web designer six

[Cloner]

What I mean is that we are not adding the new web features of Web Designer 6 to the next version of Xtreme, only Xtreme Pro. There are already drawing and photo features in Pro that aren't in Xtreme, and for web features it will be the same. For many people Xtreme does everything they need for print and the web, and we hope it will remain this way - but ultimately Pro is the top of the range and it has everything. So if you want the new web features of Web Designer 6 you could upgrade to Pro (and we often do upgrade deals, I'm sure we will continue to do so) or buy Web Designer 6.

Help me if I fail to understand. I bought Xara Xtreme 5 after Xara Web Designer 6 was released, and I made a decision not to buy WD6 but XX5 based on the written representation of the company under the features section of WW5
"Xara Xtreme 5 now includes all the web features recently introduced in Xara Web Designer, making Xtreme a first class web authoring tool"
http://www.xara.com/us/products/xtreme/upgrade/

I assumed that there was no need to buy WD6 since according to the company the required features recently introduced in WD were already there in XX5. But, what I find in this thread tells a different story. So have I been victim to willful misrepresentation?

I am satisfied with XX5 but did not buy pro because after going through the detailed comparison chart at http://www.xara.com/us/products/xtreme/advanced/ I could not find anything where Pro was better than the standard version as far as my web designing needs were concerned. Am I wrong somewhere, and the comparison chart provided by the company does not tell the entire story?

I downloaded the trial version of webdesigner 6, and except the UI looks, I could not really find much difference or anything that couldn't be done by XX5, so what am I missing?

Before anybody jumps to conclusions I would like to state that I am a long and satisfied user of Magix products including moviedit, and musicmaker, and I never found them misrepresenting things. So, this particular case has got me worried.

If I am truly missing something then I will buy WD6 on top of XX5 though then I would have reason to ask why I was misled.

[steve.ledger]

Misunderstood more than mislead
All of Web Designer 5 features are in Xtreme 5 and Xtreme Pro5 which was released shortly after WD5.
None of the new Web Designer 6 features are in Xtreme 5.

All features of Web Designer 6 will be in Xara Xtreme PRO 6
While Xara Xtreme 6 will still have all of Web Designer 5 features but no WD6 features.

Xtreme 6 has yet to be released. No known date for this, but I doubt we will be waiting too much longer.

What's new in Web Designer 6?
Please see here:

► http://www.xara.com/uk/products/webdesigner/whatsnew/

[slavelle]

Cloner,

Maybe you missed the changes to the layer/object gallery in XX5Pro vs Standard. For web design purposes THIS was one of my major reasons for upgrading to Pro. There are few other Pro features that I need, but once you have object level access to everything on the page, it's immensely more useful.

I did a video on this, which can be found linked in this thread, post #3: http://www.talkgraphics.com/showpost...65&postcount=3

Hopefully this shows you a feature worth upgrading for. Biting the bullet once for the pro version isn't so bad because upgrades from pro -> pro are usually not unreasonable and I can easily make up the difference in the amount of time saved doing one design of a website or other graphics. It's seriously hampering not to have this level of control once you have it. And once they add the WD6 stuff (and hopefully some other things) to the XXPro6, with stuff like the soloing of layers and the quick navbar creation features (especially for mockup), it's going to add THAT much more.

I can't wait, personally.

[mac173]

Originally Posted by katemoir
What I mean is that we are not adding the new web features of Web Designer 6 to the next version of Xtreme, only Xtreme Pro. There are already drawing and photo features in Pro that aren't in Xtreme, and for web features it will be the same.

I have to say, I am VERY disappointed in this. I am not a professional user. I cannot draw worth a damn. I had access to Photoshop (in fact, I was invited to join the BETA program) but I found PS to big, ponderous and the learning curve too steep.

I found Xara by accident on the web, and downloaded the trial. It was far easier to navigate and use then other tools. I had been using the GIMP and the 3D tools in Xara sold me.

I was still using Wordpad++ to write my web pages (simple ones, of course) and was thrilled when Web Developer came out. I bought it. And saw the announcement of XE5 telling me that I had wasted my money, that XE5 would include all the web tools. I swallowed my pride, and upgraded to 5. I have stopped using WD5 because as other people have said, using one application is much easier.

