<font size=2 face="sans-serif">Your situation reminds me of the place
I worked where the CEO's wife complained, "Can't you come up with
a solution that involves Microsoft products?"</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Nonetheless, I was in a situation with
more reasonable management that I managed to convince. I did it by
listing what I needed to do that I couldn't do in MS Word:</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">. Conditional text </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">. Large files (MS Word has memory management
problems)</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">. Numbered lists (MS Word has bugs that
limit the number of such lists you can have)</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">. Flexible variables (you can set them
at once from an external file in FrameMaker, while MS Word doesn't have
this capability)</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">. Customization that doesn't make you
vulnerable to viruses (the #1 way computers get infected via MS Word is
through its macros)</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The final selling point was a file I
found on the Internet that showed Microsoft Press using FrameMaker. I
was able to say "Even *Microsoft* doesn't use Word for creating books!"</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The word "flexible" in this
person's message is also clearly a euphemism for either "cheaper,"
"one that the rest of the idiots here know," or "one that
runs in native mode on my Mac."</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Are there any other tech writers in
the company that acquired you? If so, find out what they use. If
someone else is using FrameMaker, you've got a better defense. If
you're the only one using it, you may be screwed.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Good luck,</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">--Lynn</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=1 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif">From:
</font><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><laura@lavadome.net></font>
<br><font size=1 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif">To:
</font><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><framers@lists.frameusers.com></font>
<br><font size=1 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif">Date:
</font><font size=1 face="sans-serif">07/10/2012 10:22 AM</font>
<br><font size=1 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif">Subject:
</font><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Support needed!</font>
<br><font size=1 color=#5f5f5f face="sans-serif">Sent by:
</font><font size=1 face="sans-serif">framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com</font>
<br>
<hr noshade>
<br>
<br>
<br><tt><font size=2> Dear all<br>
<br>
Please tell me I'm not going mad or being unreasonable.<br>
<br>
Have just come into work to find that the company which acquired us a
<br>
few months ago wants me to use Powerpoint for creating datasheets <br>
instead of InDesign (definite) and "a more flexible tool" (Word)
instead <br>
of our beloved Framemaker (proposed).<br>
<br>
I could cry. I am the only tech author in the company of about 100 <br>
people and the marketing department used PP for datasheets which they
<br>
say is "adequate" for the job. This all arose on Friday when
someone <br>
else needed to edit a version of my ID files when I was on holiday. Now
<br>
I come in to find:<br>
<br>
"...For more technical documentation (e.g. product manuals) then
I <br>
understand the argument for use of a more specialist tool - but even <br>
here we can use more flexible tools."<br>
<br>
Such as????? I have long user guides with masses of conditional text.
<br>
Just let Word have a shot at that. In fact, they were trying to do just
<br>
that before I started this job 4 years ago - and it wasn't working.<br>
<br>
Sorry to clog up the forum with this but I think of you all as friends
<br>
who feel the same way about FM as I do.<br>
<br>
How do I persuade them otherwise? In fact, it's just one person really
<br>
I think I need to convince - not in my office.<br>
<br>
I can just about cope with datasheets in PP but using anything other <br>
than Frame for long user guides is unthinkable.<br>
<br>
L<br>
<br>
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