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Michael314
Michael314
Inspiring
August 30, 2011
Question

Framemaker 10 VS. Word 2010

  • August 30, 2011
  • 6 replies
  • 5723 views

Hi,

I have a task to come up with a business justification to move the product manuals from Framemaker 7.2 and Word 2003 to Frame 10. As the sole writer, I'm not using structured Frame, DITA, or XML. As an aside, could someone point me to a good discussion of the advantages of structured vs. unstructured Framemaker?

I know Framemaker is a solid tool and superior for large technical manuals but I need specific advantages over Word. For example, Word has stability problems with numbered and bullet lists, and a problem with floating graphics jumping around a page as you add or delete content.

I have looked at the online Upgrade Guide and did not see many features I can use except the table catalog and managing unused styles. I did not see mention of storing autotext entries.

I also looked through the Framemaker Reviewer's Guide and did not see anything I could compare to Word.

Can you folks help me come up with a list of pros vs cons? I'm surprised that Adobe does not have such a comparison, because Word vs. Framemaker is always the question because of the greater cost and the steeper learning curve with Frame, which causes many managers to force people to use Word for manuals, plus they tend to fall back to Word if they lose or layoff the writers who knew Framemaker.

Yours,

Michael F

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    6 replies

    M
    Maike_Roder
    Participating Frequently
    September 1, 2011

    Hi Michael,

    two answers:


    1. Microsoft and other writers who write for MS, often use FrameMaker themselves.
        Word 2010 is a great tool for letters, and short reports/manuals.
    2. Costs: The costs of a tool should be second priority.
        The process, the quality and the reworking of a source is more important to check up.

    - Maike

    D
    dsurvivor
    Participant
    September 2, 2011

    Hi Michael,

    I agree with Maike Roder.

    MS Word, like a swiss knife (which is multi-purpose), has its uses. However, if you are in a trade, like a mechanic, you need real professional tools, not a swiss knife.

    FrameMaker is a professional tool, and a very good one.

    -dsurvivor

    David_Crowe
    David_Crowe
    Inspiring
    August 31, 2011

    One comment, but I don’t think I’ve seen this mentioned elsewhere: in long documents (200+ pages) I have found the page numbers in Word’s indexes to be inaccurate. They can be off by two or three pages, but not consistently, and not for all references in a document. My theory at the time was that the pagination changed between “Update index” and “Print” (even if the latter was done immediately after the former). Never did solve it.

    FrameMaker’s indexes, however are solid – as are other “automatic” document features such as cross-references.

    Michael314
    Michael314Author
    Inspiring
    August 30, 2011

    Hi,

    Good tips so far. I'm slowly building my list.

    Here are some specific questions:

    Frame has system and user-defined variables but I don't think Word has anything analogous.

    Frame now has, and Word has had, autotext (formatted text stored in a buffer for repeated use). How has Frame 10 implemented this feature?

    Yours,

    Michael F

    K
    ksoltys
    Known Participant
    August 31, 2011

    Word does have system and user-defined variables. In Word 2003, they're under the Custom tab of the File > Properties dialog. Not sure where they are in Word 2010.

    FrameMaker 10 doesn't have an autotext feature (at least the way that it's implemented in Word), although you can get something similar using custom defined variables. Silicon Prairie Software does have an AutoText plug-in for Frame which more or less duplicates the Word feature: http://www.siliconprairiesoftware.com/Products.html

    As others have said, Frame's stability is a BIG plus, especially if you have a lot of numbered or bulleted lists. It's also generally faster, espeicially with large documents. The cross-reference feature is much better than Word's.  If you have to create multiple versions of similar content, conditional text is a life saver.

    Regards

    Keith

    Bob_Niland
    Community Expert
    Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 2, 2011

    Peter,

    Thanks for the informative description of ExtendScript. Being a Word hacker of many years, I have created my own menus and populated them wih autotext entries and simple macros for repetitive tasks.

    Another question:  If I were to get Frame 10, would there be compatibility problems since I have Acrobat 6? I think it would be safer to get the latest of both tools but does anyone have any bad experiences using an older version of Acrobat with a newer version of Frame?

    Yours,

    Michael F


    If I were to get Frame 10, would there be compatibility problems since I have Acrobat 6?

    Very likely. I'd suggest starting a new thread to explore it, because there may also be some tips you need even if you plan to get full Acrobat X.

    A
    Anonymous
    August 30, 2011

    Michael, I use unstructured FM9 because I also am the sole writer for a corporation. However, I remember reading somewhere several months ago that the main reason for choosing the structured FM route is when two or more tech writers contribute to the same documents. Hopefully, someone out there will elaborate more on this.

    Ron Tillotson

    Technical Writer

     Please consider the environment before printing this email.

    Bob_Niland
    Community Expert
    Bob_NilandCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 30, 2011

    This search string on Google got numerous promising hits:

    framemaker microsoft word vs OR compared OR chosing

    Van Kurtz
    Van Kurtz
    Inspiring
    August 30, 2011

    Michael,

    For example, Word has stability problems with numbered and bullet lists, and a problem with floating graphics jumping around a page as you add or delete content.

    In my book, that should be enough reason NOT to use Word. It is a major pain to redo lists that change from bullet to numbering and back. That reduces productivity a lot.

    Also, Word is not good with long documents. There is no book concept in Word. I know there is a master file, but I have never used it and hear that it has problems. FrameMaker can create books in which each chapter is a separate document. The book keeps track of numbering across the documents, etc.

    I am sure others will be able to add to your list.

    Van

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