xara.com getting even further from the Xara DEsigner products?

[Acorn]

II have a small business producing networked business software (totally unrelated to graphic/web design) where users can optionally renew an update plan every 12 months for only 30% of the cost of their licence. They do get several new features throughout the year (usually every month). And if they don't renew their plan they don't lose anything they already have - they just don't get any of the new features that come out after their plan expires. If for some reason I didn't release any updates for 12 months (it has never happened) I would extend the update plans for another 12 months for free. To me that seems a fair way to do things.

Steve, thank you for your opinion and approach: low renewal, frequent updates, extension if a delay. Why Magix/Xara cannot adopt such a simple model, we will never know. 31 May will be Xara's CEO ascendancy with no Desktop application updates to herald his reign. Expect a cornucopia of riches beyond your dreams...

Acorn

[iamtheblues]

Do I detect just a scintilla of sarcasm in your post, Acorn?
Bob.

[Acorn]

Do I detect just a scintilla of sarcasm in your post, Acorn?
Bob.

No Bob, it is blatant anger and frustration. If Xara would show some remorse, humanity or compassion for its very poor treatment of its Customers, I might once again extol the virtues of Xara's unique aspects to others.
The sarcasm was gratis.

Acorn

[handrawn]

i have bitched at xara for a long time

really can't be bothered from now on

I don't need to use their software...

good luck to all who do....

[jonstrong]

This really is an incredibly poor approach. As noted, the Xara.com site is all about the cloud product -- and while it's a trendy direction, I, like many others, have little or not interest in working that way -- and finding any reference to the desktop products is far too difficult. Then - looking at the Magix website, the Xara products virtually disappear there as well. It's truly as if there's a concerted effort to make it difficult to find any online information about the desktop products, either by Xara or Magix. Sad to think this is merely an unintentional blunder; depressing to think that this may actually be purposeful, as an attempt to kill off any interest in the desktop products, and let the user base fall away by attrition.

Really pretty dreadful all around. Instead of working to increasingly make the products disappear, Xara and/or Magix should be devoting increasing space to them, making more examples, use cases, tutorials, online communities, etc., visible, and nurturing interest and activity. What they're doing is virtually guaranteeing that 1) current users will become increasingly disgruntled, and 2) no new users will feel compelled to buy the products.

Sad situation.

Jon

[jaydear]

Magix have extended the cut-off date for V15 upgrades many times, so one could assume that take-ups are scarce. I also note with some fear of impending finality, that it is taking longer and longer for V12 to open - is this a not so subtle 'incentive' for us to update in the sad expectation that V15 will open quicker? I can't help comparing this to the recent reports that Apple had slowed down old iPhones to prompt users to upgrade to a faster one.

We can only hope that Xara will provide it's loyal users with a software key that does not require an internet connection BEFORE they go bust! Non-existent and/or tardy support and non-existent fixes seem to be the order of the day at Xara, so Magix are no doubt getting ready to dump all of their 'traditional' software in favour of a single cloud-based solution, that I for one, do not want.

[stevegill]

I do the majority of my web design in XDP X15 as well as general graphic design. I've now started looking elsewhere for a replacement product(s) as I'm really worried about the future of the desktop product because (1) it seems to be disappearing from the Internet before my eyes, (2) none of the promised regular feature releases have happened, and (3) the response from Xara themselves is silence.

I've seen this happen before with other companies/products and the end result has not been good.

I really hope I'm wrong but I'm preparing the lifeboat.

[David Strover]

I do the majority of my web design in XDP X15 as well as general graphic design. I've now started looking elsewhere for a replacement product(s) as I'm really worried about the future of the desktop product because (1) it seems to be disappearing from the Internet before my eyes, (2) none of the promised regular feature releases have happened, and (3) the response from Xara themselves is silence.

I've seen this happen before with other companies/products and the end result has not been good.

I really hope I'm wrong but I'm preparing the lifeboat.

Me too Steve. I find the whole situation concerning and I think it is deliberate too.

May I ask what you are looking at? I've downloaded Inkscape and have started doing their tutorials, my big problem is I found Xara very easy to use very quickly whereas as Adobe style products, my wife has Photoshop for instance, I just don't find intuitive.

I'd appreciate anyone's advice.

[iamtheblues]

Affinity Designer is probably what you are looking for. Affinity Photo too, if you work in vector and bitmaps.

LINK For Designer (Windows and Mac) €55 each ~ no subscription, regular updates!

[David Strover]

Affinity Designer is probably what you are looking for. Affinity Photo too, if you work in vector and bitmaps.

LINK For Designer (Windows and Mac) €55 each ~ no subscription, regular updates!

I have looked at Affinity Designer but the problem I have is it seems very Adobe-centric and it's probably only me but I have a real problem with the controls of Adobe - it is the way my brain is wired I do realise but it can be very frustrating when something doesn't follow the way my logic works