Re: Computer Shopper Review
I'd have to agree with Rocko about Namo, you certainly get a lot for your money, WebEditor 2006 is just out, great value... just like Xtreme. I've raised the point about education sector before. I honestly don't know a school that I come into contact with that uses Xara but roll the clock back fifteen years or so and Impression and Artworks were the de facto standard on the Acorn platform... and that was most schools. In a way I suppose it's the VHS/Betamax story all over again, the one with the biggest user base wins, Acorn fell by the wayside and the rest is history!
The majority of UK schools don't have the Adobe suite but a site licence for around £2K isn't bad, still more than enough to make most head teachers baulk though. They only too often tend to think a box with the latest incarnation of M$ Office is all that's needed.
In secondary education, Xtreme can more than meet the needs of most students, just XPE really would be a real boon... far quicker and easier than Serif PP... and that is one company that does know how to market to the education sector... if a teacher simply gives them a call, their whole range is delivered to school within a week!
So where does it leave Xara, it is a brilliant product, you cannot deny that but I really do believe that they need to do something about the grass roots and look to getting kids on board... after all it is easier to use than M$, Adobe et al but it's no use if they can't get their hands on it. The Open Source initiative is to be applauded but why not go the whole hog and give Windows version site licences to the schools... the kids love it, they go home and they get their parents to buy it... and guess what, they might just because it is affordable unlike Adobe. Only Charles will know what proportion of Xara's income is derived from education, I can't think that it is a substantial amount, I may be wrong but it's worth a go.
Last edited by w00dy; 22 October 2005 at 06:16 PM.
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