Executive Summary
By Peter Coffee |
Posted 2002-09-30
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: Ventura 10">
Executive Summary: Ventura 10
| Usability |
Good |
| Capability |
Excellent |
| Performance |
Good |
| Interoperability |
Fair |
| Manageability |
Good |
| Scalability |
Fair |
| Security |
Good |
Corels Ventura 10 asks and answers the question, "How can a high-end document production tool become a more productive component of enter-prise IT?" Its integrated XML mapping editor streamlines the input side of the process, while PDF publishing capabilities (although not as device-neutral as those of Adobes FrameMaker) add value to the output. Limitation to Windows 2000 and XP may discourage its adoption by many graphics professionals and by end users still on Windows 98, but it may attract more interest as a complement to Microsoft Word in many department- and enterprise-level tasks.
Cost Analysis
For shops already using a compatible workstation platform, Ventura 10s integrated XML tools will yield life-cycle savings (versus more basic word proces-sors or high-end competitors) by auto-mating production tasks without costly application development support. Even the cost of acquiring a Windows 2000 machine in whats otherwise a Macintosh or Unix environment might quickly repay itself.
(+) Enables automatic acquisition and formatting of data in polished documents for print and electronic publication.
(-) Limits content development platform choice; does not fully support delivery to other than full-screen electronic devices.
Evaluation Short List Adobes FrameMakerMicrosofts Wordwww.corel.com/ventura
Peter Coffee is Director of Platform Research at salesforce.com, where he serves as a liaison with the developer community to define the opportunity and clarify developersÃÃÃ technical requirements on the companyÃÃÃs evolving Apex Platform. Peter previously spent 18 years with eWEEK (formerly PC Week), the national news magazine of enterprise technology practice, where he reviewed software development tools and methods and wrote regular columns on emerging technologies and professional community issues.Before he began writing full-time in 1989, Peter spent eleven years in technical and management positions at Exxon and The Aerospace Corporation, including management of the latter companyÃÃÃs first desktop computing planning team and applied research in applications of artificial intelligence techniques. He holds an engineering degree from MIT and an MBA from Pepperdine University, he has held teaching appointments in computer science, business analytics and information systems management at Pepperdine, UCLA, and Chapman College.
For shops already using a compatible workstation platform, Ventura 10s integrated XML tools will yield life-cycle savings (versus more basic word proces-sors or high-end competitors) by auto-mating production tasks without costly application development support. Even the cost of acquiring a Windows 2000 machine in whats otherwise a Macintosh or Unix environment might quickly repay itself.
(+) Enables automatic acquisition and formatting of data in polished documents for print and electronic publication.
(-) Limits content development platform choice; does not fully support delivery to other than full-screen electronic devices.
Evaluation Short List 
