Hello, one of our customers will send us FrameMaker 12 files for translation. We have FrameMaker 9. Is it still possible to buy FrameMaker12? Or is FrameMaker 2015 totally compatible with 12? Thank you in advance for your help.

FM2015 should be able to open any prior version .book or .fm file. Expect some curious dialogs on anything older than FM5.5 or so. Opening FM12 files should be trouble free.

FM2015 should be able to save to FM12, based on the historical behavior that any given release of FM can save, as binary, in the current format, or one release back. So if you avoid any FM2015-specific features, you should be able to deliver FM12 files back to the client.

Any release of FM can open the MIF files of any other release, but opening newer MIF with older FM results in discard of 'future' features.

Pending a more informed reply … my understanding is that FM 2015 ought to open FM 12 files quite happily. (in general, any FM will open any FM file you throw at it, discard anything it doesn't understand – for example, if you open an FM10 file in FM7 – and offer you the rest)

For handing the work back to your client, my understanding is that each FM version includes the option to save back to the previous version; so 2015 may well include a Save as FM12 option. If you use any snazzy new 2015 features, of course, these will be discarded.

Hope this encourages you while you wait for a better answer :-}