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defaultxhawfx4ep50f
Known Participant
August 10, 2021
Answered

Upgrading From FrameMaker Version 11 to Versions 2019 or 2020

  • August 10, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 573 views

I work in a department in which we produce financial factsheets that are imported into Structured FrameMaker 11 in order to produce the formatted documents. Currently, we are working in FrameMaker 11 (Structured). Because this version is no longer supported by Adobe, we are considering upgrading to the either FrameMaker 2019 or to FrameMaker 2020.

What has your experience been with these versions?

Are the any bugs that we should be aware of?

Are there  any software enhancements in these versions that you recommend?

Are we safe to upgrade from Adobe FrameMaker 11 to either of these versions, or should we update the versions incrementally?

Any information will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Brenda

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer shalomb61686619

    Note that FM2020 requires Windows 10 and the purchase model is a yearly subscription, not a one-time permanent license.

    4 replies

    R
    Russ Ward
    Legend
    August 11, 2021

    Hi Brenda. I am also slow to upgrade, but not as slow as you 🙂  I think you should be fine to upgrade straight from FM11. I am using 2019 now and it is reasonably stable and free of bugs. Regarding the structured interface and related features, there have been minimal enhancements and changes that benefit the non-DITA structured user. BUT, there was lots of work done with the DITA feature set that sometimes creeps into other areas. In other words, there was some sloppiness with the implementation, as if the assumption was that nobody would use any structure except DITA. You did not mention what your structure definition is. Also, there were minor modifications to the XML import/export process related to DITA that can affect non-DITA files. You did not mention whether you are using XML. But again, in general, I think you will be fine with a direct upgrade, just test first and keep FM11 running for a while until you are sure that the new version is working right.

     

    Russ

    Bob_Niland
    Community Expert
    Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 10, 2021

    re: …factsheets that are imported into Structured FrameMaker 11…

    What format are the imports?
    FM2019 or FM2020 might have interesting new options, but whatever you are doing is expected to keep working.

    re: …should we update the versions incrementally?

    FM "upgrades" have been complete installs for some time now. If your FM11 is on Win10, the later FMs can co-reside (I have FM2019 & FM2020 on my main machine).

    Are your machines air-gapped by any chance?

    S
    shalomb61686619Correct answer
    Inspiring
    August 10, 2021

    Note that FM2020 requires Windows 10 and the purchase model is a yearly subscription, not a one-time permanent license.

      Jeff_Coatsworth
      Community Expert
      Jeff_CoatsworthCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      August 10, 2021

      Fixed up your versioning to avoid confusion - there's no FM 19 or 20 😁
      FM2019 isn't getting any fixes made to it (unless it's something really severe now); FM2020 is your upgrade option. I suggest downloading a trial copy of FM2020 on some non-production machine and use a copy of your FM11 content to play with.

      D
      defaultxhawfx4ep50fAuthor
      Known Participant
      August 10, 2021

      Thanks

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