Quark versus FrameMaker

[Chris Borokowski]

I love Quark and InDesign, and learned to like PageMaker too back in
the day, but these are desktop publishing applications. They are for
creating layouts.

FrameMaker, on the other hand, is a document management tool. It's
better for authoring, in my view. Microsoft Word is a kind of hybrid
that does 90% of things 90% well, and OpenOffice is a Java-based text
editor that pretends to do layout and document management.

Just my two cents on the stage of the authoring tools right now.

--- "Holwell, Pat" <Pat.Holwell at idearc.com> wrote:

> As noted, Quark is really a designing application and not really
> meant for writing documentation. We tried using it in my
> organization, but found that it couldn't handle large manuals very
> well & it crashed everytime we tried to generate a TOC & Index, 
> 
> ----------------------
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
> [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of David
> Creamer
> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 9:06 AM
> To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Subject: Re: Quark versus FrameMaker
> 
> > I have a client who has just been acquired. They want me to rebrand
> their
> > technical documentation (currently in Word) to comply with their
> new brand. I
> > suggested FrameMaker, but they are pushing Quark. I alway thought
> of Quark as
> > more appropriate for designers that do brochures, etc.
> > 
> > Has anyone used Quark for technical documentation? I would
> appreciate any
> > advice/feedback on using this tool to create technical
> documentation. I guess
> > what I am really looking for is information to sell them on
> FrameMaker over
> > Quark.
> > 
> This was a questions I answered recently for Layers Magazine--it
> concerns
> InDesign and FrameMaker, but I will discuss QuarkXPress at the end:
> 
> Q: I¹m trying to decide between InDesign and FrameMaker for producing
> my
> books. Any advice?
> A: Both programs are very good for producing books, but generally,
> InDesign
> is better graphically, while FrameMaker is better in some specialized
> (but
> important) areas. For example, Frame has conditional text (hide/show
> text),
> multiple indices, more advanced XML support, track changes*,
> cross-referencing**, document compare, built-in equation editor**,
> cross-column headlines, and table footnotes. InDesign excels in the
> graphics
> area, including native Illustrator and Photoshop import with full
> transparency support, built-in transparency and Photoshop-like
> effects, the
> standard Adobe pen tool, color management, multi-media support, and
> better
> PDF export. Features that are more-or-less equal include table
> styles,
> variables, numbered lists, anchored graphics, and overall text
> formatting. I
> should also mention that InDesign is cross-platform, while FrameMaker
> not
> available on the Mac.
> 
> *Available in InDesign using InCopy
> **Available in InDesign as third-party plug-in
> 
> Comparing QuarkXPress to InDesign...
> Quark's tables are very limited, it does not do numbered lists or
> footnotes
> natively, it's text formatting/editing is not as capable, and it does
> not
> have variables (or any of the above mentioned Frame features).
> 
> This comparison is not meant to be complete. Feel free to contact me
> if you
> have any other questions about the three programs.
> 
> David Creamer
> I.D.E.A.S. - Results-Oriented Training
> http://www.IDEAStraining.com
> Adobe Certified Trainer & Expert in FrameMaker and InDesign
> Authorized Quark Training Provider (since 1988)
> 
> 
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