Goodbye Xara

[vkenner]

Hi VKenner—

I will not agree or disagree with your personal assessment of drawing programmes, because by definition, it is personal.

But I can't understand for the life of me why you and a mercifully small handful of other artists have to make an either/or choice of tools.

I have been using CorelDRAW since I first bought a PC in 1990 or so. When Xara came along, I was thankful they made a lot of the tools and commands identical to DRAW's, so the learning curve was shallower. But I didn't stop using CorelDRAW...it has features Xara doesn't such as the Polygon tool and Mesh fill.

Similarly, Affinity Designer presents new ways of doing things, perhaps two unique tools/approaches to vector drawing, but it will be added to my collection of software programs...it will not replace anything. I figure that even my aging brain can spawn a few more convolutions to accommodate a few more key commands.

I just don't buy this "brand loyalty" crap that some people use to narrow their tastes, choice of software, and their creative perspective.

I'm not exactly sure why you even posted what you did. Considering your mind is firmly made up that Xara has moved away from your interests so you therefore must explore Affinity Designer, all you had to do was to make sure the door didn't hit you on your way out. Your post, above and beyond a heralding of dissatisfaction, suggests the attitude more of a politician than an artist, which by the way, mix like oil and water, friend.

As a teacher, I run a lot of programs. I'm familiar with Illustrator and I consider myself proficient in several graphics programs. I've written what's going on 30 software after-market books for competing companies, and the summation of this experience still leads to curiosity, blunt criticism, and also tolerance and understanding.

I'd recommend that you, or anyone else who is feeling strident about the future of Xara and competing software just drop the politics because they are a façade of the first order, and get on with their creative pursuits with the least amount of friction between user and application.

Melodramatically Yours,

Gary

Gary,

I thank you for your very considerate thoughts and your perspective.

In a way you are right. My post is (perhaps not a political expression but) a statement as a user that I want to be heard by Xara. I just don't want to leave the software quietly because I believe it is important to give feedback. For a long time I felt commited to the company and happily paid the upgrades every year. But now I decided to spend my money elsewhere because I see a team at Serif that has a vision and a software that looks very promising.

Xara is a very good vector tool but the dirction it's development has taken is not promising to me at all.

v.

[digitalphaser]

I agree with @vkenner. Xara is still a very handy tool. But the Xara's development stalled and X almost can not compete with other similar software. The reason, I think, poor marketing and a very small circle of developers.
How many points from wish list have been implemented? That's right, zero.

Last time I use XDP11 only for prototypes. Most of the work I do in Photoshop and one year ago I moved to CorelDraw. But I still hope although I have no illusions.

[behzad]

I was never crazy about web features to be implemented into xara designer nor photo editing. The focus now seems to have shifted on photo retouching more than vector tools. Still xara designer is an amazing program. Just curious what % of user input (dear xara) would you say is implemented in every new release so far?

[Gare]

I think it's fascinating, ironic, and a little sad that this "Good-bye Xara" thread has had half as many hits as the introduction of the release of v 12, both threads begun at about the same time.

-g

[Michael]

Just my two cents... (with the current interest rates it will take some time to becoe a gold nugget...)

I certainly can imagine vkenners post. I wo't say he hit the nail on it's head but his argumentation lies close to mine.
On the other hand; as Gary I 'm inclined to downplay the whole rant because we all tend to use different programs for different things.

But ...
only a few years ago Xara seemed to have so much in house to be the Swiss knife of graphics. It was the perfect amalgamation of a vector and bitmap editor capable of producing solid products that could be used for either side of the fence. But the world has changed and Xara hasn't changed as much for everyone.
I too would like to see more progress on the vector-side of things. We all made some propositions for things we would like to see in the new iterations of the program. And to be honest, I was often disappointed with every new version. But at least the core stayed what I liked firsthand; a solid, fast rendering engine with a good UI (as long as that one lasts..)
Would i give up with Xara; No. It will stay my main chisel that I would dug out my toolbox to carve a new masterpiece. But I'd be very glad if the development would listen more carefully to it's users and the diehards who will continue to use the program. I too tried Ability and i do like some features (but despise it's interface...).
I do like Inkscape, just for the sheer pleasure the developers and the user community deploys on the web. It's a bit in the mood this forum once was; pioneering and kicking the big guys with smart use of software. Considering the marketing model Magix has taken and the widening between users and programmers/producers I do feel with the likes of vkenner. I do admire his courage to post his considerations and really would urge him to stay. I haven't jumped the bandwagon. Still using the X-version just because it works for me (and though I tried the 11 version and see some progress in the vector area like Smart shapes, Brushes and more it's not compelling enough for me to buy me a new version. Certainly not considering the marketing model at hand)

So, please; VKenner, stay! So please, Xara, keep in touch with you real users. And so please, all members of this forum, be loyal to your choice and this community. Help each other, give advice and let the software be what you are ...

