RE: New doc group: FrameMaker or Flare?

["Veronica Kutt" <veronica -at- front-runner -dot- com>]

Hi Mary,

You may want to stick with Microsoft Word and use a plug-in product that
will make Word work like FrameMaker.

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Thanks,
Veronica

Sincerely,

Veronica Kütt
President
Front Runner Training, a Div. of Front Runner Publishing Solutions Inc.
416-515-0155
Call Toll free: 1-877-999-0155
veronica -at- front-runner -dot- com


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+veronica=front-runner -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+veronica=front-runner -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Mary Moore
Sent: January-04-11 6:15 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: New doc group: FrameMaker or Flare?


I'm consulting for a company that needs to set up documentation from scratch
and doesn't have an authoring tool. They've heard that FrameMaker is the
tool of choice and asked my opinion.

They will not have a full-time writer. I will be setting things up and
creating the initial documentation and then they will hire contractors as
needed. Call me cynical, but I've seen a couple of companies turn the minor
updating tasks over to engineers who can indeed figure out how to make the
minor changes, but then trip up on conditional text, generating TOCs and
indexes, and so on.

Given that they don't have a tool already and that they will not have a
full-time writer, I'm thinking of suggesting Flare, but I'm worried about
the learning curve -- for them AND me.

If I sell them on Flare, how long do you think it will take me to create
simple templates for an installation guide and user guide that would be
output as PDF?

Does Flare come with any default templates?

If they decide to make minor changes themselves and bring in a writer only
for a major release, is it conceivable that they could do this?

Miranda Moreland
 		 	   		  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.

Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try 
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. 
http://www.doctohelp.com

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help. 
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try 
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. 
http://www.doctohelp.com

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