My very humble two cents. For almost thirty years I have been a big advocate of keeping all programs separate: my bitmaps or vectors in this, my publishing in that, my web design in the other. I have avoided programs where all this was integrated. Or avoided features as they were introduced. Then came Xara Designer Pro 7. Good grief. I think it is an amazing program. I have completely changed my point of view, and, like most geeks, I hardly ever do that! This program has wrested me from my beloved Photoimpact (another gem, now dated, and cruelly left to rot at Corel). It's wrested me from Fireworks, which I have used professionally for many years. And it's even taken me from Netobjects Fusion, which I have used and loved forever. After about two days of using Xara, I simply found I wasn't going to my other programs: no point. Whatever Xara Designer Pro can't do yet, I just work around. It's worth it.

All of the programs I used in the past did other things too. But I never used the graphics capability of Netobjects Fusion. I never used the web design capability of Photoimpact or Fireworks. They felt cobbled on, and I felt gave lacklustre results sometimes. I always felt the secondary part of these programs was bolted on as an afterthought. But all of Xara's tools seem made for their primary purpose, even though, obviously, they must have been bolted on. I bought Web Designer Premium 7, but don't use it now because I find I prefer the tools in Designer Pro 7. It seems to make the whole thing work, easily and very elegantly. I love it.

So I beg: please don't petition to get everything separated out. I think it would dilute Xara's programming efforts too much. And it would remove some of the extraordinary functionality that I currently enjoy. Having read this month's rave reviews of the product in PC Pro, and Computer Shopper, both in the UK, the critics share my delight at this feature-packed product. It is not often that a program is so well thought-out that it completely trounces Adobe's Creative Suite, which is what just happened in our press. I think Xara is very modest not to have that writ in 200 px type on their home page. Animated.

In addition, some of Xara's web design tools are the only new thing I have seen on the web in years. I think Xara has set the innovation bar very high, and almost every other competitor will be in awe for some time to come.

I do agree with Gary. In the same way that when people complain about a TV program they don't like, I say "change channels". I say about this, if you don't want to use a part of the Xara program, then just don't click there. I do understand how you feel, I promise, but I think what is happening at the moment in Xara's design is the best of all worlds. Lucky us.

Peace to all.

Ali