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Re: Making a pitch to switch from Word to FrameMaker
Subject:Re: Making a pitch to switch from Word to FrameMaker From:Linda Laurie <LinLaurie -at- CLASSIC -dot- MSN -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 1 Oct 1997 04:56:32 UT
I have to disagree. I like Word and would not want to switch to a more
expensive tool with a user paradigm very different from other DTP packages.
Frame started out as competition for Ventura Publisher and PageMaker and has
evolved into a single-source publishing system. I believe it started the
single-source ideology but it isn't the only tool doing single source
publications any more.
Word is versatile, easier to use, has a paradigm that is similar to PM and
other DTP programs. I know many writers that would not want to switch.
Lin
----------
From: Technical Writers List; for all Technical Communication issues on
behalf of John Lord
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 1997 3:35 PM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Re: Making a pitch to switch from Word to FrameMaker
At 11:47 AM 10/1/97 -0700, you wrote:
<snip>
>Next week we're making a pitch for out company to switch from WinWord 97 to
>FrameMaker 5.5.
>When I asked the manager of my group, who used to work for HP, about
>adopting Frame, he replied that most tech writers hate Frame and that it
>was a hangover from the days of UNIX. Most writers at HP, he claimed, would
>gladly dump Frame for Word if they could.
<\snip>
I'm sure that you will get many responses from tech writers on this topic.
Your ex-HP manager could not be further from reality - most of the writers
I know (me included) feel so strongly about using FrameMaker that they
would quit rather than switch to MSWord. I would bet that most of the
current writers at HP feel the same way, and suspect that the ex-HP manager
is at least 4 or 5 years behind the times.
Do everything possible to avoid MSWord as your major writing tool - you
should probably be able to find lots of ammunition from the TECHWR-L
archives on FrameMaker versus MSWord.
Good Luck
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John Lord Manager of Technical Publications mailto:jlord -at- livingston -dot- com Livingston Enterprises, Inc. http://www.livingston.com Pleasanton, California.
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