
>
> All,
>
> I definitely don't want to start any tool-wars, but I think a client is
> planning something a little misguided and I need some good hard facts to
> present.
>
> As things currently stand, we are doing the online help for a major custom
> project, and they (the client) are doing the paper user manuals. They have
> never done user manuals before, and have no idea how to even begin, so they
> are relying on us for advice and guidance. It also wouldn't surprise me if
> we end up doing the books (this whole documentation thing is way more
> complicated than they originally thought).
>
> So they asked what tool to use. I recommended FrameMaker, seeing how it is
> designed to handle long (2000+ pages), multi-file books with extensive
> indexes, cross references, conditional text, about 1000 screen shots, and
> flow diagrams, all of which will be updated on a virtually weekly basis
> for about the next three-five years. I've also had good success with
> FrameMaker, and can help them set up a template that will automate a lot of
> stuff - and most importantly, deal easily with their stated need for
> multiple simultaneous versions (good old conditional text!).
>
> They don't know much about DTP or Word Processing, but someone in their
> group loves Quark Xpress, and they are quite determined to use Quark Xpress
> despite my rather vehement attempts to dissuade them on the grounds of
> efficiency and maintenance nightmare. (Not to mention the fact that I'm
> terrified I'm going to end up having to deal with the thing.)
>
> I've used QX for high design layout, and even then, not for about two and
> a half years, so I'm not familiar at all with the features and functions
> for book making of the newest versions, but to me this sounds like madness.
> Or perhaps I'm the mad one?
>
> Has anyone used QX for such a big book? How did it go? What were the
> headaches? Does the new version automatically update TofCs, Index items and
> cross references across files? I don't even remember it being able to
> auto-generate TofCs or Indices. Can it handle multiple file docs in a way
> that makes sense for a constantly updated document (I vaguely recall having
> to manually set the starting page number for the next file). Does it have
> anything like a conditional text feature?
>
> If anyone could just send me an email saying I'm right, that would
> definitely help my attitude :^^).
> Actually, commentary, information or war stories would be even more
> gratefully accepted.
>
> Many Thanks, as always,!
>
> Candace
--

------------------------------------------------------------
David Knopf Tel: 415-731-8398 david -at- knopf -dot- com
Knopf Online Fax: 415-731-8399 http://www.knopf.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
* Writing * WinHelp * Web Sites * Training * Consulting *
"Blue Sky RoboHELP Certified Trainer"
------------------------------------------------------------

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