[Framers] FrameMaker vs InDesign

[David Creamer]

I use, teach, and consult for both programs--just completed a 1400 page book
in InDesign. When you say "publications", are you referring to books or
magazine-type products? If the latter, generally InDesign would be a much
better choice, but not having seen the publication I can only give 

For unstructured books, they can do many of the same things. For structured
books, there is no question--FrameMaker is better.

There are some of the things that come to mind (certainly not
exhaustive...).

FrameMaker
Excels at complex Books since it can use groups, folders, and sub-Books;
InDesign uses basic Book features (think Frame 7).
Conditional text is more powerful for tables with conditional rows and
columns; InDesign conditions apply to the entire table.
Variables can include character styles and can break across lines;
InDesign's variables can't.
Can have table footnotes; InDesign doesn't have this feature.
Can have run-in heads; InDesign does not offer this feature.
Can have multiple indices; InDesign only has one. (There are awkward
workarounds.)

InDesign
Typography is head-and-shoulders about Frame's and it's paragraph styles are
more advanced with nested styles and GREP styles.
Table formatting is more powerful with cell styles, but does not have table
variables.
Handles graphics better, especially oversized ones and graphics with
transparency or layers.
Better color handling for swatches, gradients, and spot colors; special
effects built-in.
Based-on master pages.
Has options for having writers edit document without having InDesign,
including InCopy, Em Software WordsFlow, and DTP Tools Annotations (the last
one adds a feature built-into Frame).
Cross-platform
Multiple page sizes/orientation in same document.
Undo's work for virtually anything.
Generally, the Creative Cloud is a better option compared with the Tech.
Communication Suite, at the same cost.
Easy bleed, slug setup; preflight for document. 
EPUBs can include built-in animations.
More off-the-shelf plug-ins and scripts available.

Conversion
"Free" option: Build InDesign template, export text as RTF; import into
InDesign with styles, modify styles as needed.
Fee-based option: DTP Tools MIF Filter <
http://dtptools.com/product.asp?id=mfid>

Let me know if you have any other questions.

David Creamer
IDEAS Training
ADOBE Authorized Instructor & Certified Expert since 1994
Training on: Acrobat, LiveCycle Designer, InDesign, InCopy, Photoshop,
Illustrator, Flash, After Effects, Fireworks, Premiere
Pro, Dreamweaver, Captivate, RoboHelp
FrameMaker Certified since 1991, including structured XML
Authorized QuarkXPress Instructor and Certified Expert since 1988
Microsoft Office training, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access,
Publisher, Project, and more
FileMaker Business Alliance member: Trainer
Authorized FlightCheck Instructor

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My company has informed me that they?d like to switch one of our major
publications over from FrameMaker to InDesign. If conversion is not an
option, they wouldn?t be opposed to rebuilding the entire publication from
scratch as an InDesign document.
Has anyone gone through this process before? What were some hurdles that
were faced?
Outside of that can anyone enlighten me with pros/cons for having this
publication remain a FrameMaker document vs moving it to InDesign? 

Thanks in advance for your help!