Xara is my favorite vector graphics program. It is extremely fast and offers a nice direct-manipulation interface. I can perform a lot of editing functions without constantly going to the toolbars or palettes. Ever since I've switched to the Mac, I've been looking for a Mac OS X replacement for Xara, which was only available for Windows at the time (the only Windows program I miss).

So, a while ago I've tried Lineform on my 12" PowerBook G4 and was a bit dismayed by the performance -- probably due to the laptop, rather than Lineform. Inkscape didn't fare much better and for some plugins it was absolutely horrendous (something simple as a gradient fill, actually).

I thought that my only choice was to run Xara through Parallels or VMWare Fusion, but it seemed ridiculous to pay for Windows and the virtualization software just to run Xara (I already own a license to Xara).

Later I found out that there is an open source version of Xara available for Linux (http://www.xaraxtreme.org/), which I managed to run from within Ubuntu on VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org/) on my Mac (This time I have a workhorse in the form of the original Intel iMac). Once Ubuntu and VirtualBox are fully setup (i.e., fix some driver issues, install guest additions, enable shared folders, etc.), Xara can run in full screen and can save files to the home folder.

That said, I'll give the new Lineform a try, although I still prefer Xara's interaction style.

Acorn!

silver-zinc batteries

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