But Xara with the money and developers it needs...
But Xara with the money and developers it needs...
I sure hope not. As I get older, I realize the value more and more in independent companies/products. As all the programs I liked get shelved through takeovers, I'm proud to work for Xara as not-yet-another-part-of-some-big-company.
I'd start a revolution, if I could get up in the morning.
Hear, hear!!! I'm having trouble thinking of a situation in which a product improved when acquired by a big company. The closest I can come is the rewrite/update that Corel did on Ventura Publisher several years back. Even so, Corel has always treated Ventura as a step-child. (Xara and Ventura are my two great software loves.)Originally Posted by AntonyF
OTOH, I can think of innumerable instances where products have languished or been ruined by acquistion. (Norton Utilities, anyone?)
What is intriguing is the possibility that Google will turn SketchUp and future acquisitions into"free" programmes.
I agree totally with Antony and Allison. Xara Ltd. as an independant entity is the choice I would prefer if such an acquisition is contemplated.
Soquili
a.k.a. Bill Taylor
Bill is no longer with us. He died on 10 Dec 2012. We remember him always.
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Perhaps we'll get lucky & Google would take Xara's OpenSource & actually do something with it. Make it into what the program they want, Re-name & re-release it. Isn't that how OpenSource works? Xara's gets a cut, Google gets a new program? This is the impression I'm getting.
Or is OpenSource related more to plugins that would go into XaraXtreme?
Comments? Corrections?
wW
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----------- '\<,, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
><>____(_)/ (_) - in order to gain that which he cannot loose." JE
Google is a webcentric company. They have Google Earth where they already use the @Last Software Sketch-Up plug-in. This acquisition obviously has to do with taking the 3D map aspect of the technology to a whole new level.
The Google stock is not at the level it is because they sit on their hands (or for what they currently pull in) but for what they might/will come up with in the future. Killing off something as clever as Sketch-Up would not really serve a purpose. Google's pots of gold will most likely give the development of Sketch-Up more resources - resulting in more "goodies" that they can pick in to whatever project they have in mind. If not for anything else, they are making sure that MSN (or whoever) doesn't get an "up" on them.
Boosting the @Last Software development won't even make the tiniest ripple on the water that is the Google financials. @Last Software is obviously profitable as is, and simply raising the Google flag will give the application more attention. It's a win-win situation.
As for Xara X being next... I sincerely doubt that a vector drawing applications fits in to the Google plans. But who knows, maybe they could make something happen with the Xara Online module technology?
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