Feedback sought!

[Shaman]

Hi man

By far, the best vectorial program is Corel Draw(I hope Xara will beat this beast soon).
No Joke.

I'm on DTP industry for more than 10 years. As designer not as a typist. I worked with almost all vectorial / raster apps - for all kind of projects.

Corel Draw - keep the most manageable workflow. UI is customizable.
Vector tools are strong. Print Preview are strong. Spot colors. Lens effects. PDF export. Scripting suport. Linked text frames. U can do all very quick - on large files - because ...speed is better than AI.

Most peoples don't know that - because they don't like to search or to explore.
Most of them tould me AI is a standard on industry - but they don't know to tell me why - they all hear that and they all believe (whatta ...hmm ..easy manageable society).

But the best featured, comprehensive product is Xara. Feather on vectors (kill bill feature), perfect bevel tools - means ART.

Corel is perfect for DTP, Technical Illustrations, etc.
Xara is for Artists.

( ah .. I forget to tell you - I work a lot on Illustrator ( ..where was the only way ) but I never find something "so special" keep me with.. .

Hi Sorin:
Let me know if I'm making an incorrect assumption about you name.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'd like to at least try the demo for Corel Draw, in the near future. Sounds very good.
Have you noticed the Xaraxone Featured Artist Simone Pampado?
Among many others on the site, he does some great work. I think he was a featured artist several years back. At least at the time, he commented that he had gone from using Corel Draw to sole use of Xara. Found it reassuring that someone could do that level of work and not even mention the Adobe products.
I agree with you on the Xara XL features; feathering is so much easier and immediate and so much more useful than I previously thought that it was, bevelling and contouring, also, and it seems there are more exact, easier choices than in Photoshops' blend options.
Scott

[jedfrechette]

Last I read, the full code hadn't been released. Still one part to go. What happens if the company that authorizes the code released as open source is bought out, products and all? Can the company that buys (call 'em Adobe, just for fun) pull that code back in, legally?

The bits that have been released so far have been released under the GPL so my understanding is that they can not be legally withdrawn. Once the rest of the code is released under the GPL it will remain legally available to the public regardless of what happens to Xara the company.

According to the GPL FAQ:

Can the developer of a program who distributed it under the GPL later license it to another party for exclusive use?

No, because the public already has the right to use the program under the GPL, and this right cannot be withdrawn.

[Shaman]

The bits that have been released so far have been released under the GPL so my understanding is that they can not be legally withdrawn. Once the rest of the code is released under the GPL it will remain legally available to the public regardless of what happens to Xara the company.

According to the GPL FAQ:

Thanks Jed:
Very good to know! Thought things had probably been set up that way, wasn't 100% sure. Prevents a company, or any who buys them out, from changing their minds.
It occurred to me last night that Open Source software keeps companies like Microsoft and Adobe from becoming too complacent and arrogant. Otherwise if the biggies bought out smaller, less popular companies, they could end up completely dominating the market with their software and pricing structures. The large companies can attempt to trash-talk, scare and downplay the competition that Open Source software gives 'em, but ultimately, they can't beat it, just try to hold on to a piece of the market.
Comforting thought that!
Scott