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  1. #41

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    Question.

    Has Xara fixed that maddening "auto-resize" of the page and layout gallery (all of the galleries, actually) that appeared in XDP8? You know, one sizes it how they want it, switch to another drawing and it changes to a horrible width, resize it, switch back to the first drawing and it happens again. There are other triggers as well.

    Should have had a fix for version 8 before this version came out...

    Mike

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
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    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    no, it's still the same
    If someone tried to make me dig my own grave I would say No.
    They're going to kill me anyway and I'd love to die the way I lived:
    Avoiding Manual Labour.

  3. #43

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    Thanks, Frank.

    Mike

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Minnesota USA
    Posts
    72

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    Quote Originally Posted by pauland View Post
    Not as customer friendly as free. It would be superb if they did 6 months trials. I could do six months using Xara, six months using something else, then back to Xara.

    30 days is more than generous.

    ...

    Better buy it then.

    See how they manage to stay in business a few years down the line.
    ***I respectfully disagree with your opinion of 30 days being more than generous.

    I do have ZBrush and they've been in business for quite awhile, (http://pixologic.com/company/) it's a completely different type of program, 3D digital sculpting. While it's cost of approx $800 is certainly higher than XDP, they value their customers and have grown to become the industry standard due to an extremely loyal customer/user base that has grown to most major motion picture studios. You don't have to nickle and dime current users for every group of feature upgrades. I do realize it's an optional upgrade, the new features look to be quite useful and impressive. However, I know I'm not the only one who was not very clued into any kind of firm release time frame on this new DPX9. I'm not on this board often enough to sort through when releases are actually planned and you can't know that prior to pulling the trigger on a purchase decision what's going to come 3-6 months out.

    My 3D Cad jewelry plugin program runs approx $7K so I'm not being cheap here. That gives you all minor upgrades included and 1 major upgrade, then the rest on your own dime if you choose. (http://gemvision.com/matrix/)

    The main point is that industry standards for major/feature releases isn't typically every few months. I own a lot of software that I've paid dearly for and use every day, Xara being one of them. Been on since V3. It's my #1 go to program for all things graphic design related. It's got a lot of features that has allowed me to walk away from Photoshop and Illustrator CS3 that I own.

    Perhaps it's more frustration that Magix/Xara updates are trickling every few months with sporadic updates/features and you can't predict when it's a good time to upgrade. If I'm not mistaken, Designer Pro X just came out not that long ago and I did take advantage of discounted upgrade from DP7. It could be since Magix acquired Xara that the waters became clouded on release schedules. Prior to that, you could typically go for at least a year with no major upgrades? Someone correct me if I'm wrong here.

    I'm not interested in the usual internet flaming/complaining rant as those typically are the result of some short fused, ill informed type of person who's more happy being miserable. That's not me.


    I look forward to seeing if there is any official response from TPTB.

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    21,283

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    I respectfully ask how if it's your number 1 program for all things graphic design related, and you've been on it since version 3 you've not made it your business to find out what the upgrade cycles pattern is....

    I'm not interested in the usual internet flaming/complaining rant as those typically are the result of some short fused, ill informed type of person who's more happy being miserable. That's not me.
    nor are most of us

    And Paul doesn't rant - Paul makes a lot of sense, almost all of the time - so one wonders why you felt the need to say this


    EDIT - wait - you upgraded it, it's your number one graphic design program and you can't remember when..... it's been yearly for a while, since around version 3 actually as I recall; maybe 4
    -------------------------------
    Nothing lasts forever...

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
    Posts
    41,487

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    It's a matter of value. Is the product of value to you? If it is and you use it all the time? If so, then the upgrade price is peanuts.

    If you are a hobbyist and money is tight, or you don't see that the new tools can do anything you cannot do already, then it is not a good value. At any price.

    I am a professional designer. If a product is good and helps me to do my job, then it is worth it and I will recoup the cost.

    If you really want to rag on value or lack of same, purchase QuarkXPress and then see what they charge for upgrades. Or how much it costs every time Apple updates their OS. Adobe's move to the Creative Cloud makes sense for design professionals but is a financial hardship to people who only use the product or products occasionally.

    If the products you have been using give you long upgrade periods, and if all you care about is price, then stick with what makes you happy.

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Minnesota USA
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    72

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    The upgrade cycle hasn't been consistent at all. To clear the air, I wasn't even thinking Paul was ranting, I was saying that as that I wasn't ranting. Just expressing frustration. That's allowed.

    The program has gone through a lot of good changes, or I wouldn't have upgraded. It used to be however that you could go approx a year or more without a major release. As of late, it's not been that way. I usually have upgraded after the countless emails sent about upgrade by a certain date to take advantage of pricing etc.

