Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Hi All,
I am somewhat new to Xara. I decided to transition to it a few years ago, as a disgruntled Adobe CC Web Design suite owner faced with the realization that through the way Adobe structured its subscription-only model, Adobe was effectively doubling my yearly maintenance costs for the CC suite and yet telling me that the subscription model was saving me money.
I have been transitioning to xara slowly because I still need to get work done and I never really had the time to just dive into xara and figure it out. But the last several months, I've been playing in it long enough that I am at a jumping off point, and spend more time in xara now than adobe cc.
Anyway, this past week, I've had a chance to watch Xara Xhris' excellent tutorials on youtube. I must say, given that I've already come to enjoy working in xara, by watching Xara Xhris' tutorials and learning some of the philosophy behind how xara is organized and intended to be used, and based upon that philosophy, what it can do, i cannot help but think that xara is a brilliant piece of software. I have been using photoshop and powerpoint since around 2000, illustrator since about 2010, and had previously used sitegrinder for websites. The way that xara works is so efficient and well-integrated and allows doing more with less.
On the one hand, I am incredibly enthused about using it. On the other hand, I have read all of the concerns expressed in this forum recently and I do wonder if I am coming to xara a bit late, when it is on the decline. For now, I am trusting that it will have a bright future.
But I would also like to say, to keep a positive view of things, that it is still a competitive piece of software. Someone said in another thread that 10 years ago it was way ahead of the competition. Now, it is not really ahead of the competition. That may be true. But it does not mean that it is behind, either. Or, if it is a little behind in some capabilities, it is still a bit ahead in other capabilities. So I think that it may not be the clear and unquestionable hidden gem that it once was, but there is still a lot of value in it and it has a very solid base and could regain a competitive edge. For the time being, I will remain optimistic that it will.
- Joe
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
XDP is brilliant and the fastest vector application I have used.
Most all of the longer-time members grousing about this and that (I am very guilty) is due to our passionate love for the software. Like any relationship that begins to feel one-sided, often things are written/said that are on the unkind side (again, I am guilty). I simply want XDP to grow even better than it is.
I don't (and wouldn't want to) use XDP for web-work. But I think we all want the same thing--for continued growth both in capabilities and usage.
Mike
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
My thinking on this matter is Xara has shot itself in the foot in a very serious way with the introduction of the 365 update path.
Prior to this, the program/programs (and there are far to many) were updated annually (I can also remember a time that there wasn't an update for over two years). Users could download a month long trial, test the new features and decide whether to upgrade or not. Simples.
With the advent of the 365 'subscription' method this train goes off the track. Previously it had been 'Like the new features' / 'Buy the new features'. Your choice.
Now it's become 'Pay & Promise of new features' / 'Use for a year and without a new subscription loose new features'.
The forums are full of complaints of this new 'subscription' method. It's even swamping genuine discussion on the way forward. I'd go as far as to say it's poisoning our TalkGraphics forum.
I don't know how much influence Charles & Kate have on the Xara road map but this current situation, unless resolved, will kill Xara. The TG forums have become exclusively dominated by members stating they are abandoning Xara due to this disastrous upgrade path.
Is there anyone in Xara / Magix listening? Are you there Charles/Kate? Care to comment on this hated 'subscription' method?
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Egg Bramhill
Is there anyone in Xara / Magix listening? Are you there Charles/Kate? Care to comment on this hated 'subscription' method?
And on this ridiculous price increase of 33% for this year's (first ever!) renewal of XPD's Update Service even though last year you promised that a similar fee as last year's would be charged?
XDP is great and I love the fact that all features are contained in one piece of software but I find how Xara communicates with its user base deplorable. Many TGers are unhappy with how the company deals with its customers but the repeated calls for open, regular interaction go unheeded. When we do get to hear something from management it's mostly repetitive and defensive. This reinforces the feeling of not being taken seriously, or even being played, which is expressed in waves of frustration here on TG. In my view it's really a management issue that is not being addressed.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
I don't think that the Xara program is in decline per se. It has stagnated and is now providing new shiny content that nobody really wants (viz; the online stuff that no one - at least those who use Xara for the vector part of the program - is particularly interested in). This probably means that a lot of the long-time users are disappointed with the direction the company is heading.I still love Xara but I see no point in upgrading when nothing in the new features excites my interest and for me this has been the case for more than a few years. I have stated before that Xara Xtreme 5 was probably the last version that filled me with any excitement and is the version I still have installed. It is faster than the recent iterations, it has a light interface and is missing nothing that I cannot live without. Many of its features haven't been updated since their inception anyway so there is very little (if anything) that I could say that I miss. What I certainly don't miss is the program taking forever to load and the constant stream of unwanted updates.Perhaps one day Xara will see that it has been neglecting its core product - its raison d'etre - and introduce new content that is of interest to those who fell in love with the program back in the day.A forlorn hope, I suspect.Bob.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
To me the 365 subscription method is just an irritation I can live with. But the price increase is another matter. There will have to be something really significant for me to afford that. We shall see.
