In The Press
MadCap Flare Selected as Top Authoring Application in Two Technical Writer Surveys
Market Demand for MadCap Flare Surpasses Legacy Solutions as More Than 39 Percent of Surveys’ Respondents Name Flare Their Authoring Application of Choice
La Jolla, CA, USA – October 27, 2008 — MadCap Software, the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a showcase company for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio 2005 and Microsoft XPS, today announced that MadCap Flare has been selected as the top authoring application in two new surveys of technical writers. Flare was identified as the authoring application of choice by more than 39 percent of respondents to the surveys conducted on behalf of the HAT-Matrix.com and I’d Rather Be Writing technical communications blogs. The surveys represent the first time that Flare, which debuted in March 2006, has seen higher customer use than any other competing solution—including legacy applications that have been on the market for more than a decade.
MadCap Flare is the industry’s fastest growing native-XML content authoring software for single-source publishing. Flare also addresses the needs of global enterprises with full Unicode support for authoring content in any Western or Asian left-to-right language. Because all MadCap products are built on the same XML-based architecture, Flare can be used both independently and as part of a complete, seamlessly integrated documentation workflow—from authoring to collaboration, analysis, translation and publishing. MadCap customers have reported the ability to reduce their project time anywhere from 30 percent to 200 percent using Flare.
“We created MadCap Flare to revolutionize content creation and meet the demands of today’s global Internet-driven communications. Now thousands of customers are recognizing the benefits of our leading-edge authoring solution for publishing state-of-the-art content in print, online, and across the Web—in their language of choice,” said Anthony Olivier, MadCap co-founder and CEO. “It is very rewarding to have Flare recognized as the top authoring solution in two independent user surveys less than three years after its launch. They validate our commitment with Flare to delivering best-in-class technology and supporting customers’ real-world demands.”
Flare Surpasses Legacy Solutions in Surveys
The Help Authoring Tools & Techniques (HATT) survey sponsored by HAT-Matrix.com polled 590 professionals and was published October 12, 2008. In answer to the question, “Which authoring tool do you use on a regular basis?”, 39.59 percent of respondents selected MadCap Flare, 33.05 percent chose Adobe® FrameMaker®, 26.51 percent listed Adobe RoboHelp® HTML, and 12.74 percent named Author-It.
Additionally, in answer to the same survey question, 12.22 percent of HATT survey respondents reported using MadCap MadPak, the industry’s only suite for single-source text and multimedia content. MadPak includes MadCap Flare, as well as MadCap Analyzer for reporting, analyzing and proactively suggesting improvements; MadCap Mimic for software simulation movies; MadCap Capture for image capture and editing; and MadCap Echo for Web 2.0 audio functions.
The I’d Rather Be Writing blog conducted a survey of documentation professionals who were asked, “Which authoring tool is right for you?” Among the 987 respondents, 46 percent selected MadCap Flare. Rounding the top five choices were Adobe RoboHelp® and Adobe® FrameMaker®, each selected by 18 percent of respondents, and Author-IT and Microsoft Word, which were each listed by 14 percent of respondents. The survey results were published on the blog October 15, 2008.
Tom Johnson, publisher of I’d Rather Be Writing, wrote in his October 15 blog, “People can’t change their toolset overnight (due to legacy documentation, training, deadlines, and other variables), but they do seem to be gradually shifting in the direction of Flare.” He noted in the same blog, “MadCap is, not only a major competitor to RoboHelp, but it now seems to have an edge on it.”
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software is a trusted resource for thousands of companies around the globe for single-source, multi-channel authoring and publishing solutions designed to streamline the process of developing and delivering training content, learning and development programs, technical documentation, online Help, knowledge bases, and more. From authoring, publishing and translation, to cloud-based content management system, to contribution and review in the cloud, you can streamline content delivery and manage the entire content development lifecycle with MadCap Software. MadCap Software’s services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Austin, TX, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry.
