A Letter from Xara's new CEO Matt Bolton

[MB365]

Matt, you have had 100 days since the announcement that you are the new Xara CEO. I am taking the opportunity of your kind offer to enquire about Xara's plans.
In that time, using TalkGraphics as a bellwether, you will have also seen the passion and the skill by many TGers in the art and craft in using your products to their full potential.

Despite your "We will continue, as we always have, to release new features and performance improvements on a consistent basis", your Desktop customers have only had one release on 08 December last year.

In your aggressive pursuit of the business market, you have declared that "Xara Online will work seamlessly with Xara Desktop" and that your current Desktop customers will reap the benefits.
In your tenure, there have been 5 Xara Online Designer (XOD) updates to one for the Desktop application. Xara Online Designer is necessarily playing catch-up to the current Desktop functionality as XOD is still in beta, three years in beta.

My open question is simply this - Are XOD and Desktop development so wedded together that any change in the codebase of the Desktop applications now needs to be refactored into XOD?

Our investment with you is not just in money, it is in our investment in a fantastical tool,
Acorn

Hi Acorn,

I appreciate you keeping us honest in a positive way. Desktop release 15.1 is in QA and is expected to be publicly available in the next few weeks. (Thank you to the many beta testers of the new features). Release 15.2 is already planned and will again be released in 3-4 months, consistent with our average of 3-4 releases / year.

There will always be more releases to Xara Online compared to the Desktop for the foreseeable future. First, it is much simpler development process to build, test, release a SaaS solution than a desktop solution. Second is product complexity. Xara Desktop is so feature rich that even little changes can have a large impact on other parts of the product, thus resulting in longer development and QA cycles. Last but not least is product maturity. Xara Online still needs some of the basics and those items can be built and released fast.

I hope this helps answer a few of your questions.

Kind regards,
Matt

[Acorn]

Hi Acorn,
I appreciate you keeping us honest in a positive way. Desktop release 15.1 is in QA and is expected to be publicly available in the next few weeks. (Thank you to the many beta testers of the new features). Release 15.2 is already planned and will again be released in 3-4 months, consistent with our average of 3-4 releases / year.
There will always be more releases to Xara Online compared to the Desktop for the foreseeable future. First, it is much simpler development process to build, test, release a SaaS solution than a desktop solution. Second is product complexity. Xara Desktop is so feature rich that even little changes can have a large impact on other parts of the product, thus resulting in longer development and QA cycles. Last but not least is product maturity. Xara Online still needs some of the basics and those items can be built and released fast.
I hope this helps answer a few of your questions.
Kind regards, Matt

Matt, your reply is appreciated as your Desktop application users are keen to get a version 15 that leverages your prior successes.

Having an indicative timescale is also helpful.
Knowing that the Xara On-line Designer development is not a drag on the Desktop delivery is also promising.

To fill the gaps, how about publishing your Xara Widget schema? I am sure this is an underdeveloped area that TGers can leverage to our mutual benefit.
Any news on the Smart Shapes API, so long promised?
Is is sad that all the Software as a Service (SaaS) development is underway and there is no trade back into enhancing the power of Placholders.

Enjoy your Easter,
Acorn

[Ron Duke]

It is my personal hope that the new release coming in a few months will have real impact/meaning/excitement to those of us who have faithfully used the desktop version of Designer Pro for so many years. Impact in the sense that it will finally address requested improvements to already installed functions PLUS, at the very least, a few new features that will really enhance our ability to be more creative/productive with this wonderful program, Xara Designer Pro.

[gwpriester]

I seem to remember we had a representative of Magix who was going to participate in this forum who showed up for one or two announcements and now has gone missing.

We're trying to be loyal here, but it would be nice to have some response.

[iamtheblues]

I seem to remember we had a representative of Magix who was going to participate in this forum who showed up for one or two announcements and now has gone missing.

We're trying to be loyal here, but it would be nice to have some response.

I think that loyalty is a two-way street, Gary. This seems to be a cul-de-sac.
Bob.

[Daver1]

One of the Best things Xara can do is keep the Desktop programs Home owned. Forget the cloud based programs where one has to be online to use 'your' software. I don't buy cloud based software. Hopefully Matt will read this.. This trend for cloud based programs is a bad idea.

[iamtheblues]

One of the Best things Xara can do is keep the Desktop programs Home owned. Forget the cloud based programs where one has to be online to use 'your' software. I don't buy cloud based software. Hopefully Matt will read this.. This trend for cloud based programs is a bad idea.

Mr. Bolton has not responded here since March, obviously nothing new to report from Magix Towers. The cloud scheme is wonderful for those who are in the business of coining in the money from this wheeze, but not so much for anyone shelling out for the virtual product, which is virtually non-existent. Nothing, I repeat, nothing of any real value has been added to the software in well over a year. Nothing to report, so one can only assume there's nothing to pay out for...unless somebody in the know has anything to add, but I somehow doubt it.
It is all becoming rather predictable and tedious beyond belief. They have squandered all the goodwill that once existed.
Bob.
Bob.

[Acorn]

Hi Acorn,

I appreciate you keeping us honest in a positive way. Desktop release 15.1 is in QA and is expected to be publicly available in the next few weeks. (Thank you to the many beta testers of the new features). Release 15.2 is already planned and will again be released in 3-4 months, consistent with our average of 3-4 releases / year.

There will always be more releases to Xara Online compared to the Desktop for the foreseeable future. First, it is much simpler development process to build, test, release a SaaS solution than a desktop solution. Second is product complexity. Xara Desktop is so feature rich that even little changes can have a large impact on other parts of the product, thus resulting in longer development and QA cycles. Last but not least is product maturity. Xara Online still needs some of the basics and those items can be built and released fast.

I hope this helps answer a few of your questions.

Kind regards,
Matt

Matt, we seem to run on different clocks out here. Tomorrow will be 5 weeks since you advised "Desktop release 15.1 is in QA and is expected to be publicly available in the next few weeks."
Also this following Sunday will be your 150th days as Xara CEO and the six-month point is fast approaching in early May since your company released any update for its products.

To be "consistent with (y)our average of 3-4 releases / year", when will your Customers see any benefit of the Update Service?

Acorn

[Egg Bramhill]

I can only state my support for Acorns comments. of time.

Egg

[Acorn]

Egg, you will have hatched, I'll be out of saplinghood and H*** will have frozen over before Xara fronts up.
Even UK's TSB's boss can admit "We are on our knees."

Acorn