OPEN LETTER TO MATT BOLTON

I've just been catching up on the changes at Xara, and frankly, it doesn't look promising for the future. Matt's letter talks about a passionate user base, which is true, but at the same time Xara's focus is now clearly on the cloud--and not their traditional market or current user base--but to one they hope will be stronger.

Unfortunately, I've seen too many tech companies make this kind of pivot to a market they assume is bigger and more lucrative than the one they have. Creating a spinoff to do this is a good way to test the market, but redirecting the entire established brand of the company is not.

There are already other solutions like this online with established user bases, such as lucidpress, scribus, flipbuilder, fatpaint... Then there are the established and popular online web builders, such as wix, weeby and squarespace, all of which have huge user based and large marketing budgets.

Not to mention the online content tools from the giants: Google/G-Suite, Microsoft Office Online are the mass-market corporate online solutions, and the Xara site doesn't present any compelling reason for corporations to choose Xara's new offering over those established brands. In the past, focusing on "The Enterprise" has been a way to think you're getting a huge market, but, reaching that market means going through giants you simply can't compete with.

If Xara wants to go to the cloud, they should work on offer an online subscription for Xara Designer on cloud-based servers that can be accessed on almost any platform: at the very least Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS. One of the reasons I stick with windows is to use Xara, but if I could run it off the cloud on a ChromeOS computer or tablet, I'd be happy to do that!

Xara could "make it easy" using the graphics engine they already have and create a simplified, touch-friendly interface. Then they'd be among the very first in this new market of online yet powerful graphics editors. They'd be cross-platform, cross-device, and instantly increase their reach and market.

Matt, if you, or anyone else in management are reading this, feel free to contact me directly. I've not only been a very long time passionate user and public advocate of Xara, I've worked with Microsoft, Corel, WordPerfect, Bitstream, and even in their day, NetObjects, Xerox and Ventura. I've seen how these companies were misguided and lost. I don't want to see that happen with Xara which has, unquestionably, one of the very best graphics programs on the planet.

Still not a single one give by Xara?

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Originally Posted by Wolfgang

Still not a single one give by Xara?

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wolfgang, give Xara and Matt time.

Acorn :(

Crickets. :rolleyes:

And I should point out that Daniel Hill-Harris was one of the earliest authorities on graphics software and was writing books, articles, and product reviews well before many were even using computers. I think the points Daniel makes are right on the money and I totally agree.

In marketing we used to call this, A bird in the hand. Or A rare glimpse into the obvious.

whoa this is last year"s thread and still no reply from xara - that's time enough surely...

what does this thread say about how much they care ?

More than they can say.

Ugh!

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Originally Posted by Acorn

wolfgang, give Xara and Matt time.

Acorn :(

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Chuckles !!

Attachment 124876

The point has been made, and made clearly. This is an important thread, so let's keep the posts cogent and civil.

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Originally Posted by amoore

The point has been made, and made clearly. This is an important thread, so let's keep the posts cogent and civil.

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Sadly, the point has been made to the wind.

Acorn

I haven't been registered for a very long time but I've been through a lot of the forum and this reading has been very instructive for me: my essay with Xara will remain an essay, like the one I had already done in the very early 2000s.
Magix seems more interested in selling its products by offering bonuses that are not used to improve Xara.
Moreover, the forum gives the impression of being the preserve of a few people who rule it and sometimes have a perfectly unpleasant and sufficient behaviour towards other members, it is the first time I have seen it so much on a forum. I myself am a moderator on a forum and I have difficulty understanding these behaviours, certainly due to the long standing of these people and who feel all-powerful.
I understand that Xara users who have been Xara users for twenty or thirty years are reluctant to leave this software for another because they know it perfectly well, but I think that new users, such as myself, will have less difficulty doing so and returning to their old software or even trying another one. Magix may have some concerns if they continue their stupid policies and don't listen to their customers.
Anyway, my adventure with Xara is over and I am also leaving the forum.
However, I wish you all the best, with or without Xara.

Hi Lorrain

We are sorry to see you go. And I really appreciate your comment here. It is very important for Magix to hear stories such as yours and I can only hope they see this, read this, and take it to heart.

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

We are sorry to see you go. And I really appreciate your comment here. It is very important for Magix to hear stories such as yours and I can only hope they see this, read this, and take it to heart.

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Well, Lorrain also has some gripes with some members. I don't quite understand who is being referred to but I do agree that the mood on the forums is not always happy. In my view this has to do with Xara/Magix being mostly unresponsive and, indeed, remaining members 'moping' and still hoping for a miracle resurrection, having difficulty letting go of their favorite software. ;)

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Originally Posted by Lorrain

Moreover, the forum gives the impression of being the preserve of a few people who rule it and sometimes have a perfectly unpleasant and sufficient behaviour towards other members, it is the first time I have seen it so much on a forum. I myself am a moderator on a forum and I have difficulty understanding these behaviours, certainly due to the long standing of these people and who feel all-powerful.

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there is a lot of passion on this forum from members at times

you have to remember that this is a help forum and members give their time for free and the attitude of the company often comes across as if they take this for granted - it is a very unaware, dedicated [or maybe just perverse] member who completely ignores this

affinity [for example] publish a roadmap and keep everyone informed - xara seem to prefer non-committal hype

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Originally Posted by Lorrain

However, I wish you all the best, with or without Xara

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all the best to you too ;)

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Originally Posted by Lorrain

Moreover, the forum gives the impression of being the preserve of a few people who rule it and sometimes have a perfectly unpleasant and sufficient behaviour towards other members, it is the first time I have seen it so much on a forum. I myself am a moderator on a forum and I have difficulty understanding these behaviours, certainly due to the long standing of these people and who feel all-powerful.

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I suggest that TGers who appear regularly on TG are strong supporters of the Xara Desktop applications and who are made impotent, not all-powerful, by the failure of MagiXara to engage constructively. Those who are disrespectful of Posters are quickly censured by a vigilant corpus of volunteer moderators; a task for which I have great respect.

If there are a "few people" who contribute then the fault is not with them but with MagiXara who are succeeding in driving off the old Customer base in search of a larger but transient market share. Do the developers and designers of the product whose forum you moderate engage?

Acorn

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Originally Posted by handrawn

...affinity [for example] publish a roadmap ...

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Serif has removed the roadmaps.

they deleted the thread:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/ind...comment-485257

the link makes somewhat interesting reading, you [might] get the impression that the grass is nowhere near greener on that other side :D

and not everyone approves of affinity spotlight, but then 'tis par for the course...

@Steve,

But then again, Serif does engage with its users.
So sad what xara became.

@Lorrain,

Thanks for your candid remarks.

two bits of history for you Hans from 2012 and 2017

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01...n_anniversary/

https://www.hostingadvice.com/blog/x...than-35-years/

I am going to be careful and not say that I don't think xara cares that much about the forum beyond the free help it garners, but the company's focus is surely elsewhere if the second of those two links means what it says [which I'm sure it does although it's still marketing hype at heart ;)]

Let's just try to criticize in a civil way.

In the first link Charles Moir mentions being villified when switching from Acorn to Microsoft Windows in 1992

In a way that is what has and is happening here, now, as they switch focus to Interactive/Cloud

;)

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Originally Posted by handrawn

they deleted the thread: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/ind...comment-485257
the link makes somewhat interesting reading, you [might] get the impression that the grass is nowhere near greener on that other side :D
and not everyone approves of affinity spotlight, but then 'tis par for the course...

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Finished! It was a long read. Lucky Xara doesn't have such dedicated bemoaners. At least we, who moan here, are more concise.

Acorn