RANT: FM 9.0 -

[Butler, Darren J CTR USAF AFMC 584 CBSS/GBHDB]

Hi Fred-

okay.....but.....Adobe FM started out looking similar to a windows app,
then when windows changed its' UI, FM changed also -
coincidence?........!!?

 

Well, we were test driving FM9 about the same time as Word 2007 (both by
force). The frustration level was interchangeable betwixt the two
application UIs.

True, the new FM UI isn't a "ribbon" but both are feeble attempts (IMHO)
to get cute with the interface.

To me it's the equivalent of New Coke, KISS when they stopped wearing
makeup and costumes, and middle-aged Caucasian pop stars who start
dressing like they came from *da'hood* - COMPLETELY unnecessary, and a
very distasteful experience. Hopefully Adobe has gotten this out of
their system and can now turn their attention to more serious FM
improvements, like the ones clamored-for on this list.

It's interesting to me that both Adobe and MS used "we want it appeal to
new users" as a reason to change the UI of a well-loved, well-used
product. I've been using FM since version 5 was in diapers and I,
myself, have never heard anyone opine that FM just wasn't "Adobe-like"
The only consistent rant I've heard over the years is "multiple undo,
multiple undo, multiple undo, multiple undo....." I must run with the
low brow set of FM users  ;^)

 

You might be right, but I still contend that Adobe just wanted to be
trendy. Maybe I just fear change.

-DJ

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Ridder [mailto:docudoc at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 2:59 PM
To: Butler, Darren J CTR USAF AFMC 584 CBSS/GBHDB; generic668 at yahoo.ca;
venkat.partha at gmail.com; techcommdood at gmail.com
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: RANT: FM 9.0 -

 

Darren Butler wrote:

 

> Why Adobe would want to emulate Microsoft is beyond me. What's next, a

> dancing paper clip?

> 

> We actually purchased 9.0 then down-graded (yes, you can do that) to

> FM8. High volume shop, NO time for an (un)learning curve.

> 

> Are there any menu-to-ribbon road maps that one might recommend?

> Eventually, a CMS upgrade will force us to go the FM9. 

 

Adobe *didn't* emulate Microsoft, and what they came up with is *not* a
ribbon UI like MS Office has.

Their intent was to emulate other *Adobe* apps with floating toolbars
and dockable dialogs. Over the years, Adobe had made only small changes
to the original circa 1990 user interface that they bought from Frame
Technologies in 1995, and many people had complained that the UI didn't
look sufficiently Adobe-like. The fact that FrameMaker 9.0 has a UI that
looks and acts similarly to Adobe's flagship apps should be a great
benefit to the minuscule handful of new users who come to FrameMaker
from tools like Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign, but its value to
experienced FrameMaker users is (at best) debatable.

-Fred Ridder