RoboHelp, as we knew it, is no more. But the core of that brilliant team who developed the product line, has a follow-up product, and it’s going to be even greater. After Macromedia bought eHelp’s product line, then got bought by Adobe, one product after another was killed, dumped or outsourced. All the RoboHelp creative team was let go, all but Mike Hamilton. It’s a long story, but Mike’s out now, too, and most of the crew are back together–those who aren’t scattered to the four winds. With a new company, MadCap Software, and a new product called Flare, they’re now beta testing version 2. With brand new code, Flare “might” be called RoboHelp on steroids. Flare, along with MadCap’s other innovative products, Mimic and Capture, are going to be fantastic additions to the tech writer/help author set of tools. Check things out at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/
On September 20 we kicked off the new administrative year for the San Fernando Valley Chapter of STC. I haven’t been very active the past couple of years, due mostly to lack of time. Volunteer work requires a great many hours and it’s been someone else’s turn for several years now. We had a great talk about Macromedia’s Flash and the capabilities of version 8 that are coming at us. Also heard an industry insider tip about the company’s future. But of course, we’ll wait for the official press release.