With TCS2, Adobe has extended their integration of their "best of breed" structured content creation tools with one another, bundled Photoshop - and made their biggest step yet with full DITA 1.1 integration.
Technical Communications Suite 2 now integrates FrameMaker 9 (for technical authoring and DITA publishing), RoboHelp 8 (for help and knowledge base authoring), Captivate 4, my choice for eLearning authoring, and - perhaps the Adobe tool I use most to support those three - Photoshop CS4, now bundled in to provide tech writers terrific cost savings on all the tools they need.
What does "integration" really mean? You can include Help in FrameMaker projects, eLearning in RoboHelp and in Frame, animations in Help and Frame and in PDF documents, RoboHelp screen captures from Frame, etc, etc. All the tools include direct access to aspects of the others from within the tool. You do not have to leave one tool to "Edit with…" another tool. And no longer are conversions needed to reuse assets.
If you reuse some Frame content in a RoboHelp project, and then update the Frame document, it automatically updates in your RoboHelp. This is meaningful single-sourcing without XML includes or DITA conrefs.
It's like one big toolset for technical communicators and for instructional designers.
To add to the total integration, you can use Adobe Bridge to organize and locate assets. And if you are using a component content management system, FrameMaker 9 now offers connectors to let you search and access content in your enterprise CMS.
And what does DITA XML integration mean? It means file compatibility with standard DITA editors like the XML Editor that many DITA Users members have chosen.
With new "point releases" of the three original components, Adobe has not only added features, they have reworked the user interfaces amazingly. FrameMaker 9 now obviously belongs to the same family of Adobe products as Photoshop. You will find palettes that look and feel like Photoshop, but with added control - in both tools.
With its new UI, FrameMaker 9 simplifies authoring, structuring, reviewing, and publishing complex long-form content. With support for industry standard DITA 1.1, that now means hierarchical books and topic-based content. Most important, FrameMaker 9 can combine your existing unstructured content and new structured and DITA content in a seamless workflow.
RoboHelp 8 supports Lists and Tables, a new and intuitive CSS editor, powerful Pages and Templates, and a new search functionality making it easier for endusers to find relevant content.
TCS2 offers publishing through multiple channels, including XML/HTML, print, PDF, WSF, WebHelp, FlashHelp, Microsoft HTML Help, OracleHelp, JavaHelp and Adobe AIR.
TCS2 also includes Acrobat 9 Pro Extended and Presenter 7. Presenter is a secret weapon for teams that have MS Powerpoint assets that could become training materials. You just open your Powerpoint in Presenter and add narration, animation, interactivity, and software simulations, without starting fresh with Captivate!
Adobe now supports comments in PDF documents, so you can distribute them and reviewers can embed their critical feedback, without owning the TCS tools themselves. Your PDF "proofs" become an inexpensive but powerful review workflow system. Once your PDFs are out for review and approval, you can initiate an Adobe Connect session from the documnents to move the approval process forward. ConnectNow offers free web collaboration sessions for three users. Click here to try a 3-person Connect session right now!.
The estimated street price for TCS2 is US $1899. FrameMaker 9 (US$999), RoboHelp 8 (US$999), and Captivate 4 (US$799) will be available as standalone products as well.
