[scribus] Using Scribus 1.3.5svn Productively

[Gregory Pittman]

Benjamin Dumke wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> when reading this mailing list during the past, I have noticed an
> increasing appearance of the sentence "Scribus 1.3.5svn is a development
> version an should not be used productively."
>
> THIS SENTENCE IS VERY TRUE.
>
> However, there is a small "but" to this large claim. I have been using
> 1.3.5svn productively for quite a while, and right now I am in the
> middle of finishing the (by far) largest project, and I'd like to share
> some thoughts and impressions about doing so.
>
> This project -- circulation 700, (probably) 68 pages (DIN/ISO A4), full
> color, advertisement sales well in the 4-figure area (Euros) -- is the
> bi-annual Freshman Information Magazine of my university and its student
> body.
>
> This is the first time it is done with Scribus (InDesign so far), and --
> as I said -- I'm using the 1.3.5svn version. My experience is the
> following: You can use 1.3.5svn productively. However, this is a small
> claim with a large
>
> BUT:
>
> 1. The almighty "know what you're doing" applies better than anywhere
> else. I have been using 1.3.5svn for almost a year now, recompling very
> frequently, seeing very good development, but also learning where to be
> careful, what functions not to use yet, and so on.
>
> 2. You have to be able and willing to dig into the source code. Using a
> precompiled version, I could not have worked on this project, as there
> where several things I stumbled upon that simply were not working for
> me, and that I had to have changed, obviously without waiting for a fix
> in the official svn version, if one were to happen at all. So I am using
> 1.3.5svn, but I'm using it with some changes applied, including changes
> in the hyphenator and the object placement algorithm, as well as
> additions to the scripter and the "Move Pages" dialog. I need these
> changes, because without them, Scribus did not do what I needed it to
> (this, btw, is a good time to raise our glasses with a loud "Viva
> OSS!"). Obviously, I will / have also report(ed) the changes I've made
> (not all of them should necessarily be considered bug fixes, sometimes I
> just wanted Scribus to behave differently).
>
> 3. You have to know your other tools to use as well as know a few things
> about the PDF standard itself. Scribus (in any version) is not -- nor
> ever will (or should!) -- be a one-for-all tool. One great improvement
> that entered the svn version a few months ago was the ability to embed
> exisiting PDF files into the newly created PDF. Having lots of
> advertisements, most of which I receive as PDF files, this possibility
> is invaluable. However, while Scribus-created PDFs can usually be
> trusted, I cannot trust every single PDF I receive in terms of standards
> conformance et cetera. Since Scribus "only" embeds these PDFs as
> XObjects, anything that is wrong with the one small PDF is now wrong
> with the whole document. Hence I use a combination of Adobe Reader (not
> free, I know -- except as in beer --, but still a very important tool),
> ghostscript, podofo, and possibly others, to end up with a flawless PDF.
>
>
> All these things considered, I can say that Scribus 1.3.5svn works very
> well in production. If, however, any of the three points I mentioned
> above do not apply to you, I strongly recommend *not* using 1.3.5 under
> critical conditions yet, but staying with the 1.3.3.x version (which is
> a great tool already, don't get me wrong on this!).
>
> What I really want to say, and let this be my conclusion, is the
> following: Scribus 1.3.5.x will be one heck of a great program, with so
> much improvment compared to 1.3.3.x that it might well be justifiable
> calling it 1.4 (or wherever the version numbers are going). The devs
> have done and are doing an excellent job, and it is the right decision
> not to rush towards a release, but to keep on working until 1.3.5 "is
> there". Thanks, people.
>
> Here's a last bit of mouth-watering for all of you who are eagerly
> waiting for this release: You will love it.
>   
This was well-said, Ben.
What we have seen in the past is that, all of these caveats considered, 
there comes a time for several or many of us when the added features of 
a new upcoming release become so valuable, almost necessary, that we are 
willing to take the risk and use it for something relatively important.
But when you are faced with something very large, very important, and 
with a very short deadline for completion, it's just foolhardy to use 
development versions. You have only yourself to blame.

Thanks for caring enough to share your thoughts and work on the project.

Greg