InDesign CS4 Documentation Goes Live
I’m kind of shocked to report this, but the entire documentation for InDesign CS4 has been released on the Web at Adobe.com. Bob Bringhurst, lead docs writer for InDesign and InCopy reported this news today. I can’t recall ever seeing documentation for a product before it’s released like this… I guess Bob just had too much time on his hands. 
Note that not all the material is fully available yet. For example, the docs link to some videos that are not yet live. (I was particularly curious because I made several of these movies for Adobe and Lynda.com, and I wanted to see how they turned out!) Similarly, the page on IDML points to another page on the Adobe site which is not live at this time. I assume it will all go live the day that InDesign actually ships.
Anyway, if you have particular questions about things such as how cross-references work, etc., it’s a great resource! Thanks, Bob!
I just downloaded the entire PDF of the help system. Interestingly, it was created with Framemaker 8, not InDesign.
i haven’t used framemaker in a long time, but when i used it, i found it to be a fantastic program for documentation. i set up a 1200 page training manual in it (including instructor and participant materials set up with conditional text).
it may be that with adding more features from framemaker into indesign (like cross referencing and conditional text) that they’ll switch over to indesign CS4 now, but with CS3 and earlier, it doesn’t surprise me that they used framemaker. it’s better built for long technical documents than indesign.
I am curious if anyone knows whether or not the panels will have the capability to expand out of the main screen. I have multiple monitors, and it would be oh so convenient to keep the design area clear and not cluttered, with the panels opening into another monitor. Assuming you have more than one monitor, that is.
Has anyone seen this kind on functionality?
Did you notice that the documentation is covered by a Creative Commons “Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike” licence? I’m not sure what the implications are, but it’s another departure.
FYI: I just saw all versions of Adobe CS4 for sale at the local Apple store in Costa Mesa today. (At least the dummy sales boxes were all sitting there on the shelf)