Adobe PageMaker

Adobe PageMaker

PageMaker 7.0 running under Mac OS 9.
Developer(s) Adobe
Discontinued 7.0.2 / March 30, 2004; 7 years ago (2004-03-30)
Development status Discontinued
Operating system Mac OS 9, Windows (prior to Windows Vista), OS/2 (Version 3.01 only)
Type Desktop Publishing
License Proprietary
Website Adobe's PageMaker website

PageMaker was one of the first desktop publishing programs, introduced in 1985 by Aldus Corporation,[1] initially for the then-new Apple Macintosh and in 1987 for PCs running Windows 1.0.[2]

PageMaker was awarded an SPA Excellence in Software Award for Best New Use of a Computer in 1986.

PageMaker relies on Adobe Systems' PostScript page description language, and in 1994 Adobe Systems acquired Aldus and PageMaker.

As an application relying on a graphical user interface, PageMaker helped to popularize the Macintosh platform and the Windows environment.

Contents

Release history

Version 1.2 for Macintosh was released in 1986 and added support for PostScript fonts built into LaserWriter Plus or downloaded to the memory of other output devices.[3]

Until May 1987 the initial Windows release was bundled with a full version of Windows 1.0.3, after that date a "Windows-runtime" with no task-switching capabilities was included.[4][5] Thus, users who did not have Windows could run the application from MS-DOS.

Version 3 for Macintosh was shipped in April 1988.[6] PageMaker 3.0 for the PC was shipped in May 1988[7] and required Windows 2.0,[8] which was bundled as a run-time version.[9] Version 3.01 was available for OS/2 and took extensive advantage of multithreading for improved user responsiveness.

Versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 6.5 seem to have disappeared from the official Adobe support system, posing substantial problems for users who have works authored in these legacy versions.

The last version is PageMaker 7.0, released July 9, 2001, though updates have been released for the two supported platforms since.

The Macintosh version runs only in Mac OS 9 or earlier; there is no native support for Mac OS X,[10] and it does not run at all on Intel-based Macs. It does not run well under Classic, and Adobe recommends customers use an older Macintosh capable of booting into Mac OS 9. The Windows version supports Windows XP, but according to Adobe, "PageMaker 7.x does not install or run on Windows Vista."[11]

Discontinuation

In 2004, Adobe announced that development for Adobe PageMaker had ceased but that Adobe would continue to sell and support it. InDesign was presented as the successor product.[12] Upgrades from PageMaker to InDesign 2.0 and (after the release of InDesign CS) a "PageMaker Plug-in Pack" were offered, containing PageMaker-specific features and help topics, complimentary Myriad Pro fonts and templates.


References

  1. ^ Adams, Peter (2004-03-16). "PageMaker Past, Present, and Future". http://www.makingpages.org/pagemaker/history/. Retrieved 2007-06-27. 
  2. ^ "Aldus Now Shipping Pagemaker for IBM PC". InfoWorld 9 (6). 1987. http://books.google.com/books?id=BDwEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&lr=&rview=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  3. ^ Keith Thompson: Pagemaker remains Chief Composer. In: InfoWorld Volume 8, Issue 23, June 9, 1986. ISSN 0199-6649. Pages 39-40.
  4. ^ Ken Freeze: Flexibility for PC Pros is Page Layout Strength. In: InfoWorld Volume 9, No. 12, March 23, 1987. ISSN 0199-6649. Pages 42-44. - Review of PageMaker for the PC. Remarks about the Windows-bundle on p. 43, first column.
  5. ^ Michael J. Miller: First Look. In: InfoWorld Volume 9, Issue 9, March 2, 1987. ISSN 0199-6649. - Short comparison of PageMaker, Ventura Publisher and Harvard Professional Publisher, a modified version of Superpage by Bestinfo.
  6. ^ Aldus Corp. Ships PageMaker 3.0 for the Macintosh. BusinessWire, March 24, 1988.
  7. ^ Aldus Ships PC Version of PageMaker 3.0. Businesswire, May 19, 1988.
  8. ^ The precise Windows version required was 2.03, which is the exact version number of the first publicly available Windows 2 release. cf. Windows Version History. Microsoft Knowledge Base, Document No. 32905. Last accessdate 2010-07-22.
  9. ^ Stuart J. Johnston: Pagemaker 3.0 Adds Support for Style Sheets. In: InfoWorld, Volume 10, Issue 22, May 30, 1988, page 20.
  10. ^ "PageMaker 7 System requirements". Adobe. http://www.adobe.com/products/pagemaker/systemreqs.html. Retrieved 2007-06-27. 
  11. ^ "How Adobe Products Support Windows Vista". Adobe. 2007-02-12. http://www.adobe.com/support/products/pdfs/adobe_products_and_windows_vista.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-27. 
  12. ^ "InDesign CS2 Frequently Asked Questions". Adobe. http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressmaterials/creativesuite/pdfs/id/id_faq.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-27. 

External links