Re: Rumour: FM really is dead

[hedley_finger@xxxxxxxxxxx]

If I were going to migrate FrameMaker users to InDesign, I would put FM
development into maintenance mode while I added the necessary functionality
to InDesign to do all that FrameMaker does.  So not releasing onto Mac may
be an indication of maintenance mode.

The demise of FrameMaker is not a tragedy provided we can all migrate our
documents to a tool that provides not only the same but BETTER
functionality.  Over the years I have lamented FM's inability to work in
double-spreads (sure, you can VIEW double-spreads, but trying placing a
landscape graphic across the top of two facing pages), fairly crude
autopagination, to apply variant cross-references depending on whether the
target is near or far, smarter master pages (partly addressed).

Let's face it, the FM codebase is probably so huge and twisted that MAJOR
changes to its document model and to add major functionality may be an
almost impossible task.  So, FM --> InDesign is fine by me if I can still
do all the el neato stuff.  And if anybody at Adobe is reading this, take a
good look at all the plug-ins -- they exist because people are frustrated
with their absence as built-in functions.

Now can we just have a FrameMaker or InDesign release onto Linux ... or at
least WINE, so we can still run all those el neato plug-ins for FrameMaker.
And as for Illustrator, Photoshop, Go Live, etc. why not WINE and dine them
too?

Can I let my lip tremble now and wipe away those gathering tears, until now
bravely held back?   8^)

Hedley

--
Hedley Finger
Technical Communications Support Specialist
MYOB Australia <http://www.myob.com.au/>
P.O. box 371   Blackburn VIC 3130   Australia
12 Wesley Court   Tally Ho Business Park   East Burwood VIC 3151
Australia
<mailto:hedley_finger [at] myob [dot] com [dot] au>
Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421,   Mob. (cell) +61 412 461 558

(C) MYOB Limited 2003


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