Frame vs. InDesign

[David Neeley]

Some of you may remember the comments in an online interview by Bruce
Chizen, Adobe CEO, just before the launch of Frame 7. In that
interview, he noted that the Frame code base was dated, and that they
intended to move into a more modern and modular approach for long
docs--InDesign as the basis.

The Adobe PR people had a fit, of course, and made many moves to
assure everyone that Frame wasn't going away. They were reacting to
the imminent release of Frame 7.

Note, too, that this was roughly the time in which Frame maintenance
and development was offshored, as Adobe let go their domestic
programming staff for it.

The fact that InDesign is gaining capabilities to enable it to be used
for long tech docs, therefore, should surprise no one.

Whether a separate version of InDesign will emerge (possibly with the
Frame name) or whether it will simply be kept as one app of increasing
abilities in this regard, I do not know.

I have used both -- although obviously not the CS3 version as yet --
and I like both of them. However, InDesign needs a great boost in its
XML abilities for me to take it very seriously as a documentation app.

I am also reluctant to embrace InDesign's great layout flexibility to
tech writers who should be concentrating more on the content than the
presentation through a major part of the process. (I have worked in
marketing communications as well as in tech writing, so I have a bit
of a foot in both worlds.)

David