Paul Martin

No gaming. No old components. Budget of say £1,000.

My 5+ year-old PC will need to be replaced in October when support ends for Windows 10. I have never had an issue with my PC being able to run Affinity software but now Object Selection Tool runs very slowly. Since I'll be buying new, what processor/RAM/storage would you recommend I buy? I hope to get a good lifetime's use for this new PC/laptop. Are there any other hardware upgrades I should bear in mind?

Decades ago, I used CorelDraw for similar purposes that I often do now, namely, drawing maps with detailed connected data. As I recall, CorelDraw - a powerful but difficult programme - had database features. I'm still hoping to find a way to link an object (shape) to data about its chartacteristics. So, I might draw a polygon to represent a local authority boundary and have that linked to which region and nation it belonged to. I suspect I am really looking for a Graphical Information System, but that probably exceeds my needs and interests. Doe anyone know whether Designer has any way to link to a table that might do this job?

Yes, that was how it went. I was just slightly surprised by the new process.

Ta, Walt. That's handy to know.

As far as I can tell, the new installation process is quick and easier than before, but it would have been nice to be warned of it as it is so different to with V1 Affinity. This is notable when installing minor upgrades. Anybody want to signpost a reasonably simple explanation?

I have downloaded and now exclusively use the V2 programmes on Windows 10 and would like to remove the V1 versions. When I go to do this in Windows Control Panel, the uninstall list makes no distinction between V1 and V2, though the accompanying date information suggests those programmes listed must be V1. Can I just go ahead? Will I need to reinstall V2?

Honest answer from me would be that I've never met a Dutch person under 50 whose English wasn't better than many of my colleagues and neighbours! Just teasing, I am a great admirer of the Dutch.

Sounds like you need a corporate-scale feature for your "real job". That probably justifies the corporate-sized price-tag.

Your definition of "loyal" appears to be to buy a cheap product and then expect it to be continually upgraded at no cost to you. Is this a business model worth the name?

It rather depends upon the quality of "tracing" that you expect. I bought Vector Magic which sells at £200+ because I often convert pixel to vector. It is a sophisticated product but even so often disappoints. I think your expectation is a little excessive. £200+ for one feature compared to £90 for three excellent programmes? You could always use one of the online conversion products just when you need it, of course.

There's a Bible story about labourers in the vineyard that you might glance at. I'm pretty chuffed at getting three good Xmas presents at a very reasonable price of £90 here in blighty. Your complaint is that your discount isn't greater than a new customer's. Sounds like that old sin of Envy to me.

Yeah, I like a good whinge every now and again! I think you are right that a customer should be allowed to dream...

This is where I say that I have to keep my old copy of Serif Drawplus X8 (2015) going because all my house plans have saveable, printable dimension lines created in that lovely little programme. I'm just grateful that we at last have word count in Publisher 2, aeons after PagePlus. It does help that v2 looks attractive and has very slightly eased v1's "crowded" feel. Of course, my screen is only 24", so maybe all you guys out there on your cinema-sized Macs don't have this problem... 😀

One of the things that I enjoy about the Affinity trio is being able to open a file in one programme and switch to another if that seems better suited to the task. If I need forwards compatability (and that would be a very rare thing in my thirty-plus years' experience) I will just have to remember to save a copy with a different name, leaving the version 1 file unsaved in version 2. The real test is, of course, at what point do you decide the new version is stable and you really don't need the old one any more. I've very rarely had a file crash in Affinity v1 - in fact, I can't think of an instance - so I hope to make the transition soon.