FM 9 vs. InDesign

[Rick Quatro]

Hi Peter,

 

I am comparing component chapter files in a catalog with lots of data. We used InDesign CS4. Although we don’t have a version of the catalog in FrameMaker for direct comparison, experience tells me that the performance would be better in any recent version of FrameMaker.

 

The fact that InDesign scripting is built in doesn’t affect my business; I make money writing scripts, not selling scripting tools. Based on my experience, InDesign scripting performance with JavaScript is poor compared to FrameScript/FrameMaker performance, particularly for more complex tasks. When you using automation, the cost for a third-party tool can be recovered quickly if there are significant gains in performance.

 

This is not to say that I don’t like InDesign; it is a great tool with many nice features. But I would be cautious about moving to InDesign from FrameMaker unless there is a compelling reason for doing so.

 

Rick Quatro

Carmen Publishing Inc.

585-659-8267

rick at frameexpert.com

www.frameexpert.com

 

 

 

From: knowhowpro at gmail.com [mailto:knowhowpro at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Peter Gold
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:39 PM
To: Rick Quatro
Cc: Tina Ricks; framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Re: FM 9 vs. InDesign

 

Hi, Rick:

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM, Rick Quatro <rick at rickquatro.com> wrote:

Hi Tina,

I have found InDesign's performance to be sluggish with long documents.

 

Are you comparing books with component chapter files, or single-file long documents? And, which release of InDesign compared to which release of FrameMaker?

 

Although InDesign has built-in scripting, the FrameMaker/FrameScript
combination is much faster for automation.

 

InDesign's scripting tools are built in, not extra-cost third-party items. Although it's obviously not a good thing for your business, there's a great quantity of free InDesign scripts "out there."

 

Regards,

 

Peter

_______________________

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

 

 

 

Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing Inc.
585-659-8267
rick at frameexpert.com
www.frameexpert.com




Can anyone point me to a thorough comparison list of features between FM9
and InDesign? I'm using Frame primarily for print books at a small
publisher, and using it because I know it and I'm familiar with it.

I currently use Frame 8, and I'm considering an upgrade to either Frame 9 or
InDesign.

I've read that InDesign CS4 recently added cross references. Does anyone
know how they compare to Frame's feature? Also, what about creating an index
in InDesign. What features does it have for dynamic indexing?

Thanks.

Tina Ricks | Managing Editor | Trial Guides

www.trialguides.com