The Tech Writing World is Aghast!

Adobe has announced that they'll be outsourcing development of their FrameMaker product line to Microsoft:

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today reported strong interest by Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) in Adobe FrameMaker technology co-development.

Microsoft has said that the boom in XML development and publishing has left them in need of strong partnerships with companies that are leading the XML publishing market. To that end, discussions between both companies have led to a working agreement to co-develop a future release of Adobe FrameMaker.

"We had been seriously considering the discontinuation of the entire FrameMaker product," said Bruce R. Chizen, chief executive officer. "However, with the interest of a partner such as Microsoft to assist in the development costs and to help in the marketing and distribution through a variety of resellers, we re-evaluated our position. I'm very happy indeed to be able to state that we are going to continue the development after all."

Further in the press release, they point out the key part of the deal:

While Microsoft continues to be the most powerful company in the software market, most people agree that Adobe has shinier, and prettier marketing pamphlets.

Adobe therefore will develop and distribute the bulk of the marketing materials for FrameMaker. By continuing to use the same fonts, graphics and page size Adobe is showing a committment to the products longevity. Says Chizen, "make no mistake about this. We know that our glossy paper and great font faces, such as Minion and Myriad, continue to impress people who look for software. We plan to distribute marketing materials across the country and around the globe."