Hi Fred- okay.....but.....Adobe FM started out looking similar to a windows app, then when windows changed its' UI, FM changed also - coincidence?........!!?
Well, we were test driving FM9 about the same time as Word 2007 (both by force). The frustration level was interchangeable betwixt the two application UIs. True, the new FM UI isn't a "ribbon" but both are feeble attempts (IMHO) to get cute with the interface. To me it's the equivalent of New Coke, KISS when they stopped wearing makeup and costumes, and middle-aged Caucasian pop stars who start dressing like they came from *da'hood* - COMPLETELY unnecessary, and a very distasteful experience. Hopefully Adobe has gotten this out of their system and can now turn their attention to more serious FM improvements, like the ones clamored-for on this list. It's interesting to me that both Adobe and MS used "we want it appeal to new users" as a reason to change the UI of a well-loved, well-used product. I've been using FM since version 5 was in diapers and I, myself, have never heard anyone opine that FM just wasn't "Adobe-like" The only consistent rant I've heard over the years is "multiple undo, multiple undo, multiple undo, multiple undo....." I must run with the low brow set of FM users ;^) You might be right, but I still contend that Adobe just wanted to be trendy. Maybe I just fear change. -DJ -----Original Message----- From: Fred Ridder [mailto:docu...@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 2:59 PM To: Butler, Darren J CTR USAF AFMC 584 CBSS/GBHDB; generic...@yahoo.ca; venkat.par...@gmail.com; techcommd...@gmail.com Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: RANT: FM 9.0 - Darren Butler wrote: > Why Adobe would want to emulate Microsoft is beyond me. What's next, a > dancing paper clip? > > We actually purchased 9.0 then down-graded (yes, you can do that) to > FM8. High volume shop, NO time for an (un)learning curve. > > Are there any menu-to-ribbon road maps that one might recommend? > Eventually, a CMS upgrade will force us to go the FM9. Adobe *didn't* emulate Microsoft, and what they came up with is *not* a ribbon UI like MS Office has. Their intent was to emulate other *Adobe* apps with floating toolbars and dockable dialogs. Over the years, Adobe had made only small changes to the original circa 1990 user interface that they bought from Frame Technologies in 1995, and many people had complained that the UI didn't look sufficiently Adobe-like. The fact that FrameMaker 9.0 has a UI that looks and acts similarly to Adobe's flagship apps should be a great benefit to the minuscule handful of new users who come to FrameMaker from tools like Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign, but its value to experienced FrameMaker users is (at best) debatable. -Fred Ridder _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to fram...@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.