MS Word vs. Frame

[Art Campbell]

I'd agree with John...
You're in the right position to put them on the right track, for a
not-too-big investment. But if the argument is that they don't have
the time or cash to do it right the first time, you may want to look
elsewhere for a better opportunity. If they don't get started
professionally now, it's going to cost them more in time and money
further down the line.

***
And the single largest thing that I think you'd be giving up is the
ability to set and manage style for the entire doc set / help set from
book files.

Art

On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 5:14 PM, John Sgammato <jsgammato at imprivata.com> wrote:
> You're asking a biased audience here...
> IMO if they want a quality product then they should use the right tool
> for the job. If their docs are in MS Word without styles, then I would
> dispute the assertion that they know how to use MS Word.
> With FM, Acrobat, and Mif2Go you can generate printed docs, online docs,
> online help, and output to MS Word so the PM can update the docs between
> releases.
> Ymmv, etc, etc
> john
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
> [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Angela
> Akridge
> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 5:07 PM
> To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Subject: MS Word vs. Frame
>
> Hi,
>
> Question: What features am I giving up by going with MS Word? Text
> insets?
> Conditional text?
>
> I'm a contractor for a very small startup that has a limited budget.
> I've been tasked to create their online help. They currently have
> manuals in MS Word, though no styles/tags are being used yet.
>
> They have no permanent writer, and they can't afford one at this time.
> There's a chance that I'll be supporting their major releases on an
> ongoing basis, and they'll update the help for their maintenance
> releases. Let me get to the point.
>
> I must choose between MS Word or Frame as the source. I don't know which
> to choose, given the circumstances!
>
> Frame meets a writers needs now and in the future. I don't want myself
> or the future writer to be stuck with MS Word. However, I know that the
> Project Manager isn't gonna like learning Frame. A conversion is less
> highly unlikely in an environment with very tight deadlines and where
> there are limited resources.
>
> They know how to use MS Word. I'm good with Frame, and don't know
> anything about publishing with MS Word. Also, it's easier to recruit
> writers when the source is in Frame, or so I've noticed.
>
> Angela
> _______________________________________________
>
>

-- 
Art Campbell art.campbell at gmail.com
 "... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent
and a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson
 No disclaimers apply.
 DoD 358