Site FeedPalimpsest has moved. Please visit our blog in its new location for the most recent posts from Scriptorium.
Palimpsest
Different weight classes?
Monday, April 17, 2006 — posted by Sarah
During the past year, MadCap Software has emerged with the new Flare, a help authoring tool clearly intended to replace RoboHelp.MadCap has several former Blue Sky/eHelp/Macromedia employees. After Macromedia sunsetted RoboHelp, a core group of RoboHelp developers left (or were laid off) to form MadCap.
But now the market has shifted. In the past year:
- Macromedia was acquired by Adobe, for whom RoboHelp is a much better fit.
- Adobe has announced their intention to continue developing RoboHelp.
- At the WritersUA Monday evening reception (sponsored by Adobe), Karl Matthews said that although he couldn't make any announcement about when the next version of RoboHelp would be available, "you should make room in your budgets in the first quarter of 2007."
- Microsoft announced that they will not release a new help viewer with Vista.
MadCap definitely won the award for Most In-Your-Face Marketing. They have announced a new tool, Mimic, as "A better way to captivate." There were also assorted anti-RoboHelp shirts, including my personal favorite:
<die>Kadov</die>
But unfortunately, I think MadCap faces an uphill battle. RoboHelp is entrenched, and the lack of a new viewer means that the move away from RoboHelp loses its urgency.
Still, it could be fun for end users. After the Monday reception sponsored by Adobe, there was suddenly a Tuesday reception sponsored by MadCap. (And MadCap gave away an iPod, the gold standard for conference swag.) If this keeps up, the Palm Springs conference location could become a gateway to this nearby establishment.
12:16 PM Permalink |
|
<< Home
