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FrameMaker 8.0 Product Review (conclusion)

What's in this article:

• Interface upgrades
• Working with other file types
• Work smarter with content
• Work with structure
• DITA support
• Worth the cost?

Worth the cost?

To be seen. There are specific features that make it worth the upgrade cost on their own. If these are features you will use, then go for it.  Without a compelling reason to upgrade you may want to wait to see what your evolving publishing needs are and make the call down the road.

Personally, I have upgraded and use it now for about half of what I do for clients. A lot of the work I do involves DITA or structure and that makes an upgrade an easy choice for me. For client use I recommend evaluating the features, downloading a copy to test (you can run both FrameMaker X.x and 8.0 on the same machine) and deciding if the new functions make enough of a difference to justify the cost.

If nothing else, the new Technical Communications Suite from Adobe should help make the decision to work with FrameMaker 8.0. This is due to the tighter integration between RoboHelp, Captivate, and Acrobat when working with FrameMaker.

Final words

By releasing a new version of the software and announcing a new suite integrating FrameMaker with other key products Adobe seems ready to take the technical communications field seriously.