frank@rsoft.bc.ca (Frank I. Reiter) (09/22/89)
There seems to be a consensus among people I've talked with that Pagemaker is
the best choice for pamphlets/ads/other short stuff and Ventura is the better
choice for longer documents such as books. We will soon need to do both.
Is it more inconvenient using Ventura for short documents or Pagemaker for
long ones?
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
Frank I. Reiter UUCP: {uunet,ubc-cs}!van-bc!rsoft!frank
Reiter Software Inc. frank@rsoft.bc.ca, a2@mindlink.UUCP
Langley, British Columbia BBS: Mind Link @ (604)533-2312, login as Guestanderson@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson) (09/22/89)
In article <52@rsoft.bc.ca>, frank@rsoft.bc.ca (Frank I. Reiter) writes... ]Is it more inconvenient using Ventura for short documents or Pagemaker for ]long ones? I use VP all the time for things as trivial as signs saying the buiding will be closed of the holiday. Can't be beaten, for my money. ==Jess Anderson===Academic Computing Center=====Univ. Wisconsin-Madison===== | Work: Rm. 2160, 1210 West Dayton St., Madison WI 53706, Ph. 608/263-6988 | | Home: 2838 Stevens St., 53705, 608/238-4833 BITNET: anderson@wiscmacc | ==ARPA: anderson@macc.wisc.edu========UUCP:{}!uwvax!macc.wisc.edu!anderson==
jwi@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) (09/22/89)
Frank I. Reiter writes: > Is it more inconvenient using Ventura for short documents or Pagemaker for > long ones? Ventura will do short ones reasonably well (but not as well as Pagemaker). Pagemaker won't do long (over 128 pages) ones reasonably well. Jim winer
mr@cica.cica.indiana.edu (Michael REGOLI) (09/23/89)
frank@rsoft.bc.ca (Frank I. Reiter) writes: >Is it more inconvenient using Ventura for short documents or Pagemaker for >long ones? i would think it depends on how you define "inconvenient." :) We use Aldus PageMaker (PC version 3/Windows 286) to publish a quarterly magazine. Each issue runs between forty-eight and sixty-four pages, although the most recent issue was eighty pages. We've been discovering that midway through an issue, the program begins acting very flaky: crashing randomly while producing obtuse error messages (e.g., "Internal Error: Lock Expected but Not Found", or the ever-popular "Cannot go to page. Internal Error: Cannot Lock Block") and wierd screen displays (e.g., rulers being drawn randomly on the screen, etc.) Calls, letters, and disk-swapping sessions with Aldus Technical Support has produced what we think is a serious deficiency in the program: an arbitrary limit on the number of text blocks in any given file. Now we know that Aldus PageMaker files can only be 128 pages *MAXIMUM*, but this arbitrary limit on the number of text blocks is frustrating. They claim that engineering knows about the problem and that many are complaining. However, no relief is in sight. (Engineering and Technical Support have NO IDEA as to how many text blocks are allowed in a file!) We enjoy using the program with our small operation. But the only solution to the above problem is to SPLIT the file into two so to minimize the number of text blocks per file. Now, that doesn't make much sense when 128 pages is the limit. It seems to me that 60 pages is the limit! Has anyone else experienced this? If so, write 'em a letter! Let's force them into a maintenance release or SOMETHING! -- michael regoli mr@cica.indiana.edu regoli@iubacs.bitnet ...rutgers!iuvax!cica!mr
ba@excelan.COM (Bob Ackerman) (09/23/89)
In article <52@rsoft.bc.ca> frank@rsoft.bc.ca (Frank I. Reiter) writes: >There seems to be a consensus among people I've talked with that Pagemaker is >the best choice for pamphlets/ads/other short stuff and Ventura is the better >choice for longer documents such as books. We will soon need to do both. > >Is it more inconvenient using Ventura for short documents or Pagemaker for >long ones? >-- The question may not be as much a matter of short vs. long as a matter of shelf-life and type of document. For instance, Ventura creates an index automatically from embedded tags; PageMaker doesn't create an index. Ditto with tables of contents. Ventura gives the creator of the document control over the typeface, stroke weight, line length, margin placement, line leading, etc., for every type of paragraph in the document by tagging every paragraph, and defining the tags in a style sheet; creators don't have to create separate areas on a page and put separate bits of text into those areas to create the desired typographic/layout effects. Ventura has facilities for handling multi-part documents easily: it can automatically number consecutive chapters of a book, for instance. If the document is something that has to be maintained and revised, Ventura is much simpler to use. Graphic frames can be attached to text, so that if the text moves from one page to another, all the graphic frames from that point on can be moved to their corresponding text references with a single command. Because the typographic/layout information for a paragraph is attached to the paragraph rather than the frame it's in (generally speaking), it can automatically flow from one page to another after revisions and retain its desired form. In some ways, the question is analogous to the question: Is a car better than a truck? Depends on what you want to do, doesn't it? The analysis should proceed, like many others in the computer biz, from functional specifications.
howeird@hpwrce.HP.COM (Howard Stateman) (09/25/89)
mr@cica.cica.indiana.edu (Michael REGOLI) writes: >We use Aldus PageMaker (PC version 3/Windows 286) to publish a >quarterly magazine. Each issue runs between forty-eight and >sixty-four pages, although the most recent issue was eighty pages. >We've been discovering that midway through an issue, the program >begins acting very flaky: crashing randomly [and more details on this].. I've been a tech support person, specializing in Pagemaker for about a year, and confirm what you are saying. My talks with Aldus gave me the impression that they know the limitations of their program well, and are working behind the scenes to fix it in a not-Real-Soon-Now forthcoming release. Since I do not work for Aldus, or have any access to their proprietary information, this is just a rumor. One other thing is they seem to want their DOS and Mac versions to be as parallel as possible, and this causes problems on DOS machines which try to do the work of a Mac with those slow, limited 16-bit processors. They could probably do a lot better if they released a 386 version of PM. IMHO, Pagemaker is wonderful for small publications, up to 16 pages, where speed of learning, speed of use and maximum creativity are needed. Ventura, with its awful user interface, is nevertheless a better program for large, dull publications such as booklets, books, 100-page business reports and situations where you need to create a lot of small items (memos, chain letters) with the same formatting. Since I mostly do short things, such as training materials, flyers and newsletters, Pagemaker is by far the best solution for me. But if I had to dump my collected letters into a book format, I'd use Ventura. And I'd suggest that, if you can afford it, you buy both. ...................................................................... . Howard Stateman | I knew French was a language by age 6. . . howeird@hpwrce.HP.COM | At 19 I discovered it was also a tongue. . . hplabs!hpwrce!howeird |............................................. . [Not an HP spokesman] | Anatomically Correct BBS (415) 364-3739 . ......................................................................