Product Confusion / Magix Relationship Breakdown?

[Merlinski]

Something is not right.

Certainly from the consumer's point of view. I mean I got shunted over to Magix like most people only to find (quite by accident) that now a new version of Designer Pro back in full control of Xara is available from Xara.

As a consumer I'm left wondering which is the authentic deal, which is best, which will get all the features, and uncertain about the brand.

No corporate would take these product decisions unless something has gone wrong somewhere, surely?

Magix, although offering pretty good software, doesn't feel like a focused and dedicated software dev, more the Sports Direct of software, accumulating IP/Brands/Labels.

So, I'm left surprised to learn about Pro+, a bit disappointed and unsure what's what?

Very strange fork in the road this.

[Acorn]

The Xara+ products are subscription and direct from Xara with very frequent updates. It is targeting more corporate users but is still the same high design capability.

Magix has gone for annual updates and a naff Update Service that Xara is probably contractually obliged to uphold.

Xara has a comparison page of Xara+ versus its 'legacy' products. I went subscription.
https://www.xara.com/compare-plusplans/

Acorn

[Merlinski]

The Xara+ products are subscription and direct from Xara with very frequent updates. It is targeting more corporate users but is still the same high design capability.

Magix has gone for annual updates and a naff Update Service that Xara is probably contractually obliged to uphold.

Xara has a comparison page of Xara+ versus its 'legacy' products. I went subscription.
https://www.xara.com/compare-plusplans/

Acorn

Yeah, I'm sure the whole Magix era will go down as 'mistake' in the Xara history book, looks like they have a decent investor now though and have spotted a way to get out, without actually getting out, a legal tightrope walk I would assume.

Anyway, conspiracies asside - what's your take on the Pro+ desktop app? Peformance/Features etc? What about the cloud elements?

I appreciate your feedback, like me, you are a long timer, like Artworks long lol I assume this is the origins of your Avatar/Username.

Cheers

Chris

[Acorn]

Yeah, I'm sure the whole Magix era will go down as 'mistake' in the Xara history book, looks like they have a decent investor now though and have spotted a way to get out, without actually getting out, a legal tightrope walk I would assume.
Anyway, conspiracies asside - what's your take on the Pro+ desktop app? Peformance/Features etc? What about the cloud elements?
I appreciate your feedback, like me, you are a long timer, like Artworks long lol I assume this is the origins of your Avatar/Username.
Cheers Chris

Chris, yes, started on computing well before the Acorn even.

XPro+ is the pinnacle of the Xara desktop family so if I am working for a client, I always use the latest. Subscription versus bought licence to use is immaterial to me; both cost around the same. Xara costs are trivial in the scheme of things and as far as I am concerned the lack of Magix interference is beyond price.
The Magix Update Service is a failed model as it is keeping bug fixes and essential improvements under wraps for a year to force customers to buy repeatedly. If Magix flipped to allowing you to keep any updates in the year of purchase then it would align with common sense and I might reconsider but its interference is unconscionable.

Xara has developed a jobbing product but it has fault lines across all of its key features, web, graphics, vector and DTP.
As I used to work for large organisations, I think Xara Cloud is heading in the right direction. I was not a fan to start as it was feted as a browser alternative to the desktop. If fails badly for website design and presentations.

You probably need to read back in the Threads to see how Xara Plus came about. Quite a lot has been said already.

Acorn

[handrawn]

and have spotted a way to get out,

in a nutshell xara, as trading now, are Xara GmbH a totaly different company from the old Xara, and one started on venture capital .....

they 'left' the old non SAS programs with magix, and now only do the cloud/and + versions which are all SAS as acorn said...

[browj2]

@Acorn

Please correct me if I'm wrong. Magix does not make or change or upgrade Xara desktop. That is done by Xara. Magix distributes and support (problem tickets) the programs - that is all.

Magix has gone for annual updates and a naff Update Service that Xara is probably contractually obliged to uphold.

Not according to the Magix.com website:



Xara has been failing in their obligations to us, the users, who pay for the product, and has abrogated their responsibilities to Magix who can't do anything because Xara does the programming. I expect Xara to come up with at least two new releases (new features) between new versions. They have not. They managed to do it initially. then slowed down until now, whereby we just get a bug patch. This has never been a Magix problem, always a Xara problem and responsibility.

As indicated in the above image, we are supposed to get new features and updates for free for a year. Xara has released new features for the Cloud version but not for the desktop version. If Xara has decided that it no longer wants to publish the desktop versions then tell us. Fix the last bugs (I have 1 that has been annoying me for years) and release a last version. Then bye bye. Those who are satisfied with a Cloud product and a subscription can subscribe; those who don't need it or want it can just keep going with the old desktop version and find something else.

Version 19 was released last March so, as has been mentioned, a new version will likely be released soon.

I expect better.

[Acorn]

@Acorn Please correct me if I'm wrong. Magix does not make or change or upgrade Xara desktop. That is done by Xara. Magix distributes and support (problem tickets) the programs - that is all.

John, Magix does not alter the basic XDA functionality. What it does is augments it with external links to control what promotions it cares to present, the timed removal of access to the OCC, replacing such with extension offers. It also monitors all your on-line XDA accesses. It includes Online and UPS folders to control the above. The time taken for all of this by Magix is reflected in the version date and the Magix release date.

I note Magix is now at version (19.0).1.65946; Xara Plus is (22.5).1.65716 so technically v19 has a later subversion base.
Who decides which features are presented or disabled can only be guessed at but it would appear Xara is delivering the latest to Magix, presumably throughout the year.
To do so is not hard. Harder will be the updating of the Help Manuals and the OCC.

I have not been following the lack of updates for the Magix products but I would be mighty unimpressed had I bought in at v19.0 to miss getting or briefly v20 and only have a bug fix that I would lose had I have to reinstall.

Acorn

[handrawn]

acorn is a programmer I am not, but I have always thought that software is [or should be] modular - in that sense when the compiler is put together by magix, yes they build the upgrade but only in the same way that I build a PC from modules: boards heatsinks CPU memory etc

I choose my own modules for my computer; magix are given modules by xara to include in the update, though how much is direction and how much is when you get around to it I couldn't say....

that's how I understand it

[Chris M]

When the subject of Pro+ vs Magix comes up (which is quite often), it always seems to turn into a competition.

At the very basic level:
As soon as an update/fix/whatever is available, it is pushed out to the Xara+ range. Magix is rolled out twice a year at best.
Xara+ is SAAS (rent it, not buy it). Stop paying, stop using.
Magix is buy and own forever that particular version only. If you buy v19, you do not forever own 19.1, just 19.
The rest gets lost in all the 'ah, buts' that float around.

One of the biggest points is that neither Xara+ nor Magix versions appear to be properly maintained. There are many failings that are passed off as quirks, or anomalies, that are completely ignored. As Acorn stated somewhere else, over 100 photo filters were added as a feature. Why not fix the non-working parts you have? A new dangly air freshener doesn't compensate for the fact the car has a misfire and a wobbly wheel.

[handrawn]

as has been said elsewhere they should idealy do what serif did with affinity - rewrite all their modules from scratch; I would imagine some of the program modules are very long in the tooth, the documentation perhaps not so helpful for those not around at the time they were written... limitations built in to suit yesterdays hardware that could be removed...