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> On 7/15/05, Barry Campbell <barry -dot- campbell -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> >
> > A project I've had on the back-burner for a while is the assembly of a
> > "Knowledge Worker Toolbox," comparing commercial software to
> > open-source and freeware tools.
> >
> > A very preliminary version of this can be found here:
> > http://campbell-online.com/resources/knowledge_worker_toolbox.html
> >
> > If the topic interests you, I'd really appreciate your review and
> > feedback (suggestions, additions, corrections, strongly-worded
> > opinions, war stories, etc.)
Some random points:
-- version 2.0 of OOo is a very acceptable replacement for Acrobat.
-- OOo Word is a good replacement for FrameMaker (see my article on the
Techwr-l site)
-- To avoid confusion, you should distinguish between Free Software on
the one hand and Shareware or Freeware on the other. They're not the
same thing. In your column, you mean Shareware/Open Source.
-- You might make clear that you're focusing on the Windows platform.
That's not a given nowadays.
-- Comparing Dreamweaver and Nvu is going to disappoint people. Nvu is
not nearly up to Dreamweaver's standards. You might want to mention
that, especially since there are a lot more open source alternatives if
you are using GNU/Linux.
-- The GIMP compares favorably to PhotoShop, too.
-- OpenOffice.org is compatible with MS Office only if you specifically
save files in MS formats.
-- If you do a search, you can find lots of freeware or shareware
alternatives to RoboHelp. There may even be an open source alternative.
Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 2005 now has RoboHelp Converter and HTML Source: Author
content and configure Help in MS Word or any HTML editor. No
proprietary editor! *August release. http://www.componentone.com/TECHWRL/DocToHelp2005
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