Getting earlier version of FM

[Peter Gold]

Hi, Christopher:

On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Brewster, Christopher C
<christopher.c.brewster at lmco.com> wrote:
> I've been a sporadic user of Framemaker but trying to learn more about
> it in case a job pops up that needs it. I have version 8 as part of the
> Adobe Technical Communication Suite. Well, a job did pop up, but it
> needs version 6 + SGML. Since I'm a licensed user, is it possible to get
> an earlier version? Thanks...
>
> Christopher C. Brewster   Multimedia Design Engineer
> ___________________________________________________
> Technical Documents and Training    |    Lockheed Martin MS2
> christopher.c.brewster at lmco.com      |     651-456-4597 Eagan

Hi, from bleak warm soggy Minneapolis!

I'm not clear on what you really are looking for. If your employer is
Lockheed Martin, they should provide the FM 6.x +SGML for you to work
on their projects. If this project is a freelance project for another
client, then they may expect you to have the software.

As Art notes, the SGML smarts are built into FM 7.x and later. The
Developer's Guide PDF in the installation has the info you need,
though it's not a tutorial approach. The structured application and
files you create are very likely convertable to FM6 + SGML, by saving
as Maker Interchange Format (MIF). I don't believe there's any
different structured functionality or features in FM 7.x or later,
from FM 6 + SGML. However I believe there were changes to the
programming language in the SDK (Software Development Kit) that
requires rewriting the add-on tools you'd create with the SDK.

Your status as a registered owner of a FM release has no bearing on
whether you can buy a licensed copy of an older release from Adobe or
other authorized reseller - it all depends on whether there's any
stock. You can buy a used copy from a licensed owner; you'll need to
vet the seller and the license to be sure it's not a fake or stolen
license, and the seller should fill out an Adobe transfer of ownership
form, so you can register your purchase legally. In addition, you'll
want to verify that the disks are complete and usable, because
replacements are scarce.

There's an Adobe User-to-User Structured FrameMaker forum you may want
to look into for more focused assistance.

You'll probably get more useful responses to your questions if you
provide some context on your work situation . For example, are you
expected to be developing or refining structured FM templates? Or,
will mature templates be provided for you, and you'll only need to use
them to create or maintain content with them?

HTH

Regards,

Peter
__________________
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices