Update on Xara's OS Vector Graphics Project

An anonymous reader writes "We first heard from Xara when they announced their plan to release their crown jewels, the Xara X source code under GPL. Now, 5 scant months since going Open Source, Xara has released Xara Xtreme Linux 0.7, a very functional, robust illustration program. What this means for the Linux Desktop is significant: a true professional grade graphics package. And for a glimpse at what Xara can do, you owe it to yourself to see the new Xara Xtreme Linux Screenshot gallery with amazing, unbelievable vector graphic art."

Re:Better than Illustrator and Freehand?

[BiggyP]

I've given it a quick prod and i'm reasonably impressed, though the lack of a usable SVG filter makes it fairly useless to me at the moment. The thing that intrigues me most is what, if anything, other FOSS graphics project are going to make of all this newly opened code.

One other thing, I see that Xara Xtreme will only be available for free on Linux, OSX and Windows users will have to continue to pay a, albeit small, fee to use it. What's going to happen when someone takes this app, designed from the start to be cross platform, and compiles GPL versions for Windows and OSX under a new name? Surely that's going to seriously upset the company.

Re:Better than Illustrator and Freehand? QWZX

[hullabalucination]

the fact that they are resorting to an open source model is pretty good indicator that they failed commercially.

Chalk that up to the swift move of licensing it to Corel to "market" a Windows version from 1995 to 2000 (as CorelXara). Having Corel come anywhere near your product is the Kiss of Death. Compound that error by trying to sell a high-end product to graphic artists on Windows without first building a loyal following with a Mac version.

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
--Groucho Marx

Re:Better than Illustrator and Freehand?

[BiggerIsBetter]

Indeed. If their rendering code is significantly faster than Cairo (as their performance page seems to suggest), maybe some Xara technology will make its way into the mainstream Linux desktop?

I guess Xara will get some benefits from going OSS, but I'm not sure what yet. Perhaps they can release their enhanced/professional version under a different license. As an example, I'm running StarOffice 8, on Novell SLED 10, with ATI binary drivers for XGL support. Yes, there are free alternatives, but this system does what I want with minimal hassle. Similarly, If Xara provided something better and more usable than say, InkScape or SodiPodi, people will pay money to get it.

Good Linux software does not have to be given away.