Will Windows be the looser in the LX game?

The Xara Xtreme LX is a great idea: You make a new open source, "cross platform" version that will ensure the eternal life of our beloved drawing app... - Great, right?

Is seems that all current Xara Xtreme users will be left behind. I mean, who want to buy a Max or convert to Linux so that you can use your all time favourite drawing app?

Future versions of Xtreme LX will be much more open, expectations are that all the things that the current users have had to wait for will only appear on LX version. Not so great...

I would love to hear from say Xara Ltd. that THEY will ensure that a precompiled version of the LX be around. I could then rest assure that I will keep on using Xara Xtreme on my favourite OS: Windows.

With VISTA appearing at some time (if not this year, then next...) many cool features will be around for any app to use. I do not know if such features will be relevant for an open source app like Xara Xtreme LX, but attention should always be put on some new from MS (facts IMHO).

So someone please make me relax - tell me that WINDOWS versions of Xara Xtreme LX will be around!

OK from the horses mouth. I can absolutely assure you that Windows users will gain as much from this as Linux and Mac users.

Our goal, and what we're building right now is ONE single cross-platform version of Xara, so that when we add new features, it will appear on all three platforms. Indeed when any external developer adds any new feature to the Xara maintained open-source version, then all platform versions will benefit from this.

This is all part of our plan to take over the world :-) We need fully operational, fully compatible versions on Mac, Windows and Linux so that users can choose any platform they like and be sure that files can be transferred and the software will operate the same (or as close as we can make it) on all three platforms.

But there has to be a slight pause while we do this porting work, of which we're about half way done now. But once done, and assuming it goes to plan (all looking very good so far), then not only will our user-base increase dramatically, but users will get complete platform choice and we expect that product development will increase significantly.

Will I, who do commercial work in Xara X (yes, the old one) be allowed to download LX (I'll probably switch to OS X as well, btw) and continue doing commercial work using it, or do I have to buy a new(er) license? (Not that I mind purchasing it again... though hopefully one delivered on physical media... I'm a bit weird like that... still want something to hold and touch.) :)

Thank you Charles! I am relaxing again! :)

I am sorry I cannot put actual coding skills into the product. It seems to be implemented in C++ (?), which I have never tried as a developer.

But ofcause my ideas could always be added to the product.

For now, I will keep on using the current version of Xtreme!

Eobet, anyone will be able to download and use Xara LX on the Mac or Linux and use it without restriction. We know of many old and new Xara users who for one reason or another, have moved or want to move to Linux or Mac. Part of the reason for doing all this is so that Xara users can use any platform they like and the program will work the same, and files will be 100% compatible across all platforms. The open-source version is and will always be free.

That doesn't stop us doing commercial versions for Linux and Mac as well. These would have things like colour separations, Pantone, plug-ins and perhaps other premium features that can't be in the open-source version. The commercial version will have CD, manuals, and direct customer support etc.

If the question is, as an owner of the licensed Windows version can I get a licensed Mac version? Well it's too early for us to have seriously considered this. It will be a good few, or many, months before the Linux or Mac versions are up to par with the Windows version. We don't even know if we'll do commercial Linux or Mac versions yet. But I suspect that if we do, there'll be some form of cross-platform license or discounts for those that want the commercial version on multiple platforms.