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How do I get a license (password) for IXgen?
Download and install IXgen. Go to the IXGEN>LICENSE dialog box and send in the
information summarized in the lower half of the dialog. This procedure is the same
whether you are running an IXgen demo, have purchased IXgen, or want to upgrade.
(Much more)
What in the world is an ixgenkey.999 file?
This is a file where IXgen stores a number unique to your computer. The file is
generated (or refreshed) when the
IXGEN>LICENSE dialog box is displayed, or when an invalid license error appears.
This is the file you send us so that we in turn can generate and send you a password
keyed to your system. The lower half of the IXGEN>LICENSE dialog box summarizes
what to send us along with the location of the ixgenkey.999 file on your
system.
(more)
My system key shows "Error 14". What does that mean?
Error 14 is a password format error, caused by missing dashes, extra spaces, or zeros
typed as upper-case "O"s. To clear this, go to IXGEN>LICENSE and
enter the string "AAAA-2222-CCCC" in the password text box. (But don't include
the quote marks.) Click "Update Password".
The password will still be invalid, but now you have a clean ixgenkey.999 file that
you can send us.
(more)
My system key shows "Error 79". What does that mean?
You've tripped a license security feature.
Please contact us for instructions.
Don't worry! Law enforcement isn't called
on this one, but we'll need to know the specifics of your situation so that
we can help you clear the error.
You just gave me a password and it doesn't work. What gives?
Not intentional. Did you send in the correct ixgenkey.999 file? Did you transcribe
the number rather than attaching the ixgenkey.999 file? Did you transcribe the password
we sent to you rather than pasting it into the password text box in the IXGEN>LICENSE
dialog box? Manual transcriptions are very error-prone. Please try copying and pasting
the numbers rather than typing them.
We just ordered IXgen yet you sent "temporary" passwords. What's with that?
A purchase-order was used to obtain your IXgen license(s). We'll send regular passwords
when we receive payment for your order. A grace period is included in the temporary
password to provide a modest amount of time for check processing and mailing. Some
Accounts Payable departments work at stretching payment terms to NET 60, NET 90, or
even 120 days. Sorry, we can't accept those payment terms. To avoid password interruption,
be sure Accounts Payable stays on schedule.
Why did you choose the current method of licensing for IXgen?
Node-locked licenses provide advantages for user and provider, including fully
functional demos. Accidental unauthorized distribution is avoided. Accounts
Payable departments are prompted to pay on time.
So if something changes on my system do I have to buy IXgen all over
again???
No, not at all. Tell us what changed on your system
and we'll send a new password, usually no questions asked. From time to
time, depending on when your last password was requested, we may require
some supporting information before sending a new password.
What's the difference between a "password" and a "license"?
A "license" is what you purchase. A "password" is what's issued by us to fulfill our side of
the license purchase agreement. Over time, a single license can have more than one
password issued against it, as you, for example, upgrade your system every few years.
What do the password classifications mean?
All IXgen passwords, including demo passwords, provide full and complete access to
all IXgen functions. However, each password has a different duration depending on
the purpose of the password.
IXgen offers a rich set of features for working with markers. A few tries with IXgen (comparing how you are forced to work using only the native marker window) can be very convincing.
If you are new to FrameMaker and are not yet familiar with the marker system in FrameMaker, add a few hours to your evaluation session. Try marker creation — and especially editing — using only the native marker window. Then add in IXgen, and try some things you simply can't do with the marker window, such as spell-checking marker text or searching and replacing marker text.
Some IXgen users, after seeing only one or two IXgen tools for a few moments, tell us they've made a decision to purchase IXgen. We do provide seven days so that an hour or two can be hopefully found in a busy schedule.
Transitional Passwords are really administrative conveniences for you when you know that a change is coming. If the anticipated change does not occur, let us know and we will renew your transitional password, or switch to a permanent for you if that seems like the way to go at the time.
In some cases, if we see that you've requested many passwords in a short period of time (approximately more than one password every two to three months) we may, at our discretion, automatically assign you a transitional password. This will save you repeatedly sending in formal transfer requests. Again, let us know when you're ready to renew.
Why isn't the demo period longer, say 30 days?
While powerful, IXgen is a relatively small collection of related tools
that work in one specific area of FrameMaker — markers. Many users can make
an informed decision about IXgen in a few hours or less; some tell us they
made the decision in a few moments. But understanding that most people have demanding
schedules, we provide a seven day window of opportunity in which to sit down for a
couple of hours with IXgen.
And sometimes, customers say it best!
(more)
Okay, the demo is interesting and IXgen does some nifty things, but why buy IXgen?
This could turn into quite a laundry list, but here are the top five reasons:
Can I trust you with my credit card?
We take extraordinary security measures, including, as you may have noticed, not allowing
any credit card information to be taken on this website. When the biggest and best
online stores get hacked despite their high-power security measures, we know that
online credit card shopping is still not 100% safe.
So, while Purchase Orders are generally preferred, when you do want
to use a credit card please call or fax us with your card information.
Do you offer quantity discounts?
Sure. Click
(more)
I just placed an order. How soon will I get IXgen?
