The future of Xara

[wW]

This has been said before but I'll say it again.

Xara needs to set up a program in which it sends versions of Xara (x1 perhaps) to all college campuses abroad. The user base for Xara would grow exponentially & Xara would be planting the seed for it's future.

All it would take is for several campuses to start using it, not soon after, word of Xara would spread like a wild fire.

I'd invest in this venture as I'm sure many others here would as well!

[ss-kalm]

Whether or not Adobe drop Freehand is up to them. If the Freehand users want to move to Illustrator or Xara, again is a free choice. However, I do NOT believe that Xara should make their program do what Freehand did to attract users.

If they want to buy the best application and go with Xara - fine. But they should take it as it is. Not try to change it to be like their previous software.

Xara is without doubt the best application I have ever used for graphics. Maybe I haven't used them all, but I don't want it to be like something else to suit "maybe" future users.

[Josie]

albacore: "I don't think Josie knows FH that well..."

Mmm...I somehow don't know what you are reacting to...
And I've been praising the Transform functionality, not the FH interface. BTW, the Transform panel specifically is no pain at all.

remi: "I wouldn't recommend this. Xara Xtreme is not a word processing application..."

It is not. But because of its intuitive usage and freedom of positioning pictures and components on a page, it is very easy to create a visually appealing multi-page document when it's needed. Some people use PowerPoint (because it is available) as a graphic tool when they want to do that or when they e. g. want to sketch a layout of something for someone. The same people switch to Xara once they become a little familiar with it.

I don't think that accomodating to FH users' requests is any kind of issue. The point is IMHO that a well-developed graphic software should have certain functionality. And while AI has it, it is not implemented as good as desired by many (some users prefer FH 5 to AI CS3 because of that). So what about implementing the same features but making them better. Why not.

I'll be happy if I could do almost any type of graphic work in Xara (not including bitmap processing and some specialty operations). Even for a 40-page graphic-intensive item I would not use anything else although I maybe miss some features. But what about typesetting a book or a magazine? The 3 features/areas I have mentioned sooner would be enough for me to avoid using Quark XPress or InDesign, even if those features were implemented on a very basic level in Xara. And, of course, I don't expect them to be included in the very next release. J

[gwpriester]

Over the years there have been many many posts just like this. And to be honest, I think the first thing that everyone does when she and he starts working with a new software product is to ask, why does this product work like this instead of how I am used to my old familiar software working?

We all have done it. And I would be hard pressed to find anyone who has not insisted on adding one or two of their most favorite features. Mine has always been a Ctrl R to repeat the last action like CorelDRAW does it.

On the other hand, the reason that many of us longer time Xara users prefer Xara is that it has not suffered from feature BLOAT. Xara does not try to be all things to all people. Xara is not like InDesign or Quark for example, and that's OK with me. If I need to do a complex layout that requires a lot of text formatting, I'm probably going to do it in InDesign.

Xara is never going to be as good a photo editor as Photoshop. I do about 70-80% of my photo editing in Xara, but when I need to do some heavy duty photo editing, I use Photoshop.

CorelDRAW has always tried to be all things to all users, and as a result, is bloated, slow, and not a joy with which to work.

My advice to new users is instead of asking, why does Xara not work like X product, or why does Xara not have this or that feature, is to figure out how Xara does what it is you are trying to do. Learning software is like learning a foreign language. Once you start dreaming how to do things in your sleep, you will start getting into the flow and rhythm of the program.

Trust me. I've been working with Xara for about 14 years. Just give it a chance and try to learn the way it works. It does work, and it works very well.

Gary

[steve.ledger]

Indeed Garry, I get this all the time. It's a Catch 22.

"Why can't they make all these programs work the same?" I'm asked

At the end of the day I think it comes down to good ol' fashion impatience.
A lot of the time people are frustrated or bored with the software they currently use, so look for something new which will solve [their] problems.
But of course there's that often steep learning curve [did someone say AI ?] to overcome and this takes time. Meanwhile they are looking for the familiar, so they can at least get 'something' done, but it isn't always there because, well - they are using a different program with different tools, layout and so on .
I'm having to learn CorelDraw for my part-time job. I'm not enjoying it at all so far as it's a serious impediment to my workflow and creativity. I've looked at video tutorials by the 'experts' and frankly what they create has taken far more time and many more steps that it would with XaraXtreme.
But - I still have to learn to use it..

New software is no substitute for imagination and this forum alone shows how creative users can be with software which initially appears to lack the features of the big boys.

<sigh>

[Josie]

"Xara is not like InDesign or Quark for example, and that's OK with me. If I need to do a complex layout that requires a lot of text formatting, I'm probably going to do it in InDesign."

It's OK with me too.
But, to use a parable, there are people who prefer to have a separate phone and separate PDA and there are people whose needs are best satisfied by a perfect phone with some basic PDA functionality. Specifically after using that perfect phone for more than 11 years. J

[Rocko]

bembelembe,

As you can see, your question is out of place, this space is about Xara Xtreme usage, supported mostly by graphic designers. Questions related to marketing and product development are usually neither answered properly nor welcome here.

However, you may be sure this is not the Xara's policy, I had suggested features over many years and eventually they had been included in the product, even when fanboys got their usual aggressive reaction when they were made.

I hope some day there would be a suggestions section in this forum to deal with this type of posts in a more professional way.

Until then, here are some thoughts regarding the future of Xara Xtreme. I am optimistic because:

1. It is open source: It has the advantage that hardly may occur the same than with Free Hand, to be bought and drooped by a big corporation. You also will see new features by plug-ins when more software developers would be attracted.
2. Xara is proactive looking for the FH users, most of your suggestions can be expected with the multipage evolution, however, it may take some time and the features will not look like they are in other products.

Finally, if you are looking for a mature product to replace FH today, the best is Acdsee (Deneba) Canvas, its interface is unique but easy to learn and productive. However, its owner does not know the way to trade it, then you can expect early or late the same than with FH, it will be sold to Corel or Adobe an cancelled.

Regards,

Rocko

[Tallis]

I thought the open source effort was not shaping up as well as had been hoped at all, and that there was an apparent slowdown in o/s development vs. the commercial development...

And maybe it's a language thing, but I don't see how the question is "out of place" and that the responses are "unforprofessional" at all... Some responses will be 30 second ones, some longer, I don't think this place is some consulting or business forum; it's a community of smart people whose ideas often are not carbon copies of each other...

[MarkMyWords]

I don't think it is out of place either. Let's face it folks, this kind of thing will happen again and again, I did this myself when I first came to Xtreme, and no amount of exasperation is going to stop it.

I, for one, don't mind new or prospective Xtreme users asking such questions at all.

Perhaps a sticky thread might help? Simply laying out the reality of the situation; Xtreme is what it is and we know little of future development plans. Unless there is a popular demand for a particular new function or change, we will not likely see it, even if it were to be put in, though some small changes can a be implemented relatively quickly, significant changes may take months or even years.

[Daniel]

I thought the open source effort was not shaping up as well as had been hoped at all, and that there was an apparent slowdown in o/s development vs. the commercial development...

linux.com and c-net both had articles on the opensource version this week - it's two years since the original announcement and they're summarising it as a "failed experiment in open source", probably quite fairly.