From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: framemaker
Date: 8 Sep 92 04:29:57 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

kdenning@portal.hq.videocart.com (Karl Denninger) writes:

Re Frame

>Having used Frame, I can say this authoritatively:

>DON'T DO IT! :-)

>You'll be quite sorry if you do.  Frame is the be-all and end-all of desktop
>publishing packages IMHO.  If you load it, and use the demo, you'll likely 
>fall in love and insist on having it -- which will set you back roughly 
>$1k. :-)

>I was both ecstatic and morose when I saw that Dell had included the demo on
>the 2.2 release tape.  It meant that I was going to have an excellent DTP
>package on Unix, but it also meant that I was going to be $1k poorer.

>The demo will do everything >except< save files.  Therefore, you can really
>get yourself in up to your neck with this one.

>I've resisted temptation so far, but it is not easy.  It really is as nice
>as I remember it from the Sun environment; enough to make me give up
>Pagemaker on the PC or MAC.

AMEN.  I'm in the process of converting over from Pagemaker to the 
Windows version of Frame.  This is superb software, some of the 
finest publishing software I've used.  It makes PageMaker 4 look like
a toy.  Thus far, and I'm only a couple of weeks into the conversion,
Frame has addressed EVERY problem I've been fighting with in 
PageMaker.

In addition to being an excellent Whizziwig page layout package, it has
a superb page markup language, possibly as good as the large systems
such as Atek, and a C API.

There are a couple of things one can do about the price.  First off,
if you are at .edu site or have a friend who is, you can buy
the educational version for $200.  The only difference between
the two is the price.  I have that direct from Frame.

The second thing one can do is let Frame know how much you disapprove
of the "Unix Penalty", that is, having to pay much more for the 
version that runs on PC Unixes than what you would pay for the Windows
version that would run on the same hardware when a different, imitation
OS is loaded.  FYI, the windows version lists for $795 while the Unix
version is $12xx.  There is a version for PC unixes that is "locked" to
the console for a bit less but that defeats using an X-terminal to 
gain performance.  

I have written several letters to Frame and I know some others who
have.  Apparently, according to my sources, Frame is listening and is
reconsidering its pricing policy.  If you'd like to have FrameMaker
at the same price the guy in the next cube who is forced to use 
Windows, let 'em know about it.  I personally think this could be the
package that does for Unix and workstations what 123 did for that 
imitation OS.

My last conversation was with Dade Donovan who I believe to be their
commercial marketing manager.  His email address is 
dwd@interobang.frame.com.  Be nice, now.  These are good folks.

Now let's see.  My peecee is full of ram and still short.  I can't
stand a Mac.  Guess me and NeXT and FrameMaker are going to have
to chat again......

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
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Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386