How do you feel about the 365 Program?

[handrawn]

Maybe it would be better to actually look at this as a subscription instead of an early access thing

I've argued earlier on that this is exactly what it is; with regard to the online catalogue at least which, rightly or wrongly because I don't actually use it, I look on as a cloud service... and if you stop subscribing to a cloud service you loose [the] benefit

I think Xara should be upfront about this and admit that they are locking in users on that side of the program, or at the very least creating a situation that makes the risk of that too high to be acceptable for many

Personally I never see me using the online catalog, easy enough because I don't do web design; what this means though is if that is where the upgrading remains concentrated then what is there in it for me.. ? I'm prepared to wait and see for now, but it has got to the stage where paying for a xara upgrade is no longer even in my ongoing budget for the coming year...

[wizard509]

I think Xara should be upfront about this and admit that they are locking in users on that side of the program, or at the very least creating a situation that makes the risk of that too high to be acceptable for many

Personally I never see me using the online catalog, easy enough because I don't do web design; what this means though is if that is where the upgrading remains concentrated then what is there in it for me.. ? I'm prepared to wait and see for now, but it has got to the stage where paying for a xara upgrade is no longer even in my ongoing budget for the coming year...

Well said

[RodneyLee]

Not really impressed, lots of things don't work for me like some widgets, crashes when I click right on images with drop shadows, not having clipart, slideshows etc, on my computer... online catalog is a waste of time, I may see if I can downgrade...

[browj2]

Hi Rodney,

Did you not receive a DVD when you purchased the program? I did and I don't recall asking for it separately, it just came in the mail. If you have the DVD, then install the content and you will have probably 90% of what is on-line. The rest you can download to the local gallery. Or, as I did on my laptop (no DVD reader), I downloaded everything in bulk.

[Iggy]

Damn this is not making me feel good. The reason I switched to Xara is because Adobe CC is a downright rip off. I like the all in one aspect of DPX with the exception of no code editor. (I would really appreciate a code editor) Adobe CC nickle and dimes you (more like 10 and 20 dollar bills you) for everything. I don't mind a yearly fee at a decent price but Xara's gotta add something to the pot. Mind you, I don't need an update every month of useless crap either. Efficiency is the key. Fixing bugs on the regular would be great and an upgrade every 3 to 6 months would suffice. Xara/Magix please don't follow in footsteps of Native Instruments but Serato would be a better model to follow.

[jpdp]

Well, I certainly like the software, but it could be so much better, with just some more open communication.
I am still running X11, as I haven't felt comfortable about upgrading. Normally, I upgrade every year, but decided it wasn't worth it this time.
So I went out looking at alternatives - nothing is as good FTW - Xara is still the best all round vector and photo editor, which can also build websites.

The pricing is a bit like a subscription model, but you have to pay all up front.
I wouldn't mind if it was a subscription model at a fair price. Especially if it would allow me to install on more devices. With Office 365, I can install on up to 5 devices.
I use many different devices [work pc, work laptop which is connected to a big screen tv, work surface pro - for customer presentations, home yoga notebook for casual use and home 17" gaming laptop] and it would be handy to have Xara on all of them; even if I have to logon to a server to ensure that it's me using the software.

I really hope they keep enhancing the product, as it's starting to fall behind a bit in the UX compared to apps like Sketch and Affinity

[browj2]

I wouldn't mind if it was a subscription model at a fair price. Especially if it would allow me to install on more devices. With Office 365, I can install on up to 5 devices.
I use many different devices .....

MS Office 365 has single computer and 5 computer licenses. You take the appropriate one. The subscription is a lot less than buying outright, but when the subscription runs out, you pay or you have nothing.

Xara allows you to install and have activated up to two computers at the same time. You can install on more, but you simply deactivate one and activate another when needed.

As for pricing, you are normally paying the upgrade price for Xara, not the full price. When renewal comes around, if you don't pay you still have the program working and all of the features that were available at the time of last payment. Big difference from the MS Office subscription.

[handrawn]

and all of the features that were available at the time of last payment

so those of us who have pointed out, on several occasions that this is not so, are just plain wrong then?

[browj2]

so those of us who have pointed out, on several occasions that this is not so, are just plain wrong then?

I presume that you mean the on-line content? I received a DVD with the program and the content. For additional and new content, if you download it, it's yours to keep, so long as you make a backup in case of a crash.

Is there anything else?

[mwenz]

I presume that you mean the on-line content? I received a DVD with the program and the content. For additional and new content, if you download it, it's yours to keep, so long as you make a backup in case of a crash.

Is there anything else?

What happens if you need to reinstall for any reason if one doesn't renew? What about the updated capabilities and possibly bug fixes? As of yet, Kate indicated at one point they haven't really worked out the bug fixes part of the updates.