RE: FrameMaker's Future

["Nagai, Paul" <pnagai@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I can answer that in a way. ArborText does not have any type of
> automated conversion tool. 

Arbortext Interchange is an automated conversion tool. That said, you do have to develop a mapper file. This is essentially programming.


> Another reason was the lack of PS/PDF support. Although AroberText 
> claims that Epic can be printed to or saved as PDF, the process is 
> longer and more error-prone than the FrameMaker 7.0 process to do 
> the same.

Arbortext can create PDF (and I think PostScript, but I'm not 100% sure about that one). In fact, it is possible to do so using Distiller or Distiller Server. Epic, in fact, now has a built in PDF authoring module (Direct PDF or PDF Direct, I forget which) that creates PDF files without using Adobe technology avoiding Acrobat licensing costs. That said, this does all work differently than it does in FrameMaker and depending on your requirements, there may be limitations you can't live with.


> Now, this was just over 2 years ago, however, the reps did not say, 
> even when asked, that there was a straightforward path from 
> plain Frame to ArborText, nor was one in the works. 

One could say this is still true ... Interchange (through the mapper file) do require deep customization to be useful.


------
Paul Nagai

Tsunami relief portal:
http://www.networkforgood.org/


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