I know. I use both every day in my work as a writer. In general:
Word is for short, free format documents (memos, executive summaries, etc.). Do not attempt to use Word for long documents (200+ pages) or where consistent format across the document is important (in other words, the broken lists will screw things up). There are work-arounds for Word's long-document flaws, but most are more trouble than they're worth.
Frame is for book-length documents (200+ pages) where page layout and consistent formating are important. Using Frame for one page one-off documents is more trouble than it's worth. The learning curve is a little steep at first (for Office users) but Frame's model makes sense and once you get it, it becomes very easy to use.
Personally, I use the appropriate tool for the appropriate job. If I need a fax coversheet, I use Word. When I'm writing a 500-page Admin Guide, I use Frame. In my opinion, the overlap between the two tools is limited. Again, I use both on a daily basis.
Totally agree that Word docs on the 'net are a sign that someone doesn't know what they're doing. Aside from the fact that Word docs can contain macro viruses, since the format isn't "fixed" in the same way as PDF, it's almost a sure thing that the person viewing the Word document isn't seeing the same thing that the person who wrote it saw.
The invisible hand will "correct" for this. If places like Frys, BestBuy, etc. buy this untested RAM and get a lot of returns, that costs them money and you can bet that next time around they won't buy from these manufacturers. When that happens enough times, these guys will either start testing RAM or go out of business.
It's a pain for the consumer (to return bad RAM... I've had to do this often enough that I stopped buying RAM from Frys) but the problem will eventually be solved by "evolution" -- companies selling product that can't compete change or die.
When I was in the Army (82nd Airborne in the late 80s, early 90s), any "joint" training we did was always a laugh. We'd get Navy or Air Force observers along on an exercise and they'd call in "simulated" Naval gunfire or airstrikes...
But the kind of static fighting we saw in WWII, where the enemy is dug in and you have days to plan just where the strikes will be, and where you're always sure your forces are clear of those areas, is long gone. Everyone knew that then and it's more true now. What really happens is serialized: first the AF bombs the ememy's defenses to bits, the Navy does the same while tossing cruise missiles, and then AFTER that the Army moves in. Close air support these days is Spectre gunships and helicopters. Both piloted by Army-types.
"Joint" efforts are pretty meaningless, in my experience, and I'd predict this is likely to be the same
I document software for end users, and get some of my information in the early stages of development from design docs. I have to say that the most useful design documents that I've seen are ones that contain diagrams, flowcharts, and other "pictures" of how the system (or the module, component, whatnot) functions.
If I have to choose between a 50-page design document and three pages of clear diagrams, I'd pick the pictures.
Macromedia just bought eHelp (makers of RoboHelp), and we were expecting a long update cycle as MM digested eHelp. The bright side was the possibility that MM would make a DreamWeaver-based help product.
Now we're probably doomed to a longer wait and possible integration with Adobe's poorly though out Web tools.:-(
I expect DreamWeaver and other tools to see something similar to the FrameMaker situation:
1) Buy the tool 2) Learn from it 3) Deprecate it in favor of a lesser tool (InDesign in the case of Frame) 4) Proft!
I saw a demo where Jaguar had embedded a user-controlled VR of the inside of their latest model in a pdf. Even though the image looked like a picture in the PDF, there were buttons to pan and zoom the view so you could get a 360 view of the interior.
PDF (like HTML) has long strayed from its original purpose into uncharted territory. This is not (IMO) a Good Thing
The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was demonstrated at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, 1928, 1936 and 1948, but did not gain Olympic recognition then, as the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules (see also Governing body, below).
The first World Championship in the sport was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games.
All the so-called "soft" sciences belong in the same category as astrology and fortune cookie fortunes. Some percentage of the predictions made in sweeping statements and vague generalizations are bound to play out, just based on the law of averages. I took several of these classes as an undergrad, and it's all hokum.
