Prognosis for Xtreme Pro for the Mac

[BONES]

Would really like to make a hardware switch and Xtreme is one of my main tools.

Whilst this is sure to open a can of worms, I'm going to ask anyhow - what's the motivation to switch platforms? I've been using both for years and I really don't see any intrinsic advantages, except that for all the things I do, like audio, 3D and TV/film compositing, there is so much more software available on PC. Plus there is a lot better hardware choice, too. In fact for music there is not a single application that I use that is available for MacOS.
Anyway, I'm not trying to start anything, just interested in your motivation.

So while i still stand by my decision, i always feel a little gutted when i wander into my local dealer and see the wonderful Macs on display and know that until Xara is on Mac, it will be very cost inefective purchase.

That won't change. Have you ever looked at an HP workstation? Not the consumer product you get in shops but an XW series workstation? If I was ever going to buy a proprietary system, that's what I would be going for. They are super-quiet, incredibly well designed and built and offer a lot more choice when putting one together for your specific needs.

So could you please consider my present list for christmas :
• Xara Xtreme Pro for Mac (native osx)
• import menu for FreeHand files
• A better "Apple-like" interface

What's a "better" Apple-like interface? I've never really noticed Apple GUI's being that much different from PC ones on cross-platform applications.

I agree with FH Addict.
Xara developers should look into Freehand more. Many users of Freehand users need similar application to migrate. FH users are frustrated with Illustrator and are looking alternative. I think that Xara has tremendous potential but still, I find it's interface not intuitive and organisable as of Freehand's (or Illustrator's and InDesign's). Now when Xara finally has multipage, this great application is a step close to fulfill needs of Freehand users.

I didn't know that Adobe had killed off Freehand. That's just a really dumb move on their part. Over here [Australia], Freehand is pretty much the standard in the advertising industry and it will piss a lot off people off. I work for Autodesk, in the part that used to be Discreet, and we recently went through the acquisition of Alias, which now means we have two 3D products, Max and Maya, which have a huge cross-over. But as our CEO said at the announcement, it woudl be crazy to kill off one or the other as it just gives a competitor an opportunity to make a sale.
This is indeed a great opportunity for Xara and Corel to grow their user-base. If I was a Freehand user I wouldn't even consider Illustrator on principle.
On the intuitiveness front, I've never used anything less intuitive than Freehand. I remember sitting in front of v7 or so, trying to create a simple rectangle and it took me about 2 minutes to find the tool. You'll find Xara is maybe a little different but after the adjustment period I am sure you will wonder why you ever put up with Freehand.

[coldfuel]

That won't change. Have you ever looked at an HP workstation? Not the consumer product you get in shops but an XW series workstation? If I was ever going to buy a proprietary system, that's what I would be going for. They are super-quiet, incredibly well designed and built and offer a lot more choice when putting one together for your specific needs.

I don't want to get off topic and start discussing the differences between PC and Mac, but simply the Mac OS is so much better, more stable and faster than Windows, but really it's just a preference more than anything, as i would totally agree that a Mac incarnation of Xara will not perfrom any better than it's PC version.

The issue seems to be that many users here do have a Mac system and that is they were given the choice between a Mac and Windows version many would choose the Mac version.

It's been said elsewhere in this thread, the Mac is the primary operating system for many designers, Designers who use Illustrator, Freehand, Corel etc. we all know how much easier and productive Xara is than these apps and it's for this reason that i beleive Xara would make a welcome addition to the Mac community.

[StevenWWinters]

I don't want to get off topic and start discussing the differences between PC and Mac, but simply the Mac OS is so much better, more stable and faster than Windows...

I'm a long time Windows user but would genuinely like to hear why dedicated Mac users feel this way. Would you (and others Mac fans) consider starting a thread in the Off Topic forum as I am honestly curious as to the benefits. I haven't had the opportunity to use a Mac in recent incarnations (or ever really), and Vista seems to be moving in the same direction from a GUI point of view.

[BONES]

None of that is based on anything but prejudice. I have not found MacOS to be any more or less prone to problems and crashes than WinXP and I don't appreciate the lack of control a user has over the performance of the hardware. e.g. there are virtually no options for optimising the graphics card, especially when compared to nVidia's Windoze drivers, which is the standard I have come to expect.
They used to say the same things about OS9 and it was considerably more prone to crashes than Win2k or WinNT in my experience, and most cross-platform software performed noticably less well. In this industry it is mostly a matter of sticking with what they used at art school in the late 80's and early 90's. I find that very few artists are very technically minded and have the "we fear change" mentality when it comes to the Mac/Windoze debate. But I always have to ask, in the vain hope that one day someone will offer up some genuine insight.

