Broaden Xara X's appeal

[viking]

Hi Charles,

there is maybe another form of programming possible, making XaraX2 like Calamus back in the old Atari ST days. Leaving the main program mostly unchanged, adding modules like Cad, 3D, Bitmap editor, multiple page editing, Flash etc. Every module works in his own box like in Calamus. The modules may be sold apart.

just an idea...

viking

[Sheff]

What about a text object gallery? Perhaps that could exist as an external text file which could easily be checked for spelling. It would also enable us to see all of the text on all of the layers without manually turning them on and off.

Now it's turning back into a wishlist.

[mlill]

My turn. Well, instead of saying what I don't use Xara for, I'll restate what I DO use Xara for: designing for hand-craft projects. Quilting, stained glass, mosaic tile, woodworking, etc. Milton mentioned scrapbooking, which is a great idea! Carol uses Xara for her needlework designs. My daughter uses Xara for her manga. (Wouldn't it be great to have templates for US comic book layouts and Japanese manga layouts? A fill gallery full of screen tones and action lines?) Like I have said in this forum before, there is a ***HUGE*** market out there in the crafting community. I really like vikings idea of having a main program and seperate modules/add-ons. The main Xara X2 program could cost a reasonable amount for basic functionality. Then the user could add on each module as needed. Each module should have templates, clipart, font and fills, etc. that correspond to the theme of the add-on. You could even bundle the craft related add-ons and call it XaraCraft! If it was marketed right, I know people would eat it up. Xara is so user friendly, that everyone should be using it! I've never met a person who hasn't fallen in love with using Xara after I've told them about it!

Anyway, if you want to broaden your customer base, you have to look past the drawing and web design community. There are artists out there who are just starting to use computers for their handmade crafts. Give them easy to use software with plenty of templates and they'll be happy! That's my 2 cents...

Michelle Lill
Family Photo Quilt

[Sheff]

Good Point!

I bought my wife a sewing machine, but I know deep in her heart she wants one of those custom embroidery machines.

I'm positive that it uses some kind of vector application to produce designs, but the women working at the store, had no idea of Illustrator vs. EPS, etc. They only knew of one $3000 software package for their $4000 sewing/embroidery machine.

If there was a way to add the format output to Xara or repackage Xara specifically for that application, You could sell a lot copies that way. I'd much rather pay $149 or whatever for Xara than $3000 for an application that can't do much more.

[jaxtraw]

I haven't read thru all the replies as there are many, so apologies if this has already been mentioned.

I use Xara for text handling a lot (lettering of comic strips for instance) and one thing it is to me crying out for is the ability to flow text from one shape/box (whatever you wish to call it) to the next, to allow proper DTP style applications as well as letting me put my exposition in several text boxes and edit the text en bloc, so to speak http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'd also like multiple page documents (with, indeed, text flow from one page to the next if required).

I don't want to see lots of wizards and templates or a general "dumbing down" as I feel this will make it more difficult to recommend to professionals, as they'll perceive it as too Fisher Price- that kind of thing puts me off apps for that reason I must admit. Plus, the wizards and templates never seem to offer the one thing one wants http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

As this thread is about broadening the appeal then, rather than a pro features wishlist, I think a stronger DTP aspect would be very useful in that regard, as I've just discussed.

Somebody else has mentioned rock-solid colour management, and I second that. An app that is really trustworthy in a CYMK space is something that will catch the pro's eye...

Also, the options dialogs seems rather hokey these days. I really want to hit "File/New" and then have all the parameters of the new drawing (e.g. page size, units, etc) available ina dialog to set at that point, rather than having to create a drawing the wrong size and then go and modify it. That kind of thing looks a bit amateur and is off-putting I think.

Please don't bloat it out with wizards tho, it'll put off more potential customers than it gains. I really hope you don't aim this too low at inexperienced users, at the expense of us who rely on Xara's raw power and expert features http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[jaxtraw]

Addendum: Xara fan that I am, I think the web-orientated stuff is chronic. When I got X I persisted valiantly with trying to use it for slicing, rollowers, etc. It was unergonomic and crash-prone (is X1 more stable in this regard?)

In the end I gave up and went back to creating the page elements in Xara, exporting as a bitmap and slicing effortlessly in ImageReady, as I'd always done.

IMV not only is the rollover stuff awkward, it's also imprecise. It was difficult to slice block coloured areas up into chuncs without getting faint fringes of the adjoining areas bleeding over. The whole thing needs a rethink, methink. http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif


I think in summary, rather than Xara trying to be all things to all people, the focus should be on removing the need for users to switch to other directly rival software e.g. Illustrator and CorelDraw. Ideally, Xara X2 should be the only vector app they need on their system...

[stubbsuk]

Got to agree with you there, Jaxtraw.

In my mind, the simple aim should be to make XaraX the one and only vector application one needs.

Therefore, the focus should be on fixing things and plugging holes, such as perfect CMYK handling and improved import/export.

No way will XaraX be able to do things to bitmaps as well as Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop, so don't waste time and bloat the application trying.

[jaxtraw]

Yes http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

I think something people often overlook is that when a person is considering whether to change from something they use to something new, it doesn't matter how many new features they get with the new product, what seems to matter most is whether it does everything the *old* one does.

So if there's a feature in, say, CorelDraw that XaraXx can't match/replicate then the potential purchaser will say "pfff, it can't even do *that*, I'm sticking with CD".

There are many posts on this forum where the Xara Xperts say something like "then I exported it to Illustrator...". Well really, any time somebody has to do that, Xara has stumbled.

Photoshop is, and will remain for the foreseeable, the major bitmap editor and Xara can't hope to compete with it, and neither should it. To be undeniably the best in one field (vector graphics) is IMV the best way to a broad user base.

[stubbsuk]

Exactly! Number one priority should be to fix XaraX so that there is absolutely no need to export to another vector program to finish the job.

I strongly believe that this alone will widen XaraX's appeal, because it then becomes a full-functioning application and thus much more viable to use for the average person who does not want (or cannot afford) Illustrator as well.

Apart from that, fix all the bugs and add better import/export.

The last thing I would say is when considering all the feature requests, make sure they are only added if they are suitable for a program of this nature. eg CAD is not suitable, nor is adding full DTP facilities, nor is a bitmap editor, as in all cases, it just adds bloat and simply can't match the likes of, say, Photoshop which does the job much better.

[Sheff]

I would argue the fact that you refer to CAD functionality as bloat be unfair. Just because you don't use a feature, it doesn't mean that it isn't needed by someone else.

I do get asked to deal with DXF files which I must use other apps to bring in. Maybe this falls into better import/export, but still, I would like to import and export DXF files.

Also, I would like like perimeter and area to be calculated in the infobar. That's not too much to ask.

And multiple pages and spell checking would be welcome additions and not bloat.

I consider things like Navbar wizards for people who don't know how to build navbars to be bloat.

XPE is bloat. There only 27 posts in the XPE forum. I think that should be proof enough of that.