2014: Many Milestones for Adobe #TechComm

2014: The year we moved beyond paper

https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2014/12/01-paper-stack.jpg

https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2014/12/02-stack-of-ipads.png
No doubt, 2014 will be remembered as a milestone year for Adobe TechComm for a number of reasons:

• FrameMaker 12 moved our flagship product beyond paper with one touch publish to 5 popular online formats
• A new kind of “XML only” FrameMaker (FrameMaker XML Author 12) was also released
• RoboHelp 11 was released with significant improvements and a revamped user interface
• Tech Comm Suite 5 was refreshed mid-year with new versions of both Captivate and Presenter
• A significant segment of customers, new and old, began publishing to mobile devices
• We observed a notable increased in customers, old and new, authoring in XML and DITA with FrameMaker
• eSeminar broadcast included several “guest expert” series that focused on DITA, how to create effective video, how to simplify information overload via RoboHelp and “deep dives” into advanced features like Regular Expressions and ExtendScript

New product versions take the TechComm world by storm

January started out with a bang as launched Tech Comm Suite 5, including NEW FrameMaker 12 and RoboHelp 11. At the time of launch, Tech Comm Suite 5 included Presenter 9 and Captivate 8. Mid-year, TCS5 was updated with current Captivate 9 and Presenter 10. These newer point products became automatic updates for people who purchased or upgraded to TCS5 earlier in the year.

What’s new this year in FrameMaker and RoboHelp?

The list of new features is too long to include in our year-end summary blog. Click on the two RECORDED WEBINARS below to get an overview of how these powerful authoring tools changed January of this year:

· What’s New in FrameMaker 12? What’s this New Product Adobe FrameMaker XML Author 12?

· What’s New in RoboHelp 11 and Technical Communication Suite 5?

For a really quick overview of FrameMaker 12 and RoboHelp 11, you may click on the recordings of 40 minute webinar below:

· Wow! FrameMaker 12 in just 35 minutes

· Wow! RoboHelp 11 in just 40 minutes!

Making the move to mobile publishing and rich media

With the advent of “one touch” publishing to 5 online formats (including ePub and HTML5 responsive layout) in FrameMaker 12, even more users took the plunge into mobile publishing. This because a theme in quite a few of our key webinars throughout the year.

https://blogsimages.adobe.com/techcomm/files/2014/12/03-book-mobile.jpg
Many of our online webinars also focused on how you can effectively use video and leverage the power of both Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter

You may click on the hyperlinked webinar titles below to view key aspects of these themes:

· Sullivan Sess 3: Publishing Your Technical Content on Mobile was Never This Easy

· Bernard Sess 3) Multi-channel Publishing of DITA Content with the RIGHT Appearance

· Sess 1) Beyond the Wizard: Editing HTML5 layouts FOR RoboHelp 11

· Intro to Captivate 8 in Tech Comm Suite 5.0.1

· FrameMaker 12 Feature Focus 5): Customizing Published Output to On-Line Formats

Leveraging all the power of XML and DITA

FrameMaker 12 was widely proclaimed as a “complete DITA and XML solution” by a variety of though leaders in that field. Our solution became more affordable with the release of FrameMaker XML Author 12, which only publishes or edits XML for a fraction of the price of a “full” FrameMaker license.

Once again, we had a number of key online sessions which not only helped you to better understand XML, but also how to specifically achieve key production goals with our products:

· FrameMaker 12 Feature Focus 3): FrameMaker XML Author 12

· MathML is XML; Structured Math Authoring for FrameMaker 12

· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to XML Authoring, Part 1

· What “Model” DITA Specializations Can Teach Us About Information Modeling

· Bernard Sess 1) Easy Steps to Convert Your Content to Structure

· “Walk the Tree” in XML FrameMaker with ExtendScript

· FrameMaker 12 & S1000D: Modular Tech Authoring for Defense, Aerospace & Aviation

· Bernard Sess 4) XML Authoring Made Easy, OR It’s Not Just For Geeks Anymore

· Publishing XML from FrameMaker 12 to a “state-of-the-art” HTML5 eReader

· Comprehensive DITA Pubs & CMS Solution w. Adobe FrameMaker & DITAToo

Expanded Thought Leadership Series

For several years, Adobe Tech Comm has hosted several “product-free” Thought Leadership Webinars. This year our highlight was a series of “near future” explorations by Ray Gallon and Neus Lorenzo:

· Tech Challenges: Sess 1) Internet of Things …

· Tech Challenges Sess 2 Digital Reality: Virtual World Escape or Augmented Culture?

· Tech Challenges Sess 3) Human Bionics: More Freedom or Electronic Slavery?

· Tech Challenges Sess 4) Digital Learning : Individual Adaptive Construction or Connected Social Interaction?

Year-End Milestones

Adobe Tech Comm quietly celebrated two significant milestones in the last month of this year:

• Our 4th Fiscal Quarter (which ended November 30) was the strongest in 7 years
• This December marks the 18th anniversary of Adobe acquiring FrameMaker. Our flagship product has now in the Adobe family for almost 20 years!

Looking forward through 2015

Here at Adobe Tech Comm, we never stand still. We are concluding our annual Tech Comm survey, and your feedback will directly affect product development moving forward. We have already signed up for presentations at a number of key conferences in the coming year where we hope to meet more of you face-to-face.