mb6391

I agree with the sentiments re Xara - I'm an ex-user. All we can do folks is take Ash on what he has stated. It's not for us to request/demand to view what was in the Sales Contract - it's priviliged for goodness sake. Please can we chill out about this. It's a done deal and if you're uncomfortable about the future of Affinity, for whatever reason, then maybe it's time to move on. Okay, moving on is going to be more than an inconvenience but so be it. I'll stay with Affinity and should I start smelling a rat then I'll move on. I have no wish for subscription or cloud based software. But for now I'll give Ash and the Affinity Team the benefit of some of our doubts albeit we all know that things can change.

A very constructive and well thought out post - thank you. There is, as you are aware, a great deal of speculation about what the future holds for current Affinity users. Understandably many are threatening to walk away from the program although that is easier said than done. Nonetheless if folks are reluctant for whatever reason to 'invest' more time into a product that they do not have confidence in, then maybe their time will be better spent getting up to speed with another product. Personally, I'm fairly chilled out about the whole thing. The only way that Canva will make this deal worthwhile is to get into the design schools that are embedded well and truly with Adobe who effectively gift their software to them. The subscription software model doesn't bother the large design companies one bit. All they want is highly polished end product for their own customers. So the result being that whatever Canva do, they must be superior to Adobe and it's not going to be an overnight task. More a medium to long term trudge. In accelerating Affinity to being a better product could well be a huge benefit to the existing user base. It took Adobe at least until v4 of InDesign to start moving the ground away from Quark and that was whilst Quark was asleep at the wheel so to speak. The fly in the ointment in my opinion is the make up of the existing investors. They seem to be a majority of VC's who are historically not in it for the long term but looking for a profitable exit. So whilst the points you make are valid, it's all going to be driven by the bottom line. Just my tuppence worth.

As expected, a great deal of reaction to the Canva issue. No point in getting hot under the collar although I've also had a rant earlier on. Whatever we say, Canva will do as they wish irrespective as to 'The Pledge' although it may be well meaning. I've still got a fully functioning version of Adobe CS6 and will continue to use the Affinity product until if/when it gives up or is no longer fit (for my purpose). No point in simply jumping ship although I can understand the knee jerk reaction and appreciate the need for some folks to embed themselves with alternative software. Nonetheless each of our circumstances is different but ranting is not going to change the direction of the Canva ship. Canva have a plan, backed by VC's who are always looking to maximise the IPO price so they can cash out. So whatever is the most profitable route is the one they will take irrespective as to our thoughts.

I have no problem with subscription software provided the so called updates are meaningful. Unfortunately (for me) I'm on the Adobe mailing list and month to month keep getting the latest and greatest offers. I still have my copy of CS6 and although like many probably only use 10-15% of it's functions, if I 'upgraded' to the latest Photoshop then there's very little to be gained apart from myself by now having a wallet that has been seriously lightened. I fully appreciate that developers have to be paid but a) I refuse to go cloud based with anything and b) please ensure that the software has been updated with extra benefits rather than just a change of UI. Affinity 2.* isn't going to suddenly stop working and will no doubt serve me well for some time to come. But if or more probably when Canva go subscription based anything produced with their subscription software will not be backwards compatible with v2.*. That's certainly how Adobe operate with their InDesign package and I doubt if Canva will be any different.

The quick 'nasty way' round this is to add 'everyone' to the permissions but you may be opening up a whole can of worms. Personally I'm not prepared to go down that route and I'll wait until the msi or exe comes along.

A great deal of this which many users have experienced has to do with folder 'permissions' within Win10/11. You need to grant yourself access to the installation directory/folder. MSoft in their wisdom decided at some stage to start locking down access - all to do with security plus they didn't expect us mere mortals to be able to protect our own systems. There's stacks of information available on the internet as to how to work round this so I won't repeat them here. Of course once Affinity/Serif release a regular msi or exe install then folks shouldn't experience this problem.

