Sad update for users of the perpetual licence of Designer Pro X19

[stevegill]

I've had a problem with accessing the Content Catalog for a couple of years with both Xara Web Designer and Xara Designer Pro (not the "plus" versions).

Despite contacting Magix a few times they have never come back with a solution.

I contacted Magix again last week and they replied that Xara has taken back support.

Now I have an active update plan for Web Designer that provides me with nothing. I can't remember the last time an update was released so it's been wasted money.

I'm not too sure about the plus versions as I avoid subscription-based software. You don't have to subscribe to many before it becomes a lot of money each month.

I have other web design software and I'm seriously thinking about switching to them for all websites. One of the main reasons I like Web Designer is because of the freedom of design - the others don't necessarily offer that.

Whinge over.

= Steve

[Acorn]

I've had a problem with accessing the Content Catalog for a couple of years with both Xara Web Designer and Xara Designer Pro (not the "plus" versions).
Despite contacting Magix a few times they have never come back with a solution.
I contacted Magix again last week and they replied that Xara has taken back support.
Now I have an active update plan for Web Designer that provides me with nothing. I can't remember the last time an update was released so it's been wasted money.
I'm not too sure about the plus versions as I avoid subscription-based software. You don't have to subscribe to many before it becomes a lot of money each month.
I have other web design software and I'm seriously thinking about switching to them for all websites. One of the main reasons I like Web Designer is because of the freedom of design - the others don't necessarily offer that.

Whinge over. = Steve

Steve, no one should be left to drift. Contact Xara who will get it sorted for you. The more information you provide, the easier for all.

1. XDA users sometimes install through a blocking firewall. The trick is always to run the XDA the once as Admin.
2. The next check is whether you can see the Online Content Catalogue - try https://downloadsv18.xara.com/web/catalog/index.html - this is a look-see, not a solution.
3. The final one is the right-click pick of 'Download All' on the blue folders in the Local Designs gallery. This saves all your paid-for content, templates and widgets to a local cache.
4. The second final one is none of the Magix Update Now nags will actually work. You will still get them so now is the time to stop them nagging as covers in earlier threads.

I jumped ship from Magix to subscription Xara quite a time back and have never regretted it.
If I had not and was sitting with a live v19 with no application updates, I would be shouting for a refund from Magix. It sold you the product and whether it or Xara ultimately coughs up is immaterial.

Get your XDA OCC fixed and stick with that. The better option, that does cost, is to go subscription.

Acorn

[stevegill]

Hi Acorn,

Steve, no one should be left to drift. Contact Xara who will get it sorted for you. The more information you provide, the easier for all.

1. XDA users sometimes install through a blocking firewall. The trick is always to run the XDA the once as Admin.
2. The next check is whether you can see the Online Content Catalogue - try https://downloadsv18.xara.com/web/catalog/index.html - this is a look-see, not a solution.
3. The final one is the right-click pick of 'Download All' on the blue folders in the Local Designs gallery. This saves all your paid-for content, templates and widgets to a local cache.
4. The second final one is none of the Magix Update Now nags will actually work. You will still get them so now is the time to stop them nagging as covers in earlier threads.

I jumped ship from Magix to subscription Xara quite a time back and have never regretted it.
If I had not and was sitting with a live v19 with no application updates, I would be shouting for a refund from Magix. It sold you the product and whether it or Xara ultimately coughs up is immaterial.

Get your XDA OCC fixed and stick with that. The better option, that does cost, is to go subscription.

Acorn

1. I don't think it's a problem with the firewall (Webroot Secure Anywhere) as I tried installing as admin with the firewall disabled.
2. Yes! I can see the catalogue that way.
3. You know, I've tried that several times in the past and always got an error message. But this time it worked!
4. Yes I noticed that.

I'm still considering the subscription version.

Thanks for your help. :-)

= Steve

[MB365]

Hi Acorn,



1. I don't think it's a problem with the firewall (Webroot Secure Anywhere) as I tried installing as admin with the firewall disabled.
2. Yes! I can see the catalogue that way.
3. You know, I've tried that several times in the past and always got an error message. But this time it worked!
4. Yes I noticed that.

I'm still considering the subscription version.

Thanks for your help. :-)

= Steve

Hi Steve,

Acorn provided all the good, helpful tips. If you still continue to have trouble accessing the content catalog, then please contact us through the chat at www.xara.com or through the email form at www.xara.com/contact-us

[Egg Bramhill]

There is a form at the bottom of the page for Magix users to get a discount from Xara here:
https://www.xara.com/welcome/

[BONES]

The £173 divided by two is still less than Magix's renewal was.

The obvious difference is that if you get sick of paying your renewal to Magix, you will still be able to use the application. If you stop paying your subscription to Xara, your software will stop working. So it's dead money that you will have to pay every year, year after year. OTOH, you could have chosen to update your Magix Designer Pro every second or third year without any problems so, in reality, you are much worse off.

would you rather the company went out of business ?

