The ipad / tablets

Report · Mar 05, 2012

Hello

Anyone written documents for the ipad or other tablets?

I'm like this tool as a way of presenting manuals, and it's something I am definitely going to be spending more time with.

Anyone else used one or thinking of using one?

Report · Mar 06, 2012

I have not used an iPad, but I would think one could create a PDF and import it to the iPad.

Macintosh has some new apps to create educational materials. Check into those. I doubt there is anything to create something directly from FrameMaker other than a PDF.

Van

Report · Mar 06, 2012

Be exceedingly cautious with all tools for creating Apple ebook formats.

Under some licenses (e.g. one of Apple's), you agree that ALL output from the tool, if sold, may only be sold through the Apple store.

All your copyright are belong to us.

Report · Mar 06, 2012

Van Kurtz wrote:
I have not used an iPad, but I would think one could create a PDF and import it to the iPad.
Macintosh has some new apps to create educational materials. Check into those. I doubt there is anything to create something directly from FrameMaker other than a PDF.
Van

Care to name any of those, Mr K?

Error7103 wrote:
Be exceedingly cautious with all tools for creating Apple ebook formats.
Under some licenses (e.g. one of Apple's), you agree that ALL output from the tool, if sold, may only be sold through the Apple store.
All your copyright are belong to us.

I have no desire to sell anything. What does excite me is building a manual that can be easily referenced, by both clients and internal staff, on one portable device, anywhere in the world.

Plus, it looks great to potential clients.

Report · Mar 06, 2012

Check the HATT mailing list - there's been discussion on mobile docs for ipads on there. You may not even be able to distribute your docs independently even if not sold.

Report · Mar 06, 2012

Be exceedingly cautious with all tools for creating Apple ebook formats.
Under some licenses (e.g. one of Apple's), you agree that ALL output from the tool, if sold, may only be sold through the Apple store.
All your copyright are belong to us.

Check the HATT mailing list - there's been discussion on mobile docs for ipads on there. You may not even be able to distribute your docs independently even if not sold.

Let's be clear. Apps are apps, and docs are docs. I would think one can get a PDF (a doc) onto an iPad without going through the Apple store, such as via email.

Apple's ebook tools are for creating ebooks for iPads, that is apps for iPads. Therefore, since all apps must be distributed through the Apple store, this includes apps created by Apple's tools. One cannot expect Apple's tools to be able to create educational content for the Android.

I have not read the Apple agreements, but I doubt very much that one completely loses the copyrights just from distributing the app through the Apple store. Look inside almost any app, and the copyright is listed as by the creator, not Apple.

Report · Mar 06, 2012

The discussion was around creating Apple eBook format docs (I think - I don't have any need of mobile stuff these days & even less to do with Macs)

Report · Mar 06, 2012

Let's be clear. Apps are apps, and docs are docs.

Right. Since Frame can't render ebook formats directly, one might be tempted to use an app helper. Be very careful.

See in this forum: FrameMaker and Apple's new iBook Author

I would think one can get a PDF (a doc) onto an iPad without going through the Apple store, such as via email.

Agreed. Optimizing PDFs for ebook readers and pads is likely a whole topic unto itself. And PDF is legally safer than letting propriatary tools with draconian licenses touch your work.

I have not read the Apple agreements, but I doubt very much that one completely loses the copyrights just from distributing the app through the Apple store.

Read the iBA agreement. Strictly speaking, the (c) is still yours, if you let iBA touch your document, but you lose most of of your copy rights on the output of iBA, and it's not all all clear that the APPL lawyers aren't also claiming control of your other editions of the same work.

Report · Mar 07, 2012

I thought Apple had clarified their position on Author, in that the content remains your copyright, but Apply can decide how it is controlled in Author format (i.e. how it's sold and who gets what percentage of sales via iBook).

Back on topic, I have a real problem with PDF (and ePub format for that matter). Niether are a particularly touch screen friendly format, and as help for touchscreen apps, I'd say they are useless. Would you accept the Help for a desktop app to just be a pdf?

You can write docs (in HTML 5) which are very user friendly, using mobile frameworks such as jQuery Mobile. It will be interesting how the likes of FrameMaker (and RoboHelp) respond to the rise of the touchscreen. MadCap Flare already produces a touchscreen friendly output, which I suspect uses a Framework like jQuery Mobile.

Report · Mar 07, 2012

Mark Southee wrote:
I thought Apple had clarified their position on Author, in that the content remains your copyright, but Apply can decide how it is controlled in Author format (i.e. how it's sold and who gets what percentage of sales via iBook).
Back on topic, I have a real problem with PDF (and ePub format for that matter). Niether are a particularly touch screen friendly format, and as help for touchscreen apps, I'd say they are useless. Would you accept the Help for a desktop app to just be a pdf?
You can write docs (in HTML 5) which are very user friendly, using mobile frameworks such as jQuery Mobile. It will be interesting how the likes of FrameMaker (and RoboHelp) respond to the rise of the touchscreen. MadCap Flare already produces a touchscreen friendly output, which I suspect uses a Framework like jQuery Mobile.

It surprises me that pdf translates so badly to a touchscreen. Your point about Help does make sense though.

