Buying an old copy of FrameMaker

[Helen Borrie]

At 03:21 PM 2/10/2012, Shelly Schneider wrote:

>An additional contractor has been brought on by my company. If I can find a low-price copy of FrameMaker, perhaps she won’t end up moving her docs to Word (shudder). I know folks on this list swear by FrameMaker 8. FrameMaker 9 was a bug-fest. I doubt I’ll find many people offering FrameMaker 10. I've had no luck on eBay . I’d love to find a copy of FrameMaker 8  with a transferable license (was it 8.2 everyone loved?). Does anybody have any thoughts or caveats on how to go about this?  Thanks! 

I went the FM 8 route after trying to work with the FM 9 trial version and nearly losing my mind with the damned pods and a raft of things that either didn't work, disappeared spontaneously, or caused FM to fall over completely.  The day I decided to buy the FM8 *upgrade* (from v.6) instead, was a few days after the FM 9 release.  By that time, Adobe had pulled every FM 8 pack in the world.  Even resellers who actually had stocks were not allowed to sell it.  The only solution Adobe offered at that time (2009) was to buy the *full* FM 9 retail pack and use that licence to apply for a URL to download the FM 8 downgrade as an ISO.

Companies do clear out unused stuff from time to time and I did eventually manage to source an unopened retail pack at an attainable price, through eBay, after a while of watching.  With all the updates, it is announcing itself as v.8.0p277.  Another possible source is Amazon, as remaindered software is often offered there by third parties.

A possible caveat at this distance could be that Adobe might have pulled the updates.  I just don't know.  At the time I needed them, they were available;  but that was 2009.  That said, if you are using FM 8 on site already, you probably have all the updates backed up for reinstalls, as I do.

Good luck!
Helen