How do you feel about the 365 Program?

**samrc** · 08 February 2017, 01:03 AM

I have both Pro and Web Designer versions 11 & 10. Pro was updated each year, Web every other year (only to assist someone else that had the lesser version). (One machine had version 11 on it but that laptop died so I am back to 10 on an old machine for a while)
Xara has been a wonderful company to deal with, putting out superior products with lovely features, speed, depth, ease of use. Upgrading for me was always in my budget, a no-brainer.

When the 365 came out, I was VERY leery of it. I don't like getting tools, get to play with new content then have it rolled back...

I prefer to be able to choose WHEN I upgrade. Sometimes money is a big factor and is not available in exactly 12 months from last purchase. I might be at 14 months for upgrade. I know that each of my upgrades over the years has been stable (add feature x, y & z). They had no expiration on the use of those features. If I had to wait a couple months to gather the $180 (or more) to upgrade, I did not fear that features I was actively using would go dormant. I like it that way!

I have not chosen to go to up to 365. Xara took someone that paid for two programs on a regular basis and cooled my interest. Telling me to UPGRADE before x date or you lose access to x features/content is a threat and unappreciated. Please just don't give them too me if I can't keep them. So in the end, Xara lost out on money from me (and maybe others) because of the forced 12 month features/options limitations.

**browj2** · 08 February 2017, 04:01 AM

Again, you don't lose the new features that came out in the year after you bought in......unless you have to re-install. So maybe the thing to consider is the re-installation problem; should it not arise for a couple of years after expiry of Xara, no problem; but should it arise, then you would be best to renew - at that time.

One other problem with this scheme is that there is no distinction between an update and an upgrade; everything is lumped together but should not be. We deserve to have the bugs fixed and patches should always be available, renewal or not. If I have to re-install after expiry, how am I to get the patches to fix the things that were messed up at the time of purchase? Xara and Magix should at least separate the 2 things, IMHO.

John

**handrawn** · 08 February 2017, 07:34 AM

back in the day as I recall, we could install the program on as many different computers as we wanted, as long as we were not using it on more than one at once...

now we are limited to two - we can deactivate and reactivate on another.. but does this count as a reinstall... I rather think it does, and so in this case will we not lose features if we do not renew the licence? - quite apart from what acorn was saying on the web side...

and I agree with samrc's point about what benefits xara's cashflow may hinder that of some users...

in a perverse sort of way it almost makes me glad there have not been any new features that I could not do without

**Acorn** · 08 February 2017, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by browj2

Again, you don't lose the new features that came out in the year after you bought in......unless you have to re-install. So maybe the thing to consider is the re-installation problem; should it not arise for a couple of years after expiry of Xara, no problem; but should it arise, then you would be best to renew - at that time.

One other problem with this scheme is that there is no distinction between an update and an upgrade; everything is lumped together but should not be. We deserve to have the bugs fixed and patches should always be available, renewal or not. If I have to re-install after expiry, how am I to get the patches to fix the things that were messed up at the time of purchase? Xara and Magix should at least separate the 2 things, IMHO.

John

John, I think, note think, that when there is a bug the base version is updated, so there will be two links to an updated one and an upgraded one.

fingers crossed,
Acorn

**dutchim** · 08 February 2017, 01:38 PM

I'm keeping my fingers crossed as well. 2 years in a row my Designer Pro installation got corrupted in the springtime.
Even with tech support there was no solution to my problem.
The only thing that worked was purchasing the new version... Which I will not be doing this year.
Affinity designer and photo will be it for me. And with Publisher on the way... It should cover most my needs.

Funny Handdrawn... Yup good thing no new features. We can't loose what we don't have!

**richinri** · 09 February 2017, 03:43 AM

I have not paid out for 365 for the same reasons stated here by many. Those, like myself, that have been with Xara for years know we got into Xara for vector graphics. It appears Xara decided, "Ok, we got the vector graphics thing down, so lets expand." Xara is unique and, having done websites for years, if you don't mind the gotchas of doing websites in a drawing program, you can do some great stuff. We, the long time users, will continue to be disappointed with this shift in what Xara is now. We see all this stuff, for the most part useless or of limited use, being built around our vector program and have begun to resent paying for it. It should be crystal clear by now that Xara is not going to listen. I can only guess they $ee $omething we don't.

**browj2** · 09 February 2017, 04:53 PM

If you do not have a 365 product, then you are not in a position to judge whether or not Xara has come through with the goods. You did not get the new version with all of its features nor did you get the new features issued over the last 8 to 10 months.

Handrawn indicated that: "there have not been any new features that I could not do without"
dutchim replied: "Yup good thing no new features. We can't loose what we don't have!"

@dutchim, No new features?
Please look at the What's new part for each program on the Xara.com site (links below). If you have reviewed the details, then you will be better informed able to provide an opinion about the value of what came out over the last 8 to 10 months, remembering that there is still time for Xara to release more updates before the first renewal date comes round.

@Handrawn, about "will we not lose features if we do not renew the licence?" In the context of having Xara whatever installed and patched up to date before the renewal date on several machines (more than two), then no, the new features that were already installed will not disappear from any of the machines - unless you have to reinstall the program. Deactivating and activating do nothing to the program on your computer, they just let you use the program that is already there. If you have to reinstall, you only have the base program that was available when you purchased, not the new features that were released afterwards. Hopefully, you would get an up to date bug patch.

PGD main updates in Oct. 2016, and Feb. 2017.
WDP main updates in July and Nov. 2016.

These are over and above the new features that were included with the first release of the 365 version.

I often see complaints about too much web design stuff in Designer Pro. Xara has 3 main programs, plus one watered-down program, one minor program, and one that is a combination of the three main programs:

1. Photo & Graphics Designer 365 (PGD)
2. Web Designer 365 Premium (WDP)
3. Page & Layout Designer 11 (PLD)

The watered-down version is Web Designer 365 (not Premium)
There is also the minor program, 3D Maker 7, which has not been upgraded in years.

The combination of programs 1 to 3 above is Xara Designer Pro X365 (XDPX) and it has, according to Xara, a few extra features that are not in the individual programs. If, like me, you need 2 of the 3, in particular 1 and 2, then you may be best off purchasing XDPX as you have the convenience of everything in one program. When I bought XDPX the first time, the price for 1 and 2 was almost the same as for XDPX, so I thought that I got a good deal, with convenience being the main selling point.

If you do not do or do not need the web designer part (or PLD), do not purchase XDPX, only get PGD. If you do buy XPDX and don't need the web design part, please do not complain every time that there are new web tools and web content issued. You should not have bought XDPX in the first place. The same applies to those who only do web design but purchased XDPX, don't complain when there are new drawing/photo tools issued. As well, PGD and WDP came out at different times so the improvement cycles do not happen at the same time, and there is also a delay until the same improvements show up in XDPX, which is normal.

Since the two main programs and XDPX came out at different times, WDP in April 2016, PDG in May 2016, both well before XDPX (July 2016) and the end of the 365 cycle is closer for the individual products, maybe, for now, our comments should be limited to the individual products WDP and PGD.

Given that, how do you feel about the updates to just WDP or just PGD?
Has Xara supplied enough new tools and content to entice you to lock it in by renewing?
Do you prefer to wait before renewing?

John

**mwenz** · 09 February 2017, 05:21 PM

John,

Is P&GD all the good things about XDP without the web stuff...only? Though XDP lags way behind on certain professional CMYK work-flow features, does P&GD include those things?

(Oh, I see it got a February update as well. Only thing that would be useful to me is the SVG. But where's XDP's Feb update?)