Re: Second the Motion Re: enough

[Dan Emory <danemory@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:14 PM 5/25/99 -0400, edunn@transport.bombardier.com wrote:
>
>Looking back on the development of FM, it would seem that it has been slow
>and meticulous. Adobe, please continue in that vein. We need more software
>developed for usability and function and less based on the "Gotta get a
>major release out every year." mentality. If that means in a years time we
>get a 5.6 that fixes all the little annoyances and fixes a few of the
>functionality problems mentioned on the group (footnotes et al), then
>great.
======================================================================
FrameMaker 5.5 was initially released in September of 1997. Even though, in
most areas, it was only a minor upgrade from 5.1.x, it had more bugs than
Starship Troopers, many of them showstoppers, particularly in FM+SGML 5.5.
It's taken Adobe nearly 18 months and four releases to iron out the bugs in
5.5 that didn't exist in 5.1.x. Version 5.5.6, the latest, still has some
serious bugs that remain unfixed.

I agree with you about what should be done in version 6.0, namely:

1. Get all the bugs out.

2. Add some of the features (e.g. improvements in handling of footnotes and
endnotes) that have been hanging around since version 4.0.

What we do need in release 6.0 are improvements in the core product, not
feature bloat (e.g., GUI "improvements") that would launch another 18-month
cycle of bug releases and instability, and would make the resulting product
more unstable, and less able to successfully handle large documents and books.

Although some might regard such limited improvements in V6.0 as further
evidence that Adobe is intent on abandoning the product, I would view it
oppositely. I believe that focusing V6.0 on supporting the existing
installed base is evidence that Adobe believes FrameMaker has staying power.
The installed base really has little interest in Adobe chasing new market
penetrations (e.g., grabbing part of thw Word installed base) with features
that would yield little benefit to the installed base, and probably wouldn't
achieve much in the way of additional market penetration anyway.

     ====================
     | Nullius in Verba |
     ====================
Dan Emory, Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
Voice/Fax: 949-722-8971 E-Mail: danemory@primenet.com
10044 Adams Ave. #208, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
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