Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!mr
From: mr@cica.cica.indiana.edu (Michael REGOLI)
Newsgroups: comp.text.desktop
Subject: Re: Ventura/Pagemaker
Keywords: Ventura Pagemaker Choice
Message-ID: <153@cica.cica.indiana.edu>
Date: 22 Sep 89 18:37:37 GMT
References: <52@rsoft.bc.ca>
Organization: Center for Innov. Comp. Appl., Bloomington, IN
Lines: 44

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