Carl Young’s AcroViews

The first product I ever used to create a PDF was FrameMaker. I remember creating PostScript print files and running them through an early version of Acrobat Distiller, and thinking that this PDF thing was a lot better than Display Postscript.

I’ve been using FrameMaker for almost 15 years, and for most of that time I have constantly heard rumors that the product was going to die.

Well, FrameMaker certainly has been in hibernation. The last major release was in 2002 when version 7 was released. Since then we only have seen dot releases with the latest being 7.2 in 2005. For a history of Frame, see this Wikipedia entry.

Most Adobe products are on an 18-month release cycle. With a five-year pause between major FrameMaker releases we Framers were feeling left out.

Well, take heart, FrameMaker users. Adobe has posted a FrameMaker FAQ that announces a “major new version” in in the first half of 2007. Let’s hope it is an 8 release, not just another dot release with some minor enhancements.

One interesting point in the FAQ is this hint that the next release will include “increased integration of rich media, such as 3D content and animation.” Isn’t that corporate speak for Acrobat 3D and Flash?

Something that amazes me is that Adobe Labs has some FrameMaker application packs for Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and S1000D. They even are asking for feedback!

After years of obscurity for FrameMaker it is nice to see Adobe getting serious about moving the product forward.