As a long-term user I tend to have created my own content, cannibalising it if I need something new, rather than downloading from the Xara galleries.
As for Adobe, I find their abandonment of CS, now no longer supported, a great incentive to remain with Xara.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Egg Bramhill
I'd go as far as to say it's poisoning our TalkGraphics forum.
Very true.
Xara Designer Pro is a brilliant software as it is in one. But the 365 model? Having no idea for what I extended for, probably supporting the company to develop the online designer.. :D Where again having no idea when would use that ever. Maybe if someone has a web page, then can change something from the workplace, no need to go home to the personal computer?
For me the conclusion is clear, the Xara Designer Pro is so good that the developers have no real dare to change in depth anymore. Presumably technically it is a complex task with the risk mixing of the code behind, plus the developer team probably is also a small one. Plus the management is just hopeless, jumping as Magix orders
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
I look at this the other way around. When I first upgraded to 365 or V12, it was because of the features that were offered at that time. I had V11 and V12 had improvements (ok, everything is relative - I wanted the Magix Video Pro X/Movie Edit Pro - Xara interface fixed and it was) that I was looking for, so I bought it. It was nice to also receive improvements as they came along, knowing full well that I hadn't paid for them yet and that if I wanted to keep them permanently, I would eventually have to pay. I looked at the option of paying before vs paying after the renewal date and decided that the interim updates were more or less sufficient to merit renewal. Having a web domain from Xara included also helped make this decision. This is the same process as happened before - if you like the improvements, upgrade, if not, wait a year. And, I will go through the same process in a year.
For those who did not jump into V12 and are still at V11, please don't complain that the features that came out in the last year are not worth upgrading to the current version without also looking at the initial new features between V11 and V12 when V12 first came out. You are now 2 years or 2 versions later, not one, and future unknown upgrades don't count. The decision to upgrade or renew should always be based on the current status, not what might come out in the future.
Maybe Magix/Xara should have simply said that you are getting the current version (and all updates/upgrades) to the date of payment, and we are giving you a free trial of future upgrades over the next year, yours to keep if you don't have to reinstall, yours to keep permanently if you upgrade (renew) in a year. After all, no one seems to complain when a trial version runs out.
Finally, I have to agree that the renewal/upgrade price is steep. This is annoying with all software as it seems that the renewal is never worth the price of the new features. And worst of all, new users can jump in by paying marginally more than the upgrade price. Definitely not fair.........oops, that's how they got me.
John
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
You have it exactly right John.
365 is not poisoning this forum, it is the negativity and repetition of some of the complaints about it that is.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tonylondon
You have it exactly right John.
365 is not poisoning this forum, it is the negativity and repetition of some of the complaints about it that is.
This is a great segue and opportunity to redirect this discussion to the other part of this thread and focus on the positive. Have you watched Xara Xhris' tutorials? They are terrific. It helps that he goes beyond merely demonstrating the tool and showing its usage. He also goes into why it works the way it does, which is very useful for understanding how to 'think through xara'.
i hope that he continues to make training and that it gets promoted.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jmanganelli
This is a great segue and opportunity to redirect this discussion to the other part of this thread and focus on the positive. Have you watched Xara Xhris' tutorials? They are terrific. It helps that he goes beyond merely demonstrating the tool and showing its usage. He also goes into why it works the way it does, which is very useful for understanding how to 'think through xara'.
i hope that he continues to make training and that it gets promoted.
Hi Joe,
Yes, I have watched several of Xara Xhris' tutorials, particularly the ones about web design, and they are excellent! I've been meaning to watch the others. Thanks for the reminder.
Another great source of tutorials mostly done by members is on XaraXone. Take a look.
John
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jmanganelli
This is a great segue and opportunity to redirect this discussion to the other part of this thread and focus on the positive. Have you watched Xara Xhris' tutorials? They are terrific. It helps that he goes beyond merely demonstrating the tool and showing its usage. He also goes into why it works the way it does, which is very useful for understanding how to 'think through xara'.
i hope that he continues to make training and that it gets promoted.
It is a while since I visited Xhris's work. I was very impressed when I did. Sounds like I need to revisit.
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
browj2
Maybe Magix/Xara should have simply said that you are getting the current version (and all updates/upgrades) to the date of payment, and we are giving you a free trial of future upgrades over the next year, yours to keep if you don't have to reinstall, yours to keep permanently if you upgrade (renew) in a year. After all, no one seems to complain when a trial version runs out.
I hear what you say, but the question then is, can you free trial subsequently if you haven't renewed your licence? - see here: https://www.talkgraphics.com/showthr...ce-has-expired
personally I think this is just another way of 'locking in' the user....
Re: Xara Xhris' Great Videos --- Xara Love
Quote:
Originally Posted by
handrawn
Yup, you got me with that one. This applies to all of the Magix 365 programs as well. Interesting problem.
John