I have resisted Flare for a long time now, mostly down to how familiar I am with Framemaker. I have never touched online help, and therefore never touched Robohelp, but it is a direction that I see my company taking; if I have to learn a new system, it might as well be a forward looking system that at least supports touchscreen.

Report · Mar 07, 2012

I thought Apple had clarified their position on Author, in that the content remains your copyright, but Apply can decide how it is controlled in Author format (i.e. how it's sold and who gets what percentage of sales via iBook).

Which is what I said. You own the copyright. Apple owns the copy rights. Authoring in iBA is potentially a serious and expensive mistake.

The iBA terms are novel, aggressive and hostile for an EULA. People accustomed to normal authoring EULAs will not be expecting the hazards it drags in. And if Apple gets away with this, you can expect other app providers to mimic it (esp. MS), and for the situation to get worse in the future.

Back on topic, I have a real problem with PDF (and ePub format for that matter). Niether are a particularly touch screen friendly format, and as help for touchscreen apps, I'd say they are useless.

Yep. Authoring for the general public is a real challenge at the moment, due to the huge spectrum of ebook reader formats and device capabilities.

Would you accept the Help for a desktop app to just be a pdf?

Quite possibly. Consider the FM10 situation. There is no PDF user manual, as in days of yore. Yes, there may be a PDF, but content is missing and the Index is useless. The on-line Help system is generally helpless (and is a web-only tool). I'd rather have a real PDF than the mess we have now. I frankly hate it when I hit Help in an app and it dispatches my browser to some remote web site (and rarely to a germane page, if my question is indeed addressed at all). If it's in the PDF, Acobat search will find it. If it's on the help web, the site's search may or may not find it.

You can write docs (in HTML 5) which are very user friendly, using mobile frameworks such as jQuery Mobile. It will be interesting how the likes of FrameMaker (and RoboHelp) respond to the rise of the touchscreen. MadCap Flare already produces a touchscreen friendly output, which I suspect uses a Framework like jQuery Mobile.

Adobe needs to commit on what FM is to be. It's pretty clear it will never be the layout tool some would like (forget color management). But it could be the author-once, flow-everywhere tool. Today, however, it can't even burp up undamaged XML (vector SVGs, for example, which are XML, could be passed through but are crushed to raster).

Report · Mar 07, 2012

The original interpretation of the EULA seemed to be that if you used Author, you couldn't then output in any other publishing format (and sell by any other means). I think that's what Apple clarified.

As for FrameMaker if it would output to valid HTML5, you could easily have a touchscreen publishing regime via Dreamweaver. It might be that Dreamweaver gets added to the TC Suite eventually, or they include the jQuery Mobile & Phonegap functionality now in Dreamweaver with RoboHelp (which is definitely due some serious updating to it's output formats).

Report · Mar 07, 2012

Use this page to get your ideas on Adobe's radar:

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=38

Report · Mar 07, 2012

Good stuff this.

I am not holding my breath for Adobe to introduc output to HTML5 in Framemaker, nor features from Dreamweaver in to Robohelp. Even if they did, who knows how long this will take? Interestingly, Madcap's Flare does all of this already in one program, all for less than the price of Robohelp.

Jeff_Coatsworth wrote:
Use this page to get your ideas on Adobe's radar:
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&product=3 8

Mike, do you want to submit these ideas, or are you happy with me doing it?

Report · Mar 07, 2012

As I have already submitted something along these lines a couple of months ago, be my guest. And Frank Sidebottom. Sorely missed !

Report · Mar 07, 2012

Haha, OK, will do.

You are right about Frank; the quality of large, paper mache headed comedians in Manchester has severely gone downhill since he left us.

Report · Mar 09, 2012

Hi, there are many ways to publish content for/on iPad or Smartphones.

At first visit www.make-a-muffin.de (sorry not in GErman only), but you will find output formats for iPAd/Tablet-PCs and Smartphones.

Scroll down to "Ausgabeformate für Web und mobile Geräte", you will find a graphic, why PDF will decrease as online format.

Indeed 3D-PDF is very import, but books without 3D should be publish as ePUB, REVERB or AIR.

Now you will find samples on this site in ePUB (at the end of this site), and at "Adobe AIR und WebWorks REVERB, oder eine APP"

in REVERB, AIR or as App. ALL input of this samples are written with FrameMaker (unstructured or structured in DITA).

Click this samples on iPad, Galaxy, HTC, Blackberry, and ...

Software Manual: http://www.finalyser.de/help

Engineering with 3D (and 3D-PDF and RichMedia): http://www.squidds.de/downloads/bihler

Power company: http://www.squidds.de/downloads/APP

At first what is important in iPad/Tablet-PCs and Smartphone?
Checklist for your use cases:

running in (almost) all platforms (hardware and OS)
usable on touchscreen (navigation)
integrated Rich- and Social Media
updatable
readable in landscape or portrait with automatically adjustment
Google analytics, Google translator

Your question could be, OK I write with FrameMaker, but tool is perfect to publish for iPad/Tablet-PC and for Smartphones in this formats (described above)?

Take WebWorks ePublisher (for REVERB only) or RoboHelp (for AIR only).

App? Yes, at least you can develope and customize an App, too:

http://www.workflowblog.de/?p=421

- Georg