X4 'Panacea' Or 'Pan Of Something Else' Poll?

[ss-kalm]

Joke Artist,

I understand what you are saying but there are some items that I disagree with in your post

A professional will really dislike to turn something from a vector into a rastor to play around with effects for three simple reasons 1. there are better tools out there to do such editting, 2. it makes it less edittable, 3. it's not longer 100% scalable.

As a "Hobbyist" I also dislike any part of the drawing turned into raster - and avoid using effects if possible for that reason - you imply that only a professional can appreciate that.

and alienates it's original core user base even futher!

I've been using Xara since CorelXara 1.1 and still have the two copies that I bought installed on my home PC's - Doesn't that make me an original core user, and I don't feel alienated - Far from it.

This poll clearly shows it's split down the middle 50% are happy with the new RASTER features and 50% are probably not.

This poll shows nothing of the sort - It seems to show that only 25% are disappointed with the upgrade. The some nice minor improvements is a catch all between "Fantastic" and "Nothing to tempt me" Doesn't actually show that people are upset. As I said in a much earlier post. The categories were badly thought out if you are trying to prove something. (I'm not trying to be offensive, just stating a point).

Just a note - I don't find anything you have posted rude or insulting. Your comments have been well thought out (even if presented a little forcefully), it's just that I'm looking at this from a different place to you. Best wishes for things you want in the next upgrade. This thread may even go some way to convincing Xara to do something for the pure vector lovers (of which I am one) in the next upgrade.

[handrawn]

1) Still can't get away from the fact that to develop new tools you need money - to get money you need sales.

[and a lot of code and recoding and man-hours will be involved]

xara is getting this right I reckon

2) I think it was Bill [soquili] who said one definition of a true professional is that they produce the requirement with whatever tools they have.
This may well be one reason there are not as many professionals as non-professionals on the forum - they are doing just that.

I think the professional/hobbist argument is pretty sterile. I know professional designers who freely admit they cannot draw, and amateurs who produce work that would have possibly sent Michaelangelo home crying.

The only real difference sometimes is how quick they work- not what tools they use.

So I see the argument for improvements - but they have got to be done right, it takes time - there is a lot of code to be overhauled as I understand it.

3) 'Fraid the poll will prove nothing, whatever the outcome - it is neither representationally nor demographically constructed of the whole user base population - the options are unbalanced and the results will be skewed.


apologies if I have offended anyone in this thread ...

[JokeArtist]

Far from it.This poll shows nothing of the sort - It seems to show that only 25% are disappointed with the upgrade.

I didn't say dissappointed with the upgrade ... you're twisting my words. I said maybe not happy with the great new raster features ... i.e. those who are happy with minor improvements, (the better shortcut editting, moving of the inkdropper, underline improventents, boolean clipping now works, etc) plus those that are dissappointed which is 50%.

You can be happy with the small improvements but that's not the major changes to it is it.

[ss-kalm]

I didn't say dissappointed with the upgrade ... you're twisting my words.

Ok maybe I did a little - I was trying to be careful what I said.

What I meant was you can't use the "Some nice minor improvments (was waiting for text underline)!" to show Not happy" since the next option up was "Fantastic". I personally love this upgrade, but didn't vote for "Fantastic" because I too would have like to see other items/concerns addressed. But I'm right at the top of "Some nice minor improvments (was waiting for text underline)!" and extremely far from not happy.

[handrawn]

boolean clipping now works

this is more than a minor improvement

[haakoo]

@JA,

I think your analogy towards flash doesn't add up,
there are a lot that create flash without flash,because of the learning curve and bloated workspace,just alike illustrator,mainly all Adobe ware.
When you are saying that you are an illustrator then you must know that
only your tool is vector but in the end it's just a bitmap.
And if you want to make vector shapes for only showing on the net it's even more a waste of time because the computer of your audience needs to recalculate every vector point you have drawn.
(hey isn't that why Xara exports to png when creating a HTML file )
So come down from your tower and join the plebs and just use your tools what they're made for.
(i don't complain either why my coffee machine cannot take my kids to school on a rainy day)

I just like Xara because,....
I do

Hans

[mikalele]

this is more than a minor improvement

it's more of a bugfix, no?

(i don't complain either why my coffee machine cannot take my kids to school on a rainy day)

Yeah but i think Xara is running in exactly this direction. Making it a "egg-laying-wool-milk-sod" (direct translation from a german saying, an all-in-one device suitable for every purpose).

I think JokeArtist makes some very valid points, Xara should concentrate more on the vector tools, i don't see how anyone could disagree with that, given that the last updates didn't do anything in this direction.


edit: i voted being happy with the minor improvements, which i am, but still i am disappointed on feature priority

[handrawn]

bug fix yes - minor no


patience - it will come - you cannot build Rome overnight..... first you need commercial success upon which to build - then you can develop new tools

xara nearly went to the wall once I would not like to see that situation again - or no one is going to get any new tools of any sort....

[JokeArtist]

I think JokeArtist makes some very valid points, Xara should concentrate more on the vector tools, i don't see how anyone could disagree with that, given that the last updates didn't do anything in this direction.

Thanks for that I thought I was truly alone on here and was going mad.

[haakoo]

I beg to differ,

Only the so called plain,normal people makes the world and the money go round and notthose few who like to dictate.
Take a look at MS,they wanted to dictate the world but are now paying the billions of dollars prize to undo what they thought should be done.
Take a look at all the compromises MS makes towards the open source community,ooxml(just granted as ISO standard today) IE8 being more compatible with w3c.
In this JA is dictating that this great product should lean more to the vectors but that would mean the so called general public puts it aside,which make no more funds to develop Xara in the future and it will become extinct.

The analogy with my coffee machine was being sarcastic,because it wasn't made for taking my kids to school and never will be,that's my job.

Hans