[Darwin]

Hi Bones - this is creepy, it's like you are channelling my thoughts (but expressing them much better!). I have two Macs (an iMac running OS 9 and an iBook running OS X 10.3) and three windows machines (Win2k, Win XP Home and Win XP Pro). I find Windows both easier to configure and more configureable. As for stability, I'd rate the OS 9 machine as the worst of the bunch (all the apps loaded are designed for it - this isn't an issue of overtaxing the architecture with software not designed to be run under it) and the best Win2k.

As for the OS-X GUI, I actually find it annoying. As noted by other posters, this is all personal preference and perception. I can quite happily work on Macs for weeks on end, but prefer to work under Windows.

[davelash]

Bones,

Your skepticism is greatly appreciated. Hearing from someone who is is happy and competent with the PC platform and apps brings me back to my initial assumptions. As the originator of this thread, I threw the PC/Mac issue out there. The posts have been fascinating and not what I expected. I continue to flip-flop.

My own quest is to achieve a dramatic increase in my "output/effort ratio." I use graphical tools to present, teach, and consult; they're a means of communication, not "my full time job." After 25 frustrating years with Windows, I watch my two young adult daughters produce multimedia gold with their iMacs with nary a bead of sweat on their brows. I watch Al Gore perform presentation wizardry.

I'd like to be creative with Keynote and iWorks and not dealing with anti-virus and network problems. I'd trade much of the wide range of hardware and software choice that makes the PC the best choice for you. Ironically though, my PC/Mac decision isn't as clean as I hoped it would be and the lack of worthy alternatives for Xara and PagePlus are part of the reason.

From my non-technical viewpoint, it seems to me that the Mac is becoming an awesome creative publishing machine for individuals, while Windows Vista, by necessity, serves many masters.

All the best!

[Soquili]

Just a word of caution about viruses and the Mac platform. With the lower cost of the newer Mac computers the viruses available for them have begun to increase.

The former lack of viruses for the Mac wasn't due to them being more secure. There weren't enough of them out there to make the virus writers interested, until recently.

[FH Addict]

With the lower cost of the newer Mac computers the viruses available for them have begun to increase.

Viruses have nothing to do with low cost, just with the Operating System.
Could you please tell us more about"viruses available for them have begun to increase" ??
I have never seen or heard about dangerous viruses on Mac, except if you know my Administrator password. This is Unix world.

[hillsy]

I'm a long time Windows user but would genuinely like to hear why dedicated Mac users feel this way.... I haven't had the opportunity to use a Mac in recent incarnations (or ever really), and Vista seems to be moving in the same direction from a GUI point of view.

The assertion that OS X is "more stable" than Windows is subjective and generalised to the point that it's not useful information. But you'll always get people who say it.

I currently use Windows but my next machine will probably be a Mac. I really, really hope Xara is out for the Mac by then

Why? It's not to do with the GUI or the hardware. Well, the GUI maybe just a little - I do like the interface convention of having one app-context-sensitive toolbar at the top of the screen. But mainly it's because OS X is Unix-based. I do a lot of web development for Unix systems, and for various technical reasons it's helpful to have access to the same tools and conventions on your development platform.

I could use Linux, and I could even get Xara for it But I'd be forced to use GIMP for bitmaps, wouldn't be able to buy songs from iTunes any more, etc etc. The Mac's a nice compromise between a consumer-level desktop OS and a really powerful Unix development system.

Oops. Got off topic. Xara for the Mac - I'd buy it, definitely.

[Soquili]

FH Addict,

The lower cost means more people will purchase them, meaning more crackers will want to write viruses for them.

CNN Quote:
Oliver Friedrichs, director of security response at Symantec, a leading anti-virus software vendor, said 72 vulnerabilities were discovered in the Mac's OS X operating system in 2006, up from 19 in 2004.

Symantec identified six threats of malicious code written for the Mac OS X operating system in the first half of 2006, versus zero in the second half of 2005 and two the year before that.

One reason Apple has so far been shielded from nasty code is because its market share is relatively small.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/1...rus/index.html
http://www.smallblue-greenworld.co.u...macintosh.html
http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/ne...acosxleap.html

Viruses for the Mac are not new. Unix is not inherently secure from viruses either.

FYI: I have worked with Unix systems since they were invented at Bell Labs and made available to the US Government.