Hi, Rick: Thanks for the detailed reply. On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 9:23 AM, Rick Quatro <rick at rickquatro.com> wrote:
> Hi Peter, > > > > I am comparing component chapter files in a catalog with lots of data. We > used InDesign CS4. Although we don?t have a version of the catalog in > FrameMaker for direct comparison, experience tells me that the performance > would be better in any recent version of FrameMaker. > Have you evaluated the performance of the catalog tools made for InDesign? > The fact that InDesign scripting is built in doesn?t affect my business; > I make money writing scripts, not selling scripting tools. > I was thinking about the many free InDesign scripts; I don't know how this compares to free FrameScript scripts. > Based on my experience, InDesign scripting performance with JavaScript is > poor compared to FrameScript/FrameMaker performance, particularly for more > complex tasks. > Inefficient coding is common. > When you using automation, the cost for a third-party tool can be recovered > quickly if there are significant gains in performance. > Agreed. > This is not to say that I don?t like InDesign; it is a great tool with > many nice features. But I would be cautious about moving to InDesign from > FrameMaker unless there is a compelling reason for doing so. > Two popular reasons are the significantly better typography controls, and the better graphics features; ID's drawing tools are quite advanced vs. FM, and there's more power in manipulating imported graphics. The graphic features overlap Photoshop to some degree; the advantage here is staying inside one application to use them. With TCS2 including the full Photoshop application, "more is more" for sure. "Compelling" is subjective, I agree. Usually, technical documentation's communication of information doesn't improve significantly because of more-sophisticatedly composed type, but for some publishers or publications, masterful typesetting is a compelling requirement. Perhaps Tina's list of requirements will provide more information for comparing the applications and their suitability. > Regards, > > > Peter > > _______________________ > > Peter Gold > > KnowHow ProServices > > Rick Quatro > Carmen Publishing Inc. > > 585-659-8267 > > rick at frameexpert.com > > www.frameexpert.com > > > > > > > > *From:* knowhowpro at gmail.com [mailto:knowhowpro at gmail.com] *On Behalf > Of *Peter > Gold > *Sent:* Wednesday, October 21, 2009 6:39 PM > *To:* Rick Quatro > *Cc:* Tina Ricks; framers at lists.frameusers.com > *Subject:* Re: FM 9 vs. InDesign > > > > Hi, Rick: > > On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 2:36 PM, Rick Quatro <rick at rickquatro.com> wrote: > > Hi Tina, > > I have found InDesign's performance to be sluggish with long documents. > > > > Are you comparing books with component chapter files, or single-file long > documents? And, which release of InDesign compared to which release > of FrameMaker? > > > > Although InDesign has built-in scripting, the FrameMaker/FrameScript > combination is much faster for automation. > > > > InDesign's scripting tools are built in, not extra-cost third-party items. > Although it's obviously not a good thing for your business, there's a great > quantity of free InDesign scripts "out there." > > > > Regards, > > > > Peter > > _______________________ > > Peter Gold > > KnowHow ProServices > > > > > > > > Rick Quatro > Carmen Publishing Inc. > 585-659-8267 > rick at frameexpert.com > www.frameexpert.com > > > > > Can anyone point me to a thorough comparison list of features between FM9 > and InDesign? I'm using Frame primarily for print books at a small > publisher, and using it because I know it and I'm familiar with it. > > I currently use Frame 8, and I'm considering an upgrade to either Frame 9 > or > InDesign. > > I've read that InDesign CS4 recently added cross references. Does anyone > know how they compare to Frame's feature? Also, what about creating an > index > in InDesign. What features does it have for dynamic indexing? > > Thanks. > > Tina Ricks | Managing Editor | Trial Guides > > www.trialguides.com > >
