Archive for July, 2007

FrameMaker 8 New Features

Adobe FrameMaker 8 software is a powerful tool for technical communicators that combines word processing and XML-based structured authoring with template-based publishing.

Unicode support (New)
Edit and create content in multiple languages, and author content for global audiences with dictionary and hyphenation support for most languages.

Support for rich media (New)
Create more engaging online documentation by incorporating 3D models, rich Adobe Flash® Player compatible animations, and simulations created with Adobe Captivate™ software. Generate Adobe PDF files with live 3D models.

New DITA support (New)
Use a prebuilt DITA application to author, publish, and distribute topic-oriented information in XML and create DITA maps.

Fully integrated authoring tools
Create, edit, and publish technical content with powerful features for automatic numbering, cross-references, tables of contents, indexes, books, and more. Automate formatting via templates and integrate tables, graphics, and images.

Flexible authoring environment
Work in a familiar style-tagging word processing mode or in a fully structured environment optimized for editing and producing valid XML and SGML. Manage your content entirely in XML, use XSLT during editing, and conform to industry standards such as DITA and DocBook. Easily convert existing documents to structured content through conversion tables. And import content from many other formats, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, QuarkXPress, and Adobe PageMaker® software.

Powerful, scalable single-sourcing
Effortlessly single-source variations of the same document for different channels and purposes by building complex Boolean expressions for defining output filters in structured and unstructured mode. Easily distinguish multiconditional text through improved color coding. Use attributes to control conditional output in structured mode. Manage and rename conditional tags through a convenient new dialog box.

Adobe Delivers Major Upgrade to FrameMaker

Rich Media Enhancements and Unicode Support Anchor FrameMaker 8 Release

SAN JOSE, Calif. — July 23, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® FrameMaker® 8 software, a complete authoring and publishing tool that combines the simplicity of word processing with the power of XML. New support for broader file formats including Adobe Flash® Player compatible .SWF files and 3D empowers technical communicators, experts and trainers to enhance static documents with rich media to create more engaging and interactive content. In addition, industry-leading integration of XML accelerates the creation, localization and distribution of content for output across operating systems, devices, and platforms and new Unicode support enables authors to effortlessly publish a single document in multiple languages.

“The valuable content generated by technical authors should not be constrained by language, geography or device,” said Naresh Gupta, senior vice president and managing director, Print and Classic Publishing Solutions at Adobe. “Integrating content created with Flash software, 3D and Unicode makes FrameMaker 8 a milestone release that will simplify the delivery of high-impact documentation, no matter what the language or technology platform.”

Relied on by technical authors, documentation specialists, trainers and professionals that require high-quality long document multi-channel output from a single source, FrameMaker 8 builds on a rich product heritage that has powered the delivery of complex documents worldwide.

Master Complex Documents in a Flexible Authoring Environment
Adobe FrameMaker 8 lets technical communicators work in a familiar, style-tagging word processing mode, or in a fully-structured authoring environment optimized for producing XML and SGML. By incorporating accessible authoring tools and ready-made customizable templates, FrameMaker 8 streamlines the technical documentation process. Support for industry-standard Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) simplifies writing, reviewing, publishing and exchanging topic-oriented information in XML and the creation of DITA maps. Technical documents are now easily maintained and updated with powerful book authoring and layout features, including automatic numbering and cross-references. A new feature enables technical writers to highlight edits made to the text of documents, streamlining the review process.

“At last, with Adobe FrameMaker 8, the industry has an XML editor with 100 percent DITA support that’s easily customizable and is also a complete publishing solution,” said Thomas Aldous, President, Integrated Technologies, a U.S. company focused on technical training, document management and customer application development. “Any other major DITA editor requires a costly additional print server purchase.”

Frame-to-Help Solutions (Webworks, Mip2Go, RoboHelp, etc.)

Dear Framemaker users:

I am a senior technical writer from the Washington, DC (USA) area. I request assistance converting Framemaker files to HTML online help. Over the past eleven years, I used FM extensively, and loved it, but I haven’t used it much for approximately five years because many companies in my area aren’t interested in introducing a new skill set to their staff. Recently I began using FM again, but I haven’t kept up with its web/help conversion capabilities. Frankly, I am somewhat surprised at how few advances have been made in that area over the past five years.

Sneak Peek at FrameMaker.Next!

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/event/index.cfm?event=detail&id=700382&loc=en_us&trackingid=ZQGM

You’re invited to participate in a free live online seminar series to learn about the latest developments regarding the next version of Adobe FrameMaker—one of several Adobe products like Adobe RoboHelp® 6, Adobe Captivate™ 3 and Acrobat® 3D targeting technical communicators.

Sneak Peek at FrameMaker.Next!
Thursday, July 26, 10:00 A.M. PDT
Take a peek at what the FrameMaker team is working on. Learn about potential new features and provide feedback during this eSeminar. See features like DITA topic-based authoring, create documents with live 3D models and Flash®, XML single-sourcing features, track text changes and other review workflow improvements, and much more.