PageMaker dead? What's the true story?

InDesign is PageMaker -- I used to call it the real PageMaker 7, but then out came PageMaker 7, so lets call it The Real PageMaker 8.

People who have worked a long time with Adobe, and the original PageMaker company, Aldus, have confirmed that the increasingly urgently needed rewrite of the program code started before Adobe bought the company. Little bits of that rewritten code found their way into PageMaker 6.5 (like the ability to use text and graphic frames if you wanted to). But that just showed how vast the task really was.

When the first version of InDesign appeared, I like many PageMaker users was expecting more than we got. Yes, it had a great type engine, but it was slow, cumbersome, and too many of the things we used in PageMaker were missing.

I used InDesign 1 and 1.5 to do fancy bits of typework -- then exported those bits as PDFs or EPS to do the real heavy work in PageMaker.

With InDesign CS Adobe have managed to include nearly all the PM 6.5 features that we PM users missed, and now they've completed the cake with a PM Plugin set which adds all the things we were used to and which QuarkXPress users didn't know they were missing.

And there are extras like the amazing nested styles and almost limitless variations of rules and underlines.

But InDesign needs some pretty powerful hardware to run it. So, for many longtime users an upgrade to InDesign doesn't mean just paying for a software upgrade, but for new hardware too.

So, for many the wise choice is to defer a decision until they have to replace their computer(s). In the meantime, PageMaker will continue to do what it has always done, and if an extra workstation is needed in a group situation, then PageMaker 7 is still on the market.

Adobe have said they'll keep support going for some time and haven't ruled out "dot" upgrades (presumably to try to cope with operating system changes) but eventually our growing expectations will be the cause of a switch.

A correspondent to our Format newsletter is typical of PageMaker users, writing: "I am very wedded to PM, though. It's rather like a fussy old aunt - you sometimes wish it was a bit easier to get along with, but you know it's quirks and can deal with them."

There will also be the self-help groups such as the PageMakr List (currently close to a thousand constant users of PageMaker around the world) which is also helping with the specific problems of those converting from PM to InDesign. (The QuarkXPress List also seems to be doing a similar job for those moving from QXP to InDesign).

We will also continue to offer PageMaker hints, scripts and other help via this web site. And our PageMaker 7 book is still selling to established users of PageMaker who want to take their understanding that little bit further.

Yes, we are starting to plan an InDesign book on similar lines, but expect that to take a year or more rather than months: we want to make sure the ideas have had a practical workout in actually producing publications.

In the righthand column on this page we have links to much of the PageMaker information on this web site, and our Format newsletter will continue to include PageMaker hints and answer PageMaker questions.