Wow... I popped in to see what people were doing with Xtreme 5 (and saying about it) and I was really surprised to see this post at the top of the threads.

I just want to say I'm really enthusiastic about version 5. It has a ton of stuff that I've been looking for, and it's a "no-brainer" upgrade. I can't tell you how many people I've gotten to spend the $89 to get Xtreme, and they love it.

If any of you remember me, I used to complain a bit about Xtreme relative to Illustrator... I've used Illustrator since the very first version in 1987. But I found I got accustomed to Xtreme and find myself much more productive with it than Illustrator, despite my 15-year head start.

One of the reasons I haven't visited TalkGraphics so much is that I'm not having the problems I used to have with the software. I've adapted to it, and it has adapted to me. I don't know how I could get along without "combine shapes." And the speed, oh the speed.

My day-to-day work tends to be designing business-related materials, which really end up being web pages or promotional emails. So the enhancements in V5 mean a lot to me, including the different page sizes, ability to link/repeat objects across pages, HTML code placeholders, etc.

For these purposes, Xara is simply unmatched, and I can out-produce just about any Illustrator user out there, no question. I also find it perfect for user interface production, which is why I was scratching my head over the claim the OP made with his UI mockup not being practical with Xara. If there was something in that design that Xara was unsuitable for, I didn't see it.

It's a huge relief to be able to import Illustrator files more reliably; I tried a few that had given me problems and I was very happy with the results. The new object gallery is a huge improvement. Soft groups spanning layers, the ability to lock individual objects, linking graphic elements with to points in text, spell checking, text syncing, different layers on different pages... these are all absolutely welcomed. I love the new ability to just drag the edge of a page down in V5.

I still have my little grievances with Xara, but I have a lot more with Illustrator at this point. (My main one is they got me to purchase Web Designer a while ago when it turned out I didn't need it, with all the new features in Xtreme! My second one is no Mac version.)

I do agree that Xara is not necesarilly moving in a direction that will please professional illustrators, people who do "fine art." But I think Illustrator is just as inappropriate for that because it's anything but fluid and uncluttered. I forget whether it's left-brained or right brained, but whichever side my artistic side lives in, Illustrator is definitely on the other side and has been for a few years now. In my opinion the only really excellent vector program for that was Expression 3, and Microsoft really screwed that software up when they bought it. (Still keep E3 on my drive for when I'm in a creative mood, and thank goodness the free download is still available for those who seek it.)

And I agree Xara is not precise enough at times. I still miss the node editing tools. Nothing beats Adobe in that regard, though their brand of precision comes as a price of complexity and tedium.

Nevertheless, the direction Xtreme moved in with V5 has made me very happy and will increase my productivity andf simplify my workflow considerably. I find it to be one of the best values in commercial software. Bravo, Xara... keep up the good work.