What does the future hold for Xara?

**ewraysure** · 03 October 2021, 07:39 AM

Website programs are created - some cease to be supported and gradually become outmoded.
Windows 11 is about to be thrust upon us (my dentist's practise is stuck in the time-warp that is XP)
Where will Xara be in ten, twenty even fifty years from now?

**handrawn** · 03 October 2021, 08:19 AM

there is a lot more to xara than just building websites... although reading this forum these days you might blink and miss that

**wizard509** · 03 October 2021, 05:23 PM

I agree handrawn.
@ewraysure I have used Xara extensively not only for the scribbles but art work as well.

**gwpriester** · 03 October 2021, 10:14 PM

Your dentist and most professionals who use proprietary software are not keen on shelling out a lot of money to upgrade their software when it does what they want it to do.

Not sure what the future holds for Xara. Affinity has been aggressively building market-share with a well designed, frequently updated, affordable product. And while I have not seen any research, my suspicion is a lot of Xara users are moving away from the product. It's sad, because Xara is a great product that I have used since 1995 for almost everything I do. But I am not sure it is attracting a lot of new users.

**ewraysure** · 03 October 2021, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by gwpriester

Your dentist and most professionals who use proprietary software are not keen on shelling out a lot of money to upgrade their software when it does what they want it to do.

Not sure what the future holds for Xara. Affinity has been aggressively building market-share with a well designed, frequently updated, affordable product. And while I have not seen any research, my suspicion is a lot of Xara users are moving away from the product. It's sad, because Xara is a great product that I have used since 1995 for almost everything I do. But I am not sure it is attracting a lot of new users.

You are correct. My dentist told me last week that they were about to shell out £55K to upgrade to WIN10 before Covid.
I hope Affinity fails because Serif left its loyal customers in the lurch when they dumped Web and all the other Pluses.
If you're basing your suspicion that Xara is not attracting new users on the poster on this forum, that may not be the best indicator. Forums are being left behind by social media.

**wizard509** · 04 October 2021, 02:10 AM

I am past bthe point where I can afford to upgrade every year so I may start using a pre-365 version rather than upgrade again.or renew

**ewraysure** · 04 October 2021, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by wizard509

I am past bthe point where I can afford to upgrade every year so I may start using a pre-365 version rather than upgrade again.or renew

Agreed.
But every time I open Xara, my first screen tells me I haven't renewed (irritatingly unnecessary)
And then I have two more screens which include the invitation to click if I don't want to see them again, WHICH DO NOT WORK!
Frankly, this is not the greatest advert of the competence of Xara programmers.

**handrawn** · 04 October 2021, 08:04 AM

the do not show clicks for the invitations do work, but only for the current invitation, and as these are rolled over frequently with very little difference apart from the expiry date, yes you will see them again - but this is deliberate marketing strategy, as is the first screen and neither have any bearing on the competence of the programmers

**Acorn** · 04 October 2021, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by ewraysure

I hope Affinity fails because Serif left its loyal customers in the lurch when they dumped Web and all the other Pluses.
If you're basing your suspicion that Xara is not attracting new users on the poster on this forum, that may not be the best indicator. Forums are being left behind by social media.

Philp, we do not diss other vendors, we just use our chosen product better.

Originally Posted by ewraysure

Frankly, this is not the greatest advert of the competence of Xara programmers.

This has nothing to do with Xara; it is a Magix overlay that can be blocked. It has been covered many times and @Promidi has just updated his approach: https://www.talkgraphics.com/showthr...ox-on-DPX-18-5.

Back to your OP question.
I can only find what Xara will be like twenty-five years hence: https://wayforward.archive.org/?site=xara.com. Move the pop-ups to read them. It takes a bit of time to warm up as it is running on today's fast machines.

Remember too Xara may have reached pensionable age by then.

Acorn

**behzad** · 04 October 2021, 10:21 AM

I read somewhere on 50th anniversary of Xara that they have some million or so users, so it really does not matter where xara will be in 5 years time. Xara was and is my main tool for print and digital professional work for past 20+ years. I got the clients to prove it and it does the work well if you got the talent and the skills to use it. They are all tools for doing the job and getting paid for it.