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Back in the 90s, RAM was incredibly expensive. Corel introduced a product called "Corel Xara", which operated a lot like "Corel Draw" but it was just massively

Back in the 90s, RAM was incredibly expensive. Corel introduced a product called "Corel Xara", which operated a lot like "Corel Draw" but it was just massively faster. I still use it to this day. I've tried all the competition, and there's just nothing that's better for 2D. It's interesting because I get the impression that there are barely any users. For a moment it was open sourced on Linux, but the Linux version was buggy and limited. The Windows version is fantastic. For $200 it would be a great product, but you can easily find it for around $30-$50 on Amazon or eBay. If I'm not mistaken, Corel licensed Xara from another company, and the version that's been on sale for the last 20 years is sold by the original company.

johnvanommen 7y ago
P.S. : if you're using 2D software to control a laser cutter, Corel Xara works great for that too. Everyone else uses Inkscape but I'm getting great results with Xara.
open-source-ux 7y ago
Xara (the vector illustration program) has its origins in RiscOS on the Acorn computer platform. Xara (the company) then build a version for Windows where it was much faster than both Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW. Corel licensed Xara as you said, but after a few years Xara (the company) ended the licensing agreement with Corel and started selling the software again themselves. Xara is now part of the Magix portfolio of products. It's fascinating just how many aquisitions and licensing agreements Corel has taken on. They bought video and photo editing apps from Ulead. They bought image and drawing apps from Micrografx too. They used to sell Ventura Publisher, a heavyweight DTP program especially suited for technical publications. As others have pointed out, Corel has had a large and eclectic portfolio of programs that few companies can match (anyone remember Corel Click and Create?) The consumer app space seemed so much more varied and interesting in those days. Or maybe I'm just being nostalgic?
- johnvanommen 7y ago
  Interesting, I did not know that! In the 90s, Xara was a revelation, particularly on budget hardware.

johnvanommen 7y ago

P.S. : if you're using 2D software to control a laser cutter, Corel Xara works great for that too. Everyone else uses Inkscape but I'm getting great results with Xara.

open-source-ux 7y ago

Xara (the vector illustration program) has its origins in RiscOS on the Acorn computer platform. Xara (the company) then build a version for Windows where it was much faster than both Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW. Corel licensed Xara as you said, but after a few years Xara (the company) ended the licensing agreement with Corel and started selling the software again themselves. Xara is now part of the Magix portfolio of products. It's fascinating just how many aquisitions and licensing agreements Corel has taken on. They bought video and photo editing apps from Ulead. They bought image and drawing apps from Micrografx too. They used to sell Ventura Publisher, a heavyweight DTP program especially suited for technical publications. As others have pointed out, Corel has had a large and eclectic portfolio of programs that few companies can match (anyone remember Corel Click and Create?) The consumer app space seemed so much more varied and interesting in those days. Or maybe I'm just being nostalgic?

johnvanommen 7y ago
Interesting, I did not know that! In the 90s, Xara was a revelation, particularly on budget hardware.