And don't get me started on Economics... If this were a "science" all those talking heads would be richer than Bill Gates. Instead they're scraping up a living as an "expert" on Fox News. You might as well use a Ouija Board. It's cheaper and just as accurate. Ask two Professors of Economics about the current state of the economy and you'll get four or five opinions.
I'd like to see departments called: Humanities, Sciences, and Psuedo-sciences
If you're in (or ever visit) the Bay Area, they have the prototype of the vehicle you're talking about at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos.
They don't have a lot of detail about the cancellation of the program, (and I haven't been up there in a while) but if I remember correctly, there were stability problems. The vehicle was pretty much verticle so there were balance problems. Since these things were built in the 60's and 70's, there was no (or limited) computerized stability control.
For those interested, Hiller has quite a few interesting displays of similar "dead-end" projects and cool displays of various areospace technologies. I thought tha tthe cut-away jet engines were especially nifty.
And for amusement, there's a Bell helicopter with an old PC with "flight simulator" software attached to the controls.:o)
This kind of thing just ticks me off no end. Some Berkeley bureaucrat leaves a laptop in their car, which will no doubt result in 1000s of stolen identities, lives ruined, tens-of-thousands of wasted hours? and they?re likely not even going to get a slap on the wrist.
Personally, I?d make any individual who is responsible for this kind of thing financially liable for damages. I?d also try them for criminal negligence and possibly for aiding and abetting fraud. Then I?d let each person who has their identity stolen take one swing at them with an aluminum baseball bat.
Currently, there?s just no accountability for this type of thing.
I don't go to Google for groups or news (though I know there are lots who do) I go to Google because the search works. It's pretty rare that I can't refine the terms of a Google search to find exactly what I'm looking for.
On Yahoo, the result I'm looking for is rarely on the first results page, and the aggregators seem to be 3/4 of the returns for any search.
I don't mind the "portal" aspect of Yahoo, but until they get their search fixed, Google will remain my main starting point when I'm looking for something on the Web.
and it turns out to be true, it's not speculation? That's going to get a lot of stock investors into insider-trading trouble with the FCC:o)
I keep wondering what precident Apple can site for having authority over the writing of non-employees. If I write in my blog that there's a new Apple product called the iPod Macro, and it turns out to be true, can they sue me?
It seeems to me that the corporations are definitely growing too powerful. MS isn't the only one that's getting worse over time.
Say your clock drifts.000023MS per second. So between 1:00:00 and 1:00:01 there's a.000023MS difference.
You reset the time by three seconds, to 1:00:04. But it's going to have that same.000023MS drift between 1:00:04 and 1:00:05. So it can still be identified even if you cahnge the clock.
And they give IE away free. It's like a crack dealer giving free samples. If you're not running a broken IE, why would you pay MS for their "antispyware" product. (I predict it will contain a "phone home" component, thus meeting one of the definitions of spyware itself.)
The conflict of interest is stunning. Most consumers will buy it though. Sigh
There's always a "but," right?
The reason society keeps calling for stiffer penalties is that soft-hearted (or soft-headed) judges won't enforce the penalties the law calls for. This is why we have mandatory sentencing - because somebody shoots his wife, claims spousal abuse with no evidence, and the judge lets him skate on "time served."
In my opinion (and yes, IANAL) every unenforced law weakens the force of law as a whole. That means that every time someone gets away with running a red light, it makes it that much more likely that he (and the six other people at the intersection who saw him get away with it) is more likely to do the same thing again.
There's a lot more broken in the system than the constant piling on of new penalties and new laws. These are merely symptomatic of a system in decline.
Slashdot Mirror
I know. I use both every day in my work as a writer. In general:
Word is for short, free format documents (memos, executive summaries, etc.). Do not attempt to use Word for long documents (200+ pages) or where consistent format across the document is important (in other words, the broken lists will screw things up). There are work-arounds for Word's long-document flaws, but most are more trouble than they're worth.
