RE: Wimping out or going with current needs?

["Porrello, Leonard" <lporrello -at- illumina -dot- com>]

Hi Michelle,

Before moving to Flare, we did have one author who was using structured Frame. Although the decision to use Flare was made before I came on board, I think the consensus was that structured FrameMaker was relatively cumbersome compared to structured Flare. Off the top of my head, one key difference is that Flare lets you see conditions and interdependencies in the editor. (Frame does not). Flare also enables you to see where topics are being used, what links to them, and where they link to.

I was an "expert" in Frame back in 2000. I did not use the tool between 2000 and 2010. A lot happened during that time, so I cannot give you the best or most comprehensive answers regarding why Flare may be better for structured authoring than Frame. However, Mike Hamilton, Flare's marketing guru, used to troll this list, and if he is still around, I am certain he can speak eloquently to the differences between the two tools. I've ranted against Flare on this list on several occasions, but in spite of its quirks, it is a powerful and effective tool, and unless unemployment were the only alternative, I would not go back to using Frame.

Regards,
Leonard

From: Michelle Vina-Baltsas [mailto:M -dot- Vina-Baltsas -at- mindray -dot- com]
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 7:20 AM
To: Porrello, Leonard
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Fw: Wimping out or going with current needs?


Leonard,

Thank you for your comments. A question though. Since you were already using FrameMaker, did you consider using Structured FrameMaker at all?

Michelle
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m -dot- vina-baltsas -at- mindray -dot- com

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"Porrello, Leonard" <lporrello -at- illumina -dot- com>

02/25/2011 07:10 PM

To

'Michelle Vina-Baltsas' <M -dot- Vina-Baltsas -at- mindray -dot- com>, "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>

cc

Subject

RE: Wimping out or going with current needs?







We've recently switch from Frame to a structured, single sourcing approach using Flare. A few weeks ago, we had to abridge some documents for translation. Some of these had already been ported into Flare, and some were still in Frame. Using Flare, it took me about three hours to apply conditions to the existing files, create a new TOC and target, and publish a PDF of the new guide. My co-worker, who is more versed in Frame than I am in Flare and who is also much more familiar with the content, needed two days in Frame to accomplish the same end on a book of a similar scope.

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lporrello=illumina -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Michelle Vina-Baltsas
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 10:08 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Wimping out or going with current needs?

My main question is...when do you take the leap and go to a more
structured environment when your current workflow is working for you? My
current need is to deliver an online help system for our new product
within a reasonable amount of time that looks great and easy to maintain.

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