Who knows but for now at least Serif have responded positively and I would expect them to continue listening to their user base - so hats off to them. I don't blame them for going/trying the app route if it increases their market share with a highly cost effective product. What MSoft do in the future - who knows. I don't think they even do. Rumours are that Win12 is being developed for release in 2024 as a subscription service - but again only speculation from insiders. No doubt if they went this route it would be aimed at the large corps but again no one knows. Also Win11 updates will be moved onto subscription - more speculation. If that does prove to be the case then I'll stick with my Win10 and 11 rigs as they are.

You should read other threads regarding Affinity 2. Serif are going to be releasing a msi install asap.

That's how MSoft have been thinking since Win8 when they woke up as to how much Apple were making from their in-house purchases after the iPad launch. Then it's become downright stupid with even the great Adobe selling PShop as an app although they do offer it as a stand-alone program albeit linked to a subscription.

Thanks Mark and a thumbs up to Affinity/Serif

Sorry Mark I beg to differ. There was nothing wrong with the updates in V1. So where you get this information from I have no idea!!

You can find the app under the Windows Apps section on the left. It's what we used to uninstall all the crap that came with Win10 and 11 (incl MS Store). Many other software developers use the MSIX route but at the same time there is the option for the traditional install via their website. I cannot understand why Serif are determined to dig their heels in over this but then again, I'm past bothering. There's more to life and as I've had my refund I'll stay with V1.

There is a simple registry entry that you can use to overcome the TPM and CPU issue. All it does is stop Win11 checking your minimum requirements. I run both Win11 and 10 and frankly in my view Win11 is just the same as 10 with different lipstick - you're not missing out on anything in my book and unless you disable certain elements of 11, it just seems more intrusive.

I think It's obvious by now how Affinity/Serif feel about the app route but nonetheless that's what they have chosen. Whether they eventually decide to release a normal installer or not will of course be their decision. Maybe this will be influenced by sales/ refunds/etc - we will just have to wait and see. I and the 3 other PC's that have MS Store disabled will stay on V1. Making alterations to the app or registry can be fraught with danger and whilst V2 may be a first class app, it's also how it interacts with other installed programs which seems to be hit and miss. Whilst suggestions made by the mods are appreciated, it simply should not be necessary. I'm sure they've all got better things to do. Why Affinity/Serif did not release a standard installer in conjunction with the MS App Store I guess we'll never find out. There are several large corporations that have gone down the MS Store app route but at the same time have made available a stand-alone conventional installer. Also, it's not totally accurate to state that sandboxed apps are more secure. Much of it depends upon the security enabled on the PC and the MS Windows site plus the general internet is littered with tales of woe. If V2 stays purely as an app then so be it. If/when a better alternative to V1 comes along then I'll probably jump. I cannot though see any point in getting hot under the collar, frustrated, spending time on workarounds, pointing fingers at whoever - V2 is what it is at the moment and several posters need to take a chill out pill in my book.

I would doubt it unless they are 'forced' to do so by way of refunds or an aversion to purchasing by potential buyers. I fully appreciate the need to advertise the product on the MS Store - a wider audience so possibly more uptake - nothing wrong with that line of thought. Adobe, Corel and several others do it. They also though make available through their own websites a traditional install program. So you have the choice. It's difficult getting folks to jump ship. I did as I was fed up with increasingly expensive subscription software for very little in return. The 'name of the game is acquiring new customers and keeping your existing ones'. That's how organizations grow. There's no point in having a bucket with holes in it but that's the route Affinity/Serif have taken although I don't feel they believe they will loose existing customers - but they will unless they get to grips with this problem ultra quick - like yesterday. It's difficult enough getting new customers but virtually impossible to get them to return once they've jumped ship. For now I'll stay with V1 until a better alternative comes along (which it will at some point) or V2 becomes a viable proposition. There seems little point in posting further on the subject. All I'm reading, apart from highly dissatisfied users, is half baked excuses, workarounds, blame gaming, etc from Affinity/Serif. I have not read anywhere by Affinity/Serif of the need to to correct the problem that folks are experiencing. Just maybe they can't and they are wedded to the app route - a take it or leave it software model.