Wish List for V12

[angelize]

I like the way that Corel Draw has implemented the OTF glyph management I would absolutely love to see Xara do something along these lines. The interactive method would be very useful, but like you I'd like to see both methods in Xara.

Otherr DTP features I'd love to see are a booklet creation feature that would give you the ability to automatically layout your pages in folios (printing order) with cover pages, and more attention paid to the columns feature, adding the ability to set column width, gap width and number of columns individually, and settings for how the columns flow for example if you are layout a booklet in folios a article that starts on page 3 and flows to page 4 might have to jump from one folio set to another and from a right hand page to a left hand page. and table of contents features would also be a good DTP feature.

[gwpriester]

MUST HAVE: Please add an APPLY button to all the FX filters that don't have this. Is is maddening in the extreme to have to wait for an action to be applied one, two, three and more times each time you move the slider. Let the user make all the changes at one time, then Apply the changes in one fell swoop.

[gwpriester]

Numerical text entry box for animation effects. The slider is not accurate. A numerical dialog would give the user much better control.

[gwpriester]

Please see if there is some way on a super site to speed up the load time. As much as I love the idea of a scrollable super site, if it takes 3-10 seconds for the home page to load, no visitor is going to hang around that long for the page to load. There must be some way to prioritize the loading to load just the home page objects, then load the rest of the site in the background.

[willdean]

Relatively simple one: arrowheads which end at the end of the line.

This would also help the earlier post about rotating an arrowed line and not knowing where the end is going to be, and also with the people who want dimensions: if arrowheads worked sensibly, then you could draw a group with an arrowed line and two leaders, and then clone it/stretch it wherever you needed.)

As it is, you've got to be very tentative about any changes to drawings with arrows in, because you can find they're suddenly all wrong.

[Gare]

Wishlists usually end up containing every possible feature that the program doesn't yet have. Not really surprising when you think about it...

What would be more useful to us (Xara) is a weighted list so that we know which features would satisfy the most people.

If the community could organise that somehow within the next month it would help in deciding what will be in V12.

Obviously we can't make any promises about which features will be in the next release because there are complex strategic resourcing and marketing pressures involved as well.

Phil

If people posting would seriously consider what is pie-in-the-sky dreaming, and what new feature would help more than one individual, you'd have some cap on quality requests, Phil.

I don't think it's going to happen, though.

-g

[Gare]

I’d like to suggest for version 12 what will probably be the least-appreciated posted here for enhancements/improvements.

Refactor the code.

I haven’t figured out how to remain economically stable and provide salaries while this takes place; certainly, no Xara customer is going to buy version 12 simply because the code’s been de-cruftified.

On the other hand, I’ve been told more than once that a lot of requests for future versions couldn’t be provided because 1.) there’s something too deeply written in the code decades ago that won’t allow it, 2.) most sane people at The Xara Group are unwilling to dig for fear they’ll break the code.

Legacy code is just going to pile up and pile up, right? Sometimes, the way to move forward is to halt for a moment and check to see if you’ve got plans for the next step.

The mask feature is executed weird(ly), there still is no way to build your own vector stroke shape, there has got to me a ton of things not only users but programmers would like to do with the program but can’t because it’s a World Class maze.

I realize that Adobe could do it with Illustrator in 1997 because they had other cash cows to allow them the time to revamp Illustrator, while Xara has basically one engine that drives all the programs.

I know now there’s another Dirty Little Secret Adobe has for going subscription-based and it’s not to provide a revenue stream: it’s to keep the code clean and solid. They release new CC versions when they feel like it, unrushed, and the product—for those who care to join such a noisome, user unfriendly subscription scheme—is a success.

Is there some financial way The Xara Group could shoulder the burden of a cleaned-up rev instead of adding new features to a rev to further clutter up the code?

Breaking my own suggestion by pie-in-the-sky dreaming,

Gary

[joyofduck]

+1 for glyph support - ideally I need to set the glyphs for an entire document.

Also, book and pamphlet generation for double page spreads - i.e. sorting all the pages ready for printing.

I produce specialist children's reading books and still need to use InDesign for the above reasons.
I would give my eye-teeth for a modern version of Impression!

[joyofduck]

Hi Gary. IRL I run large software projects and frequently have to put the case for refactoring legacy code bases. Here are a few business drivers I have had to use recently:

1) Going cross-platform - need to compile for different OS's
2) Move to a modern programming language to increase developer momentum and reduce recruitment overheads (C# is looking very healthy right now)
3) Improve product stability
4) Open core engine to third party plugin / product developers
5) Need to add features faster (which you already cover)
6) Reduce dependency on core developers (bring in new blood / ideas)
7) Performance improvement

I always start with a business case and manage about a 50% success rate.

[joyofduck]

+ 1

Relatively simple one: arrowheads which end at the end of the line.