The right thing to do

**handrawn** · 09 September 2018, 08:39 AM

Paul I was using the PDF as an example of a bug fix that users [not all I'll grant] think critical and xara apparently does not; this in the context of comparing xara's approach to bug fixes with that staed in the second part of the Sketch statement you posted, which implies no such restriction - all part of the update services being compared

btw - is sketch purely cloud based or does it have desktop as well? delivery mechanisms for bug-fixes/updates differ desktop/cloud

Originally Posted by browj2

Given all of that, we never seem to get a fully patched version; some bugs are left for the next version, unfortunately. This seems to be all too prevalent in this industry, not just with Xara

a cynic might say this is good for maximising compasny revenue - no matter which version you have there will always be something you need in the next

there again it could just be there is never enough time to get everything right - but hey that still means the second part of the above sentance pertains [if you are a cynic...

]

**handrawn** · 09 September 2018, 08:43 AM

Paul

we cross posted

I'm sorry, but I think you're wasting your time wanting entirely bug-free software and railing at Xara about it.

I don't have an issue with never having bug-free - my issue is with the company not seeming bothered about what is critical to a sector of it's user base..

... and I understand all you say about the legacy coding - one reason serif/affinty started again; if they could do it, why not xara?

**pauland** · 09 September 2018, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by handrawn

my issue is with the company not seeming bothered about what is critical to a sector of it's user base..

Then go at Xara about specific problems rather than the generalities of my thread.

serif/affinty started again; if they could do it, why not xara?

Well they kinda did, but didn't get as far as they hoped, with the online version.

As for Serif, I hated their software until they went for the affinity products. I actually didn't trust them because of their marketing tactics. I guess they had a pot of money to go for the rewrite and a realisation that their existing products were falling behind. Brave decision that is paying off big time.

Xara used to have command of it's own destiny (let's forget the Corel diversion), but now Magix are in control. Rightly or wrongly I regard Magix as a company that picks up products that are profitable but have a questionable long-term future. Xara derivatives are just part of a wider portfolio of products to bring in revenue to Magix, so I am a pessimist about that relationship and where Xara can go forward. Xara as part of Corel seemed to hold back development way back when.

This is all rather off-topic now.

**pauland** · 09 September 2018, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by handrawn

is sketch purely cloud based or does it have desktop as well? delivery mechanisms for bug-fixes/updates differ desktop/cloud

It's a desktop program but offers cloud based features for documents ( mostly to do with collaborations between people ). It's hugely popular in web design - feature-wise Xara does way more than sketch, but because it is oriented towards a specific goal - software/website design - it doesn't have 1,000 features you don't need and five that you do. It doesn't try and be a photoshop/illustrator/inDesign/Dreamweaver amalgam like Xara. It does one job really well. Anyone using Xara could tell me 50 things Xara does that Sketch doesn't. I would agree with them and say it's better to do some things really well and be fast and easy to work with than have 50 extra things there that get in the way.

I make a lot of design stuff in Sketch and use the assets created using Sketch in other software. I have an eco-system of software that forms my development pipeline.

**handrawn** · 09 September 2018, 10:38 AM

Xara used to have command of it's own destiny (let's forget the Corel diversion), but now Magix are in control. Rightly or wrongly I regard Magix as a company that picks up products that are profitable but have a questionable long-term future. Xara derivatives are just part of a wider portfolio of products to bring in revenue to Magix, so I am a pessimist about that relationship and where Xara can go forward. Xara as part of Corel seemed to hold back development way back when.

This is all rather off-topic now.

off topic or not that is something I can agree with

Then go at Xara about specific problems rather than the generalities of my thread.

that has been done in three threads, two now closed; mentioned here merely as an example like I said...

first I get queried for specifics, and now for generalities; firgive me for trying to explain

but which ever way you look at it bug fixing is relevant to the licences and therefore this thread...

thanks for the info re sketch

**Acorn** · 09 September 2018, 12:54 PM

I believe the relevance of this ongoing discussion is still around the Update Service and the relapse back to the original purchase version, losing all bug fixes for the year of cover unless Xara has issued a point release, of which we know of one.
I have not seen point releases at every version release. These would not be required if the silly reversion strategy was abandoned.

Acorn

**theinonen** · 09 September 2018, 07:53 PM

Bug fixes should always be free.

I think it is wrong and dangerous attitude not to expect a bug free software. If people are willing to settle for something that has bugs, then it will be all that you will ever get. No one will invest time and effort for working software if they can instead sell same software that mostly works.

There are many software that have bugs fixed very fast after they are discovered and even if it may be wrong to say there are no software without bugs, there are still many that currently have no known bugs.

**pauland** · 09 September 2018, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by theinonen

there are still many that currently have no known bugs.

I'd like to know what they are because I have yet to find any software that has no bugs.

**Stewart** · 09 September 2018, 08:26 PM

Bugs, no bugs or whatever..surely the point of this ongoing discussion is that Xara/Magix are not listening but have decided their loyal customers, decades in many cases like me, should adhere to the new wisdom they have deigned is the way to go, i.e. a subscription service which has no real customer continuity and is generally disliked by customers and is seen as dubious value and confusing. Why not just produce XD12 or 13 and issue a disk? It's not to make my life easier...is it? :-)