Frame is for book-length documents (200+ pages) where page layout and consistent formating are important. Using Frame for one page one-off documents is more trouble than it's worth. The learning curve is a little steep at first (for Office users) but Frame's model makes sense and once you get it, it becomes very easy to use.
Personally, I use the appropriate tool for the appropriate job. If I need a fax coversheet, I use Word. When I'm writing a 500-page Admin Guide, I use Frame. In my opinion, the overlap between the two tools is limited. Again, I use both on a daily basis.
Totally agree that Word docs on the 'net are a sign that someone doesn't know what they're doing. Aside from the fact that Word docs can contain macro viruses, since the format isn't "fixed" in the same way as PDF, it's almost a sure thing that the person viewing the Word document isn't seeing the same thing that the person who wrote it saw.
Desktop search will be wonderful in Longhorn. Like I can wait until 2008 to find those desktop icons MS keeps hiding :o)
The invisible hand will "correct" for this. If places like Frys, BestBuy, etc. buy this untested RAM and get a lot of returns, that costs them money and you can bet that next time around they won't buy from these manufacturers. When that happens enough times, these guys will either start testing RAM or go out of business.
It's a pain for the consumer (to return bad RAM... I've had to do this often enough that I stopped buying RAM from Frys) but the problem will eventually be solved by "evolution" -- companies selling product that can't compete change or die.
and Slim just left town :-)
When I was in the Army (82nd Airborne in the late 80s, early 90s), any "joint" training we did was always a laugh. We'd get Navy or Air Force observers along on an exercise and they'd call in "simulated" Naval gunfire or airstrikes...
But the kind of static fighting we saw in WWII, where the enemy is dug in and you have days to plan just where the strikes will be, and where you're always sure your forces are clear of those areas, is long gone. Everyone knew that then and it's more true now. What really happens is serialized: first the AF bombs the ememy's defenses to bits, the Navy does the same while tossing cruise missiles, and then AFTER that the Army moves in. Close air support these days is Spectre gunships and helicopters. Both piloted by Army-types.
"Joint" efforts are pretty meaningless, in my experience, and I'd predict this is likely to be the same
I document software for end users, and get some of my information in the early stages of development from design docs. I have to say that the most useful design documents that I've seen are ones that contain diagrams, flowcharts, and other "pictures" of how the system (or the module, component, whatnot) functions.
If I have to choose between a 50-page design document and three pages of clear diagrams, I'd pick the pictures.
Other tools are also in trouble...
:-(
Macromedia just bought eHelp (makers of RoboHelp), and we were expecting a long update cycle as MM digested eHelp. The bright side was the possibility that MM would make a DreamWeaver-based help product.
Now we're probably doomed to a longer wait and possible integration with Adobe's poorly though out Web tools.
I expect DreamWeaver and other tools to see something similar to the FrameMaker situation:
1) Buy the tool
2) Learn from it
3) Deprecate it in favor of a lesser tool (InDesign in the case of Frame)
4) Proft!
Sigh
I saw a demo where Jaguar had embedded a user-controlled VR of the inside of their latest model in a pdf. Even though the image looked like a picture in the PDF, there were buttons to pan and zoom the view so you could get a 360 view of the interior.
PDF (like HTML) has long strayed from its original purpose into uncharted territory. This is not (IMO) a Good Thing
From Wikipedia:
The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers. The first known competition took place in 1767 when border patrol companies competed against each other. Gradually the sport became more common throughout Scandinavia as an alternative training for the military. Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was demonstrated at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, 1928, 1936 and 1948, but did not gain Olympic recognition then, as the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules (see also Governing body, below).
The first World Championship in the sport was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games.
All the so-called "soft" sciences belong in the same category as astrology and fortune cookie fortunes. Some percentage of the predictions made in sweeping statements and vague generalizations are bound to play out, just based on the law of averages. I took several of these classes as an undergrad, and it's all hokum.
