Re: Estimation of Frame Learning Curve

[Chris Despopoulos <cud -at- arrakis -dot- es>]

I would say, it depends on the student, and on the teacher.
If both are quite facile, then I could see somebody getting
"productive" after one session - then calling the instructor
to help with the snags as they come up.  But "productive"
means the writer can use an existing template that was
designed well.

Learning to design templates would take more time.  Probably
the best way to learn that would be to work with a Frame
weenie for a day, designing the template.  You might put out
a call for a good FrameMaker expert to come in and help set
up your templates, with your writer at his/her side.  You
would get templates and lessons in one shot.  The cost would
depend more on how well you specified your template
requirements than on how quickly your writer learned things,
I would wager.   For example, you could have your writer
first implement the document design in Word (since she knows
how), and then say, "Reproduce this in Maker."   The would
probably be very illustrative.  A good weenie should be able
to do it in a day.  (BTW, I am a certified Frame Weenie, but
I'm not advertising my services...  I live very far away.)

Anyway, that amounts to an ambitious estimate of two, very
intense days.  Then follow up with the manuals.

Finally, I must add that coming from Word to Maker is
probably more difficult than coming from any other product.
They just use such completely different models in many
cases.  Page layout based on "frames" is foreign to Word
users.  Also, the paragraph formatting method is foreign.

All that said, I know there are 1-week courses in Maker, and
a reasonably experienced person should come away from one of
those quite ready to work.  Adobe also offers Classroom In A
Book...  That might be a good way to learn the product,
too.  Still, nothing beats having a friend help you set up
your first project.

Just my 0.02 ?