🚀 go-pugleaf

"mainframe niche market" 

Does this have to do with special needs and skill level, or just price and mindshare? 

Be careful here. For years we have boosted the PC as compared to mainframes. Then, we got networks. And the Internet. When the PC came out, it was a stand-alone, and that was the beauty of it. It was your computer and it made you feel independant and self-sufficient, as compared to the "mainframe" environment. That's why I like having a personal computer. 

How self-sufficient is the average Windows user on a windows network connected to an ISP somewhere across the void? 

-o- 

I liked ini files. At least they're in my native language, English. The registry was introduced as an improvement over multiple ini files, does anyone agree? 

There's something to be said about small plaintext files which you can backup easily, and read with no special viewers. I used to consider it a good place to learn about my computer and my use of the application. Not so with the Registry. With ini files I could take small bites, but whenever I look at the hives in the Registry, it's like a bungee jump into .... 

When I think of the Registry, I wonder why it's not controlled by the government, like electricity and water. 

Are the people who use FrameMaker average users? I don't think so. Anyway the average user only uses Word because it came with their PC. Microsoft was ruthless in their exploitation of the oppurtunity provided by bundling the OS and the application software. Did the average user buy Word, or did they buy a PC? 

Oddly, I think the MS Office when purchased separately used to be the most expensive Office suite before the bundling, and guess what ... I think it still is. 

And the MS Office doesn't even include a decent calender template. Try the Corel Office. 

With respect to the wider adoption of FrameMaker, I think it's price has not helped it to increase it's adoption. But sometimes price is used to discriminate between different levels in the population. Often the ones who pay more have more sophisticated needs, plus the skill, or discipline, required to effectively use the tool. 

You have to admit, FrameMaker makes working multiple files with a table of contents and index pretty easy. I think the master and reference pages, anchored frames and the correct application of paragraph tags are very effective. 

With respect to customization adoptions, I don't know. I would like more, but on the other hand, I know I'll forget the settings and what they mean, and want the application to provide me with help in the form of something like an ini file. Something in English I can read in a coffee shop. 

By the way, even in the Windows world, at the client and at the administrative level, use of the command line is very smart. The gurus may not show you, but it exists. The GUI is better for beginners and simple stuff, but it starts getting in the way when you know better. In the kitchen, do you use a spoom for everything? 

We have to be careful that some of the "easy to use" and "user friednly" stuff doesn't keep us at "barefoot and pregnant". 

I don't know about why FrameMaker is not keeping up with the rest of the market. In fact, I was under the impression the rest of the market was still troubled by email in color and sound, and typing. 

But I like FrameMaker. I have found it worthy of a high price. And it has broadened my skill set and perspectives. Makes Word look like a bunch of tricks, or Scrabble. 

Gotta go. Dinner's ready.