And don't get me started on Economics... If this were a "science" all those talking heads would be richer than Bill Gates. Instead they're scraping up a living as an "expert" on Fox News. You might as well use a Ouija Board. It's cheaper and just as accurate. Ask two Professors of Economics about the current state of the economy and you'll get four or five opinions.
I'd like to see departments called: Humanities, Sciences, and Psuedo-sciences
But then, I could be wrong :o)
If you're in (or ever visit) the Bay Area, they have the prototype of the vehicle you're talking about at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos.
:o)
They don't have a lot of detail about the cancellation of the program, (and I haven't been up there in a while) but if I remember correctly, there were stability problems. The vehicle was pretty much verticle so there were balance problems. Since these things were built in the 60's and 70's, there was no (or limited) computerized stability control.
For those interested, Hiller has quite a few interesting displays of similar "dead-end" projects and cool displays of various areospace technologies. I thought tha tthe cut-away jet engines were especially nifty.
And for amusement, there's a Bell helicopter with an old PC with "flight simulator" software attached to the controls.
you insensitive clod! :o)
This kind of thing just ticks me off no end. Some Berkeley bureaucrat leaves a laptop in their car, which will no doubt result in 1000s of stolen identities, lives ruined, tens-of-thousands of wasted hours? and they?re likely not even going to get a slap on the wrist. Personally, I?d make any individual who is responsible for this kind of thing financially liable for damages. I?d also try them for criminal negligence and possibly for aiding and abetting fraud. Then I?d let each person who has their identity stolen take one swing at them with an aluminum baseball bat. Currently, there?s just no accountability for this type of thing.
My two dollars!
it doesn't exist? I googled my own name and nothing ca... [no carrier]
I expect they could've researched, built, and deployed StarTrek transporters in every home in the GBA.
Search that works...
I don't go to Google for groups or news (though I know there are lots who do) I go to Google because the search works. It's pretty rare that I can't refine the terms of a Google search to find exactly what I'm looking for.
On Yahoo, the result I'm looking for is rarely on the first results page, and the aggregators seem to be 3/4 of the returns for any search.
I don't mind the "portal" aspect of Yahoo, but until they get their search fixed, Google will remain my main starting point when I'm looking for something on the Web.
When the startup I worked for decided to sell at a loss and make it up in volume?
Thanks - I'd confused the subpoena and suit...
But will they be able to compell him to testify? If so, on what grounds?
or the second?
or the third?
and it turns out to be true, it's not speculation? That's going to get a lot of stock investors into insider-trading trouble with the FCC :o)
I keep wondering what precident Apple can site for having authority over the writing of non-employees. If I write in my blog that there's a new Apple product called the iPod Macro, and it turns out to be true, can they sue me?
It seeems to me that the corporations are definitely growing too powerful. MS isn't the only one that's getting worse over time.
Say your clock drifts .000023MS per second. So between 1:00:00 and 1:00:01 there's a .000023MS difference.
.000023MS drift between 1:00:04 and 1:00:05. So it can still be identified even if you cahnge the clock.
You reset the time by three seconds, to 1:00:04. But it's going to have that same
And they give IE away free. It's like a crack dealer giving free samples. If you're not running a broken IE, why would you pay MS for their "antispyware" product. (I predict it will contain a "phone home" component, thus meeting one of the definitions of spyware itself.) The conflict of interest is stunning. Most consumers will buy it though. Sigh
There's always a "but," right? The reason society keeps calling for stiffer penalties is that soft-hearted (or soft-headed) judges won't enforce the penalties the law calls for. This is why we have mandatory sentencing - because somebody shoots his wife, claims spousal abuse with no evidence, and the judge lets him skate on "time served." In my opinion (and yes, IANAL) every unenforced law weakens the force of law as a whole. That means that every time someone gets away with running a red light, it makes it that much more likely that he (and the six other people at the intersection who saw him get away with it) is more likely to do the same thing again. There's a lot more broken in the system than the constant piling on of new penalties and new laws. These are merely symptomatic of a system in decline.
Well, I got better...