Nice to see you again!

[behzad]

I also like to say that long time users who go back using xara more than a decade or so have a valid reason to bitch or even if you want to call it rant about xara. As good standing and loyal users we have all the right, unlike here today gone tomorrow users. Also the latest version is all about bitmap effects, I thought that was the whole reason behind photoshop plugins that's already is in xara. Regardless, I am going to have to wait to see what 365 updates are going to show up first. Long live Xara

[Gare]

Hi behzad—

I understand and share your frustration. I've been using Xara for 20 years and I'm less than delighted with some of the more recent versions.

However, opening a thread like this and allowing it to become what I called a "BitchFest" several posts ago is not the way to get the company, the engineers, the policy, or the direction of future releases to be more to your liking.

I'm only writing this because I'm 100% certain this thread will get locked if the downward spiral of posts here, more about frustration than constructive criticism continues. Why? Because this board is not a Democracy, as some believe it is; it is not a human right to post on this forum. It's owned by Xara and Magix and what would you do as an owner of a product and a community board that elects to knock and criticize in an unconstructive way, especially when a new version has been released?

I'm honestly offering advice, I'm not in bed with the management—they took away from me the Xone I was hosting , you do know this, right?—but I think aside from venting, everyone's energies here would be more visible on the "Dear Xara" area on tg, and I personally will send a message to some of TPTB and the engineers to please read the board and give it the consideration it merits.

Fair?

My Best, and literally in the same boat as all the rest of us,

gary

[MarcT]

I would love more focus on vector tools and improvements on the UI.
I think Xara still has an considerable edge on productivity and speed over the other alternatives.

There’s a lot of little details that makes you work faster in the end.

Marc

[behzad]

I do respect your opinion Gary. I totally agree with you, the wording of the thread was not a good one. I was not aware of a few things that you have also mentioned which happened in the past. I have been out of touch with this forum for a while.

[Gare]

I do respect your opinion Gary. I totally agree with you, the wording of the thread was not a good one. I was not aware of a few things that you have also mentioned which happened in the past. I have been out of touch with this forum for a while.

Well, I do thank you for posting that, behzad. Discussions that are monologues rather than dialogs are at best tiresome after a while, and "behind the scenes" here at tg, Moderators and the Admin are pulling double-duty as volunteers, triple duty actually. We need to keep new threads from becoming the occasional Demilitarized Zone, where people aren't communicating, but instead hurling insults like monkeys fling dung.

It's easy to forget that crawlers such as what Google uses can very easily pick up hateful words, porn terms, and so on, from anyone's forum, including ours. And that just drives potential new members away, when they see a listing on a Google search.

We also have to keep the trolls and potential server attacks out of view, and one of the more happy duties is to encourage dialogs and start threads that people feel are important.

Me, I tend to be general in my insights and discussions. There are people far more talented and experienced than I am with Xara, and I leave Xara-specific fun to them. I teach Art, regardless of the application. I cover principles and artist goals.

And that's exactly why I'm in this discussion here about leaving Xara, romancing Affinity Designer and frankly, some remarks that remind me more of brand loyalty or a bad marriage rather than a designer picking out tools for an assignment.

When I have a graphical idea—or very occasional a paying gig—I then sit down and think of the idea, and then of what tools I'll need. Sometimes it involves Xara Designer not at all, like when someone needs a rendered model with no text on the picture. But most of the time, often subconsciously, I open Xara, whether it's to rough out something, or to add text, or to export an AI file I can use in a modeling program or Photoshop. Xara is my "hub". I haven't yet considered how Affinity Designer might be my hub. Xara's very accommodating and exports very good file formats I can use.

To conclude this excessively long post, regardless of whether the Xara Group irritates me with their feature decisions or not, at the moment it works for me, I see no reason in the future Xara will cease to become my work hub unless TPTB totally destroy the program (not likely), and other new programs I'll evaluate for features I can really use, ignore the Cool Factor, and look at real benefits, not brands.

Heck, I'm in this thread too much.

Goodbye Gary