Now you are telling me that to get the new features in WD6, I have to either go back to using two applications, or I have to upgrade to PRO (which reminds me of PS, it has tons of features I don't need, and don't know how to use). Either way, I am losing the ONE functionality that would have gotten me to upgrade to XE6, the Web Developer tools.

All that said to tell you that your non-professional niche customers have no reason to upgrade to XE6. In fact, the inclination will be to not upgrade to WD6 either, because it makes the Web development work MORE difficult instead of LESS (two applications needed again).

I know many of you will say to just upgrade to PRO, but I cannot afford it, and even if I could, I could not justify the expense just to get the additional WD tools. It's not worth it to a non-professional user.

[pauland]

mac173, there's nothing unusual or misleading about how Xara/Magic releases their software and I really don't understand what the issue is. All software is continually upgraded and often companies offer lite versions or versions targetted to particular users and the relationship between XWD and Xtreme is exactly that.

XWD is "Xtreme Lite" targetted at non-professional (novice even) web designers. Xtreme is for more professional users wanting more sophisticated tools and Pro is another step up from that.

Specifically on the web front, Xra releases XWD with some web features, then later releases Xtreme with those features plus improvements and then the same follows for XWD which adds more web features and then Xtreme (Xtreme Pro?) catches up and adds more options.

There's nothing misleading or unusual about how Xara works.

[Karateed]

I totally agree with Paul,

If the software you're using does everything you need it to do, then there's no reason for you to upgrade. I also use the software as a hobbyist and for making my wife's 'professional' website. I'm also slowly but surely learning to use the graphics portion of XXPro5. I have found the way the object gallery works in XXPro5 to be much superior to any of Xara's other programs. It has been mentioned that it's worth the upgrade just for that. I agree whole heartedly.

My intentions are to upgrade to XX6Pro when it comes out as I've played with WD6 and it's awesome, but I don't need it and XX6Pro....that would be a waste.

At any rate, the upgrade path makes more sense than say.....PS....as a lot of the time they introduce features that really are insignificant except to the most seasoned user.

Xara definitely gives us a specific target group with each software level....

It's one of the best for price values you can find on the market today....

[mac173]

I did not mean to imply that Xara had been deceitful, or that I felt I had been lied to. I was really lamenting that my timing was bad, in that I bought Web Designer just before XX5 came out with the Web features, and ended up with both. I love the programs and find I can do far more in both graphics and web design using them. In fact, I have even bought Menu Maker because it saves me time and trouble making menus.

My "complaint" is that they did not follow up on that trend this time, and that I cannot have both WD6 (my cake) and XX6 (eat it too) in the same package. I have found that doing the graphics and web in one program is very convenient.

Specifically on the web front, Xara releases XWD with some web features, then later releases Xtreme with those features plus improvements and then the same follows for XWD which adds more web features and then Xtreme (Xtreme Pro?) catches up and adds more options.

This time that is not the case, Xtreme 6 will NOT include the features from Web Designer 6 except in the Pro version. I really have no need for Pro, and cannot use its features. I am getting the Xara Extreme Guide for my birthday this month so I can start learning, but I will never put the full capabilities of Pro to work.

[cursor]

mac173's point is well taken.

• XX4 is released with website creation features.
• WD5 is released with improved website creation features.
• XX5 is released, incorporating all WD5 features.
• WD6 is released with improved website creation features.
• XX6 will be released without WD6 features.
  (the only way to get that feature set is to upgrade to XXPro6)

That represents a clear and disappointing departure from previous marketing logic and practice.

[steve.ledger]

• XX6 will be released without WD6 features.

It will however be released with all new Xara Xtreme 6 features and retain all of Web Designer 5 features.

I think their logic is clear, the previous experimental model has been used to determine an alternative approach which helps Xara maintain a position to continue development of their software which of course includes adding some of the many requested features.

[pauland]

I think that basically that Magix/Xara have decided/found that the feature differrential between Xtreme and Xtreme Pro isn't enough to encourage people to upgrade.

I actually like the separation of concerns with XWD and Xtreme - it helps you to think and plan more, but then again I'd prefer Xtreme to be a vector illustration program and not a web designer.. ;-)