Re: InDesign as a FrameMaker substitute?

[Lou Quillio <public -at- quillio -dot- com>]

laurel -at- smartacus -dot- org wrote:

> Can anyone add to this list or correct/comment on the items?  Would anyone
> like to advocate InDesign as a tech writing tool?

It's much too soon for that.

Frame is sunsetted.  There's speculation that Adobe may position
future InDesign releases as a replacement, maybe through plugins.
Maybe Adobe will take a pass, and maybe QuarkXpress7 will surprise
us all and fill the space.  In the meantime, DocBook workflows are
advancing, and OpenOffice/StarOffice Writer is coming up to speed or
is already there.  And then there's MS Word, which -- hate to say it
-- has cleaned-up much of its act and has universal penetration.
Apple Pages is lurking out there, too.

Stick with current workflows, learn all you can about XML and XSLT,
and wait.  Anybody who says he can read the tea leaves right now is
full of it.

If a hasty commitment *must* be made now, DocBook's all that makes
sense for book-length manuscript publishing.  Ever held an O'Reilly
book in your hands?  DocBook.  Big-ass proof of concept.

LQ


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l


---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.