Re: Word 6.0 vs. Frame 5.0

[David Demyan <concord -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

You wrote:


I'm inclined to believe Frame is the way
>to go, if for no other reason, it's the direction the industry seems to be
>heading.

>Is there anyone who can help me out?  I need to know how Word measures up to
>Frame.
>I need some specific pros and cons.  Please hurry...the money's been bugeted
>this fiscal year.

Susan, there is no real comparison. Using Word to create technical documents
is like selecting a hammer to cut a board in half. Eventually it will do the
job, but it will hack it up and take longer. Word for Windows is a great
product for doing letters and mailings; Frame is a great product for doing
technical document layout. Word either has limited or does not include
critical document layout features such as:

  * Easy hanging heads
  * Actively-linked cross-references
  * Automated and linked Tables of Contents and Index
  * Powerful autonumbering (but tough to learn)
  * Ability to create View-only documents with hypertext links
  * Powerful vector graphics
  * Excellent cross platform compatibility (this is important
    for companies that do not want to be tied to one type of computer)

There's a lot more that I can't think of right now. You tell him I said
that it will take TWICE as long to do the same job in Word -- and I should
know because I was tasked to make a conversion recently for a major
documentation effort. You guessed it; someone made the mistake of trying
to use Word for the documents instead of Frame. You could even have him
call me if he's stubborn.

BTW, I own no stock in Frame Tech. Opinions expressed are personal based
on experience.

Dave Demyan                   ***                 Mendem Concord, Inc.
(908) 753-8500                ***                   One Mountain Blvd.
concord -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com         ***                    Warren, NJ 07059
FAX: (908) 754-8224