FSA BACKGROUND

Since 1981 FSA has been involved with technical writing and editing. This was done as a consultancy, which over the next 10 years provided us with a wide background in different methodologies, systems, and products as related to documentation and publishing. Through the 1970s, FSA principal, Frank Stearns, was involved with commercial audio and video production, and the emergence of microprocessor-controlled systems related to those fields. This diverse background — writing built on engineering — has been invaluable in the design and implementation of the various FSA tools. The designs are not abstract or theoretical, nor even mass-market driven. FSA tools are practical and powerful solutions to the everyday problems faced by not only technical writers and editors, but also by engineers who find themselves needing to produce documents. FSA's principal software architect for API-based products and services, Gerry Feldkamp, has over four decades of experience in software engineering, including realtime applications in commercial and aerospace industries. In early 1990, Frank Stearns declared that "FrameMaker was the first GUI-based publishing product that actually worked as advertised.” Company interests then shifted to developing tools that would either enhance FrameMaker operation or extend FrameMaker in new ways. In the early 1990s, Cisco Systems graciously and unsolicited gave its seat on the Frame Technology Customer Advisory Board to Frank, insisting that Frame Technology needed representation from small companies, and even individual users. Frank was honored to have a seat on that board for the three years of its activity. Through the 2000s and beyond, FSA has maintained an unmatched level of quality and customer service with its flagship product, IXgen. The company has avoided the trap of endless release cycles, particularly when nothing significant was to be added in a given cycle. While customer care and product support is fully alive and well, we are circumspect about adding features for the sake of adding features, tinkering for the sake of tinkering. IXgen does what it does very well. And while we have conceptualized a few new features for IXgen, they are on hold because they really don’t add something unique, other than a little “flashiness.” In our view, flashy is only useful if the product is actually improved, rather than simply dressed differently.  And we are very much opposed to changes that degrade a product and irritate long-time users. FSA is committed to the high level of excellence and customer support that have earned praise and multiple repeat sales from its diverse customer base.