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.

Okay I'll jump in assuming you're using Win10 or 11. If you've disabled (for whatever reason) MS Store then it will not install. The App installs to C:\Users\<your name>\ - if that folder/directory does not have the allowed permissions then it will fail. The rub on this is the program is an App and not conventional. There is an extensive discussion which may be of interest here -

It is a Windows permissions issue and deliberately so. It is relatively easy to amend these but as mentioned earlier many users I suspect do not visit these forums or read any help files. All they want is a straightforward install process. I use a DAM program with the facility to open the *.jpg or *.raw file in an external program for editing - I'm sure I'm not alone in this. The last thing I need is to be met with a 'cannot access' message. Anyway, just my two cents - V2 is what it is.

I'm in the don't know camp but there will be someone along shortly that can explain your question. Many companies - Corel, Adobe, etc are offering their products on MS Store - no doubt a marketing exercise and I wouldn't blame them for that. But, and it is a big but, they also offer a regular install via their websites. Where Serif/Affinity have dropped the ball in my eyes is it's an app or nothing requiring in some cases the requirement to compromise security settings or if you've totally disabled MS Store then you're out of luck. Maybe V2 is a huge improvement over V1 but I guess I'll never get to find out until or if a conventional install program is released.

Thanks Mark although I'm sure most posters/readers of this forum will be aware of the install path(s) by now. From memory there is or was not any mention of this during the actual install process. So many users who do not visit these parts will be left in the dark and no doubt possibly highly frustrated. Anyway, V2 is what it is and it is of course entirely an individual choice whether to live with it or revert back to V1 as I have done.

Unfortunately the posters/readers on the forum probably represent a small minority of the Affinity user base and we'll probably have no explanation or reasoning as to why Serif went this route. I bought V2 then had to go hunting for the relevant *.exe files so was totally in the dark about the app - I just assumed....... Decided it wasn't for me and got a refund. On a more positive note, V1 is still performing fine for my needs so whilst I may be a little disappointed, it's certainly not the end of the world. There may be an *.exe file option install released at some stage via the update route (although no one knows of course) but for Serif to openly admit they could have done things better I very much doubt it. I'm certainly not going to throw toys out of pram over this or loose any sleep and most certainly not going back to Adobe.

I think you may be surprised as to how many professionals use Affinity albeit probably, although I have no proof, many of the larger corporations are still wedded to Adobe but I'd bet my bottom $ they don't pay the advertised monthly fee. Speaking from experience with Adobe products, they change very little over time. Sure there may be the odd extra feature here and there added but it's only beneficial if you have a use for it. We moved three of our machines to Affinity V1 and everything has been fine but there's no way we're going to fluff around to get V2 working as needed (by us) and there's definitely no way we're reducing folder/directory security to do so. So for now we're stick with V1 until it no longer fulfils our requirements. Personally I doubt if there will be an *.exe released for V2 any time soon. Being an ex-beta tester for MSoft just about everyone in the beta testing system for Win 8.0 advised not to release it with that UI. You cannot transport a phone UI to a PC. We all know what happened next. The saving grace for MSoft was they were able to ride out the 'storm' but not many folks changed from Win7. Whether Affinity after the obvious disappointment of V2 can do the same only time will tell. But now is most definitely not the time to alienate any of your customer base in my book.

It'll work until there's an update. Then everything needs repeating.

Interesting point as our visiting IT guy disabled the Store on all of the Win10 PC's - apart from mine as I'm the boss. So we'll stay with V1. Funny how Adobe and Corel (yes they are still going) installs to the Program Files directory but Affinity are trying to convince folks that they had no choice. So please Affinity/Serif cease treating your customers as though they are dummies. There are too many experienced contributors around here so stop digging. Just man up - we made a mistake - here's the *.exe file.

I'll join the club of 'wasted too much time' so I'll stay with V1 and when that stops meeting my needs I'll just bite the bullet and go back to PS. I may even take a peek at Corel again - forgot about them. There shouldn't be this many posts regarding installation problems and other programs not being able to access a secure folder unless you reduce security levels - something I refuse to do. For folks (at this stage) needing to run a *.bat file which may or may not work is frankly ridiculous. I also find it amateurish for Affinity to try to 'blame' MSoft for this - total nonsense. Anyway, enough of this as got better things to do. I wish those continuing to use V2 all the best and if it works for you then good. But for me enough is enough.

It's not odd to me. In my book whoever signed V2 off - well the buck stops there. But there's no way you can expect folks to mess around registry hacking when you should be given the (where to) install option. There is no explanation from Serif/Affinity as to why they chose the install route they have. Obviously they monitor this forum and their silence is deafening regarding this. Anyway, back to V1 for me as I'm not going to mess around redirecting the paths of other programs.