Need a dirt-cheap cut-down version of Xara for Girl

[shiphen]

Hi

I have build my girlfriend a nice floorplan of her flat/appartment using Xara Designer Pro X.
I have managed to put everything to scale including the furniture and she is delighted with the ability to try out different furniture arrangements in 2D.

She has an aging laptop PC with a tiny screen (running WinXP), luckily it still has lots of disk space though.
On the down-side her laptop doesnt even have a CD/DVD reader.

Now, rather than spend £249 on the full monty (Xara Designer Pro X), is there a cut-down version of Xara that I could get her that would enable her to play around with the .XAR document that I have built for her?
i.e. Move shapes around, maybe add new shapes too?

With thanks

J

[xtom]

It depends what features you need but I think maybe you could try downloading the trial of Xara web designer (which is a lot cheaper than pro) and and see if it works out for you. I think it should open .xar files but I don't use it so I could be wrong and if you are only using it to move existing shapes around it should work no problem.

[wizard509]

The lack of a CD reader seems to be the problem. So downloading as atom suggested would be the way to go. Maybe Photo and Graphic Designer would be an option too since it is cheaper than the pro version which she does not need.

[angelize]

Without knowing what tools and features you used to build the floor plan it's hard to say, which option would be the best for your girl friend. You might want to look at Photo&Graphic Designer MX2013 At $89 US it's more expensive than the standard Web designer program but it's still less than the WebDesigner premium. And it's certainly a lot less than Designer Pro, and it will give your girlfriend access to some features that Web designer doesn't have including the eraser tool .

Have a look at Xara.com and check out the product listings, you should be able to find comparisions there which will show you the different features of the programs.

[shiphen]

Thanks folks.
The problem is that "Xara Photo & Graphic Designer MX 2013" is £69 !
I'm not saying whether or not that is good value for money, but it's overkill. My GF will only use the thing for this one use - to layout her furniture. For this purpose Xara is GROSSLY over-priced. Why cant this PC applications developers understand the world of low cost Apps - where because it is so cheap, seemingly the whole world will download your app for a few dollars. Aaargghh! £69 for one file to be played around with on one computer for a couple of our is totally out of the question.

I could have tried connecting our two computers together on a network and then installing an old version of the software off a CD but I seem to have loast Unfortunately I think I threw out my old historic copies of Xara studio (et al).

On another note I have to tell you some uncomfortable truths about Xara.
1. It's not that user friendly. You and me, we can't tell any more - we're used to it. But I tried showing it to a highly computer literate friend recently and he HATED it. It was very interesting to watch... But there were lots of things he simply failed to work out intuitively e.g. Pasting in postion. e.g. Drawing lines with arrow heads. e.g. Having the arrow head finish in the correct spot when you change the line thickness. Various other things - it quickly drove him nuts. Me I love Xara - but no sale to this guy.

2. It's just too damned expensive.
If I ran XARA I would do extensive user trials and just change the user interface until it became obvious to the casual user.
What Xara hasnt understood is that BY FAR our biggest investment in Xara is our own time learning the damned thing.
Yes it is *fairly* intuitive, but as Xara stands, it's nothing like as intuitive as it needs to be to survive in the brave new world of "apps".
And getting the default setting optimised is absolutely critical.
So I would then have about 3 or 4 levels of the thing. With the entry level version either being completely free or being a trivial cost e.g. 2 or 3 quid/bucks.
I dont mind the expensive version being say £100, but it really, really shouldnt be more than that - or you will build up extreme resentment.

But I digress - what the heck can I do for now that doesnt involve GBP69 ??

J

[Grenou]

Erm...
£69 is excellent value for a brilliant program.
Paying less means less money in the Xara coffers, meaning less development, or even none at all.

£69 is the equivalent of a night in the pub with food, or tickets to a concert.
Stay at home and buy Xara would be my suggestion, it will save a hangover :-)

Grenou

[pauland]

For a "single-use" just use the trial. Of course, she won't be able to handle it because you've already said how hard the software is to use.

Why cant this PC applications developers understand the world of low cost Apps?
Err.. why can't people who want apps for next to nothing understand the costs involved in developing and maintaining software?

You may have the Apple Appstore in mind - a huge userbase, where people can rifle through apps in a catalogue and buy them cheaply, so it's a numbers game. There's no direct equivalent yet for the PC.

[handrawn]

use the trial like Paul said - she will get 30 days if she is prepared to give an email address, and she can use exactly the same version as you did so no compatability issues - don't forget to pass over any special fonts or live effects you may have used, otherwise it won't load correctly.

[Fred C]

...On another note I have to tell you some uncomfortable truths about Xara.
1.
...blah...blah...blah.

But I digress - what the heck can I do for now that doesnt involve GBP69 ??

J

Quit moaning and try free stuf!

http://freshome.com/2010/08/18/10-be...ams-and-tools/

[Grenou]

The more I read this, the more I think it's a wind-up.
Although I can't think of anyone not liking Xara!
J's friend who 'hated' the software obviously wasn't such an expert. I mean, when you are an highly experienced user and you see a program for the first time, you will immediately know all the ins and outs, no?

Yup, it's got to be, it's a wind-up.
As Fred C mentioned: Free software might suit. :-)

Grenou