I nearly jumped ship today

[gutterleech]

I also downloaded demo of sherif two days ago after reading this thread. Thought to give it a try. As I really need a software which has an inbuild form builder, customer sign up. It does have these things. But, when I started xara, i was completey new to web design, and I started enjoying working with it in just few minutes. Now, I am also earning money by creating simple 3 -4 page simple websites for people on fiverr for just $5.00. On the other hand, with sherrif I couldnt even create a single page in two days. Its bores you with its complexity.
- They lack inbuilt templates. ( I generally dont use templates. But, while creating your own design, you get many ideas from templates)
- No placeholder system.
- too complicated.
- on screen features are closed in menus ( like in xara, you can change a page size by just stretching the edge, there they have this hidden in menus)
- dont have keyboard shortcuts. like Ctrl B ctrl F in xara for moving things to back or front. It saves time.
- So, I am back on xara. But, hopefully in new versions, xara give us form creating, and customer sign up features in the builder.

[masque]

I've used Serif software, though I've never been able to download a trial (behzad). You have to buy it and get your money back, ( if you can ), if you don't like it. The biggest draw back for me was as soon as you start using a piece of serif software, you register with them and so are bombarded with emails and a little later telephone calls from someone in a call centre on commision who can't understand the words 'no thanks'. Soon 8 out of every 10 phone calls you receive is from serif telling you to abandon the software you all ready own and use theirs instead, regardless of the investment in software or work flow preferences you might already have. (I'm sorry I can't talk to you about the benefits of Serif Page Plus just now as my house is on fire! "Sorry to hear that sir, but I wont keep you a minute while I go throught the astonishing range of benefits and features now available in PagePlus.....).
Pageplus is a very competent and complete page layout software, but so is Designer for 99% of everything I do.
Web Plus is all you need for web site design, but so is Designer for most of my needs.
Draw Plus dosent work.
(other software from other companies is available)It all boils down to your own requirements, your own preferences and your previous investment in software. There is no race just personal needs.
Derek

[ODdOnLifeItself]

Hello,

In the end, whatever software we are using is just a tool. Its function is to help us get "the job" done. It becomes an extension of the person using it. Which software is "better" is mostly a subjective matter. [When I used a previous Serif offering several years ago, I quickly tired of the menus and very specific hoops that one had to jump through to effect even simple functions.]

Yes, Xara doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some of these other programs have; however, what it does do, it does very elegantly.

The Designer Pro software seems aimed at artsy types who also need/desire web designing features. Those that aim more at the "every web thing in a box" approach, often make software that is artistically unusable. (ie. interrupting of the creative flow)

I am glad to read about other companies' offerings...the good ideas might find their way into the "wish list" for new Xara products.

Re: "Ship Jumpers"

We're a long way from shore, the water is deep, and this fog you could cut with a knife. Steady as she goes...

Peace

James

[Cloud]

See!

I told your we are a passionate bunch of xara loyalists on here. It's like having children we dearly and unconditionally love them, but we also want them to grow up to be doctors and lawers, not for our sake but for their own.

Peace out

Kash

[w00dy]

I teach web design using Webplus X2 and it is a competent piece of software. The students like it and produce some nice looking sites but it does have a habit of falling over. Whether that's down to network issues in school, I don't know but I can't say that I enjoy using it. It may take a while to get used to Xara but once you've got used to it, it's a fun piece of software. Serif's flagship product, Pageplus is a cracking piece of software that is a long way ahead of Xara when it come to large publications and database integration.

[gwpriester]

This kind of reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend to whom I was showing my iPad stereogram book project. She said, I cannot believe you don't own or work on a Mac!

I said, you know, in the considerable number of years I have been doing graphic and website design on a computer, no client has ever asked me what kind of computer I have or what software I use. Because it does not matter. I brought up my website www.gwpriester.com on my DELL and said, my work speaks for itself. It is either good or it is not. It has precious little to do with my computer or my software. And it has everything to do with my creativity or lack of same.

All of this stuff is just a set of tools. It is not the tools that is important, it is what you do with the tools.

[xtom]

I just downloaded the free starter edition of Webplus to see what it's like. To me Xara feels much smoother and better to use but Webplus has some web tools/options that Xara lacks. For one I really like the table tool in Webplus, it actually calculates cells too which surprised me, xara should really add something like this.

[behzad]

Well , I wrote and asked the same question I did here on their forum, I asked if I can take the code and give it to a coder or programmer to further add stuff to it (advance) they said that only if the coder has the same program and I do. But with web designer, I could hand over the code to a programmer and they would have no problem doing this. So in the end, I prefer xara and the code it produces.

[behzad]

If I ever have a kid, i will call her xara