RE: What tools to use: Single Sourcing: Robohelp vs. FrameMaker

["Glenn Maxey" <glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brierley, Sean [mailto:Sean -at- Quodata -dot- Com]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 9:29 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: RE: What tools to use: Single Sourcing: Robohelp vs. 
> FrameMaker
> 
> 
> If you want to single-source, consider FrameMaker and 
> WebWorks Publisher Pro or FrameMaker and Mif2Go.

I second this motion.

Even though I like ForeHelp and they are local w.r.t. me (Colorado),
FM/Mif2Go will turn out to be a more cost-effective way to go.

The way I look at it, you need a mechanism that allows you to write like
a book yet still tag things (with context ID, etc.) in the source with
how it will look online. Mif2Go exploits such a mechanism in FM (as does
WWP).

My ignorance on ForeHelp and its FM support suggests that if you go this
route, you might get one-way export from FM into FH. However, once in
FH, you tag things and mark things and make it usable for online help.
My ignorance of using FH in this manner leads me to believe that you end
up with two sources. In other words, if you update your manuals in FM,
either you end up making the same change again in FH, or you may end up
doing all of the one-way mark-up in FH again. But I'm talking through my
hat here. I don't know. 

I _do_ know that FH is expensive. WWP is probably almost as expensive.
Mif2Go came in under WWP in price. From what I've been reading about WWP
and seen demonstrated at various conferences, I still believe that
Mif2Go was the right way for us to go -- although I admit to having had
to resort to Mif2Go's awesome customer support on a couple of occassions
due to doc problems. (I haven't had a need to look at the new doc's yet,
so I'm admitting more ignorance here. I got it set up the way I want and
know enough to re-use INI files from project to project. I'm good-to-go
for now and into the immediate future. A lot can be said for that,
though.)

Glenn Maxey
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
Tel. +1 303.223.5164
Fax. +1 303.223.5275
glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com

 

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