I can't say I'd give a damn. For the longest time I bought every paid upgrade, even though 90% of it didn't interest me at all, out of loyalty to Xara and a desire to see it improve. That all ended when they handed it over to Magix and now it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if Xara went under tomorrow, except for the fact that I'd need to authorise any new installations down the line, which they have made as difficult as possible.

Anyway, I reverted to the last version I had on CD, Designer Pro X9, and I can hardly tell the difference between that and the last version I paid for (in 2020). There has been so little useful improvement to the product in the last 10-15 years that I just don't care any more. And there is no way I am going to a subscription model. It makes sense for corporate customers but not for hobbyists or freelancers.

It's not like Xara is an industry-standard product that I need to keep updated. I've been using it for 25 years or more now and I am yet to meet another professional who has even heard of it. This is literally true - I've been talking up Xara since 1998 or so and in all that time, working in motion graphics for film and television, I have never come across anyone who has heard of it. I could use any version I liked and it wouldn't matter to anyone but me because I will always have to export my work in a format that other people can use.

To be clear, I love Xara and it is just about the first application I install on any new computer I buy but I can't remember the last time there was a new feature I thought was worth having. Maybe Xara X, or X1? Sure, I use some of the new features now and then but I don't think I'd be any less productive on Xara X than on the latest version. It's a very mature product and I feel absolutely no need to keep it up to date any more, so there is no way I am going to pay a yearly subscription.

[handrawn]

hi there mr bones

my qestion was somewhat rehtorical but... if say xara did go out of business and their servers were no longer there to periodically confirm activation status, would the earlier versions still keep on working ?

as for the rest of it, I have versions 11 and 15.1 that I keep going back to, because xara changed things I would rather they had not [such as dropping the merge to single page on PDF import] I stopped at 18/19

there are other programs

[BONES]

That is the one issue we'd have but if they went out of business without changing the licensing system so we could keep using the applications, that would be a pretty low act.

[handrawn]

hypothetical, but if they went into administration it would be up to administrators as to whether there was a cost-benefit to creditors in doing such a thing... if, indeed, thay thought about it at all...

[Acorn]

This is to summarise the state of play with the end of Magix delivery of Xara products:

• The Xara Desktop Application (XDA) comes as one in a range of Magix 'legacy' products or Xara Plus product.
• Magix XDAs are purchased and kept as license to use forever.
• Xara Plus XDAs are subscription-only at this present time. There is no indication whether a licensed standalone XDA will ever appear.
  
  • Xara's logic will be simple:
    
    • Only ever one XDA Plus version will be supported at any time. When you have a problem, Xara will advise you to ensure you are on the latest version before dealing with your problem.
    • If you have a Magix problem, it will be recorded and advised if known or new. The only remedy on offer will be to go subscription if already fixed.
    • New problems will be added to the backlog for Xara Plus only.
    
    
  • Xara Cloud (XC) is even simpler - it is one master XDA hosted in the Cloud so only one version to maintain.
    
    • Should XC ever approach Plus functionality then the XDA will die off.
  
  
• This is what you should do or have done with your Magix version:
  
  • Download all of the folders in the Local Design gallery - store as Cache on your machine. Copy out onto external media as well.
  • Install an allowed second copy on another machine or virtual machine to preserve your current version.
  • Failure to do either impacts your access to the On-line Content Catalogue, which will expire, or you will revert to your purchased version.
  • Always keep a licensed version activated. Always deactivate, never uninstall. Always keep your purchase email and XDA serial number recorded.

The rest is your decision on how you mainly use your XDA:

• Graphics - keep your Magix version running for as long as possible as very little has been added since v15; some would argue even earlier.
• DTP - use another product as Xara's offering is fine for small documents and flyers. As someone with technical authoring knowledge, I cry as to what could have been.
• Web - my personal focus. I get paid to build sites so I am considered a professional. As such, my clients would expect me to be current. This is good as equally, I would expect them to want theirs to be as current, requiring a maintenance provision.
• Even as a pensioner hobbyist, I would consider the cost of a yearly subscription to be paltry.
  
  • Say you only have just one personal site or support a community site then the cost of a domain and monthly charges for a decent service provider is comparable.
  • Now get someone to build and maintain your site or instead you use your XDA and factor the difference for the first build and all those changes you discover.

What should I get?

• Do Nothing - fine but eventually something will break or change.
• Buy Affinity - Designer, Publisher and or Photo - difficulty UI, middling support.
• Get free Xara Cloud - nothing to lose.
• Subscribe to Xara Plus XDA - when you stop, you can fall back to your working Magix XDA.

Xara is a business. You are a customer, not a client.

Acorn