    It jumped from DP7, then to DPX, now to DPX9 within a pretty short frame of time that could not be predicted like prior releases.

    I'm surprised that people think that a 30 day upgrade policy is generous when it isn't.

    I own thousands of dollars of professional software and am pretty familiar with typical software cycles. This isn't the case here.

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Squamish, BC, Canada
    Posts
    963

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    XDPX came out last end of May so it's had a good run. The cost of the Xara software to upgrade at $99 from X to X9 is less than the cost of 2 fancy coffees / month. Ask Adobe how much coffee you could buy with their upgrade costs.

    I only use Xara for hobbyist use but for me, I spend more per year in coffee than I do for the program, I'm not wealthy but to me it seems rather inexpensive however you look at it.

    If you're looking for upgrades to the drawing portions of the program and they haven't been addressed then you really do have a beef but the outcome for that is not purchasing the upgrade if the old one is working for you.....you'll be able to buy almost 2 coffees that way per month over the next 12 or so months.

    When I first bought Xara, In fact Xara Webdesigner in 2009, I almost immediately bought Xtreme Pro 5 (1 month later, didn't know it was coming out).....at those costs, it's still a hard deal to refuse and I learned from that moment of less than thrifty purchasing to at least come on the forums and check possible delivery dates for the Pro version of that year's Xara. You don't have to be on here often to know that Xara Pro releases tend to be around June and July....proof of that? Check old posts that have to do with people asking when Xara migh be coming out.

    I see many excuses and reasons why Xara Pro isn't what it should be or hasn't got this or that.....that's today's reality with any software. The fact is, Xara is moving forward at all times. It may not be moving forward in the direction you wish so if that's the case, you can talk with your money.

    For me, a hobbyist, I will almost always upgrade simply because the deal is better here than anywhere else with super support. You can only give out software for free for so long before it bites you in the butt in your business and then.....poof, where are your users going to be left....right.....high and dry with a product with no more upgrades. With Xara, for sure, that would probably not matter because it's so good that whatever version you have, will likely do what you were hoping it would anyway.

    With that said, I will soon be upgrading and supporting the hard working programmers of Xara. I want development to continue on the package and, though I don't draw, I hope they will upgrade the drawing portions of the program as well as there has proven to be a need as shown by the many posts of those that do.

    This is still such an awesome program that I'm as blown away today by it as I've ever been...

    Kudos on you Xara.....

    Dates of upgrades and package

    Xara Xtreme Pro 5
    Registration date:18/09/2009

    Xara Designer Pro 6
    Registration date:30/06/2010 10 months

    Xara Designer Pro 7
    Registration date:07/07/2011 11 months

    Xara Designer Pro X
    Registration date:29/05/2012 10 months

    Today's version 13 months

    As you can see, these dates are fairly consistent. My reg dates are all within one month of release.
    Last edited by Karateed; 09 July 2013 at 10:27 PM. Reason: Getting actual dates of when I upgraded.
    Ed......:-)

    All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.
    -Gandalf (from Lord of the Rings) - Xara s/w - Xara Designer Pro X11

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    387

    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    @ Gary -- I was comparing the DPX 9 photo and drawing tools to P&GD 9 ... they are the same, as far as I can tell.

    My first take is that its a nice bringing-together of all the sub-Xaras. And I am intrigued by the Web Documents, after seeing your demos. For a sales brochure, easy enough to output a Web Document, and then a PDF for printing. Both the same, no layout compromises.

    But am curious -- why does DPX 9 still use the same desktop icon as the previous version -- the black D on a gold square? All this talk about flat vs skeuomorphic icons... and it stays the same!

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
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    Hautes Pyrénées, France
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    Default Re: x9 - no new drawing tools

    Quote Originally Posted by gwpriester View Post
    And the Photo Heal Tool which Frank is a lot more sophisticated than the Magic Erase Tool
    just been testing that and haven't found this to be the case with the photo needing the healing touch (v dirty lens)
    but i'm not here to bash xara so won't go into detail here
    however ,it's clear xara haven't taken much if any notice of the dear xara forum
    nobody to my recollection asked for a regions and masks tool a photo heal tool or a background erase tool
    but we got them anyway
    and got none of things we asked for
    genuine usability ehancements for those of us who use the app for drawing sketching designing illustrating
    maybe better just to remove the dear xara forum
    If someone tried to make me dig my own grave I would say No.
    They're going to kill me anyway and I'd love to die the way I lived:
    Avoiding Manual Labour.

 

 

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