Just as quickly as you want it, because IXgen is downloaded from the
downloads portion of this
website. But be sure to review all the
IXgen download, install, and licensing
information.
Can I use IXgen with FM+SGML?
IXgen is not officially supported with FM+SGML. IXgen cannot read or write
markers inside SGML structure. If you are not using SGML structure,
IXgen can create and edit markers running under FM+SGML. However, you will
need to manually install IXgen per the directions in Appendix A of the
IXgen User's Guide.
I just tried to apply an edited marker list that I've been working on, and none of the changes took! What happened?
Some possibilities:
If you've run into this problem there is a good chance that you can recover some or all of your work. This procedure is described under the fourth bullet point of Problem 4 in the Problems and Solutions section of the IXgen User's Guide.
I'm finding "Do not edit this!" messages in my finished index or in my Editable
Marker list. What does this mean?
You used IXgen's Expand Markers tool but then never did a collapse operation to
return that marker text to the original markers. Do the collapse markers operation
then regenerate your index or re-run the Editable Marker List tool. The "Don't Edit
This!" messages should be gone.
Does IXgen support Master Indexes?
IXgen supports creating and maintaining any index markers used in a master
index. But the actual setup and creation of a master index is a FrameMaker
function. Review the FrameMaker documentation (or the Frame User's FAQ) for
more information.
For additional troubleshooting information, refer to the Problems and Solutions section of the IXgen User's Guide.
How often do you provide new releases? Do I have to pay for upgrades?
New IXgen releases are developed as conditions warrant — new features we want to add,
or changes in a new FrameMaker release that will affect IXgen performance. There is no
set pattern. As far as new release costs, we've had a history of being as fair as
possible. For example, if you just purchased the current version of IXgen and a new
version becomes available, your upgrade will probably be free of charge; or you will pay
only the difference for any new feature sets we've added. If you've had IXgen a while
longer, we'll charge a bit more. If you've had IXgen a long time, we'll charge more still.
Final pricing depends on a number of factors, determined at the time of release.
Why don't you have IXgen on the MacIntosh?
We've tracked the potential Mac market for years. There simply isn't enough
overall and sustained interest for a niche product like IXgen,
even if we quadrupled our already
optimistic numbers. Sad but true. And it's not the cost of the port, it's
the ongoing support and maintenance that would cause this not to work. To all
the die-hard Mac fans, we apologize, but this is the reality.
Why did you drop support for UNIX with IXgen 7?
Same reason we never did Mac support. UNIX interest has evaporated. We've sold perhaps
two UNIX licenses in the past two years. That's not viable. The
UNIX versions survived as long as they did because the work had already been done,
and the support system was already in place. It was paid for, in essence. But once a
new IXgen version came into being, we knew it was not longer viable to invest in such
a low-interest platform.
Do you have a maintenance agreement?
Yes, it's called the IXgen warranty.
Other maintenance
issues, such as new versions, are too unpredictable to price in advance of their
existence. Thus, we offer no formal maintenance agreement. However, even out of warranty
you can still get support, generally for free.
(More)
Do you offer training?
The IXgen tool collection is relatively
small and focused on a single area. Functions are covered in the IXgen
User's Guide. We really haven't seen a rationale to develop and
sell an expensive entity (a training class) when the tool itself is so
relatively straight-ahead. If you really want training, start with FrameMaker training.
Get a deep understanding there first (especially related to markers and their
use), and then most likely IXgen operations will seem quite clear and will
fall right into place.
Do you support IXgen in languages other than English?
This is really a two-part question. IXgen will work with European,
non-English languages, such as
German, French, and so on, but dialog box text will be in English. Sort functions,
when used, will assume that English text is being sorted. Sorts for non-English
languages may be slightly off from time to time.
The second part of the question touches on Asian language support. Currently, IXgen will not work properly with Asian languages (or any application where 16-bit character sets are in use). We have no plans to expand non-English language support at this time.
How stable is IXgen?
Given your system configuration and how well FrameMaker runs under that
configuration, you can expect IXgen to run the same, as IXgen becomes part
of FrameMaker once loaded. IXgen "talks" to your system through the
FrameMaker API.
If you're having stability problems with IXgen installed, your system was most likely already "on the edge" with one or more system resources. IXgen itself has a very small footprint in terms of system resources. Be sure you have adequate memory (128 MB minimum), and plenty of swap space (250 MB or more fixed; 500 MB or more free space if you allow Windows to manage your virtual memory).
We use (and recommend) fixed swap files with Windows, but a complete explanation of fixed-swap tuning parameters is beyond the scope of this document. Check with your system administrator, a third-party Windows book, or do a web search on "Windows virtual memory tuning", "Windows fixed swap", and so on. The improvement in system performance, disk quietness, and stability can be quite amazing.
How do you address bugs or problems?
IXgen has been in release since 1994. The core IXgen code is quite
stable. However, every now and then oddities may crop up. We address these
as quickly as possible under the terms of our
general technical support
policies and
our warranty.
If you have a problem that you can repeat, please
contact us
with a brief description of the problem. We'll then determine what steps we'll
mutually take to fix the problem.