Quark Forums

1.  How about an auto-updater with scheduling abilities similar to those used with Adobe and Microsoft apps?  Forcing a user to provide an email address to get a bug fix udpate is not preferred.

2.  Kill QLA and use volume licenses.  That insanely long "validation key" AND requiring QLA is ridiculous.

3.   Try to slim down the Mac version's file size: Quark 7.31 at 1.05GB vs InDesign CS3 at 451MB.  Crazy.   I just installed a fresh XPress 7 copy to update some drive images.  The fully patched Quark XPress 7.01 folder (which is really 7.31 but chooses to keep a false version number in the name) is sitting over 1GB with a freshly installed and fully patched InDesign CS3 sitting well under half that size.  Surely something can be done to slim things down.

jasonm:

1.  How about an auto-updater with scheduling abilities similar to those used with Adobe and Microsoft apps?  Forcing a user to provide an email address to get a bug fix udpate is not preferred.

Agreed. That is insane that Quark doesn't have it.

2.  Kill QLA and use volume licenses.  That insanely long "validation key" AND requiring QLA is ridiculous.

Who cares. At least it works.

3.   Try to slim down the Mac version's file size: Quark 7.31 at 1.05GB vs InDesign CS3 at 451MB.  Crazy.   I just installed a fresh XPress 7 copy to update some drive images.  The fully patched Quark XPress 7.01 folder (which is really 7.31 but chooses to keep a false version number in the name) is sitting over 1GB with a freshly installed and fully patched InDesign CS3 sitting well under half that size.  Surely something can be done to slim things down

Again, who cares? As long as the app has a small footprint (RAM and CPU) I really don't care. The times of limited hard disk space are over, my friend. If Apple gives you HP driver downloads of 410 MB you shoudl be happy with anythign less than 1 GB.

-scaaty

Hi, Jason,

good suggestions.

jasonm:

2.  Kill QLA and use volume licenses.  That insanely long "validation key" AND requiring QLA is ridiculous.

Can you explain what license model you'd prefer please? We probably have the license model you need, you might just not be aware of it.

However, a lot of our customers like QLA, as it saves them money:
QLA gives you concurrent usage and not "installed" usage, so e.g. you can install QuarkXPress on 25 machines though you just own 10 licenses of QuarkXPress. If you don't like that, Quark doesn't force you to use QLA, it is optional.

Best
Matthias

My main concern with the file size is not worrying about filling up a hard drive (although the more bloated apps you have, the larger your drive image will be and therefore take more time to deal with it), but more of just how efficient can it be when there is that much size difference?

I am eager to see how a Quark 8 install compares to ID.  I am hoping a lot of that bloat was in there due to Quark not releasing 7.0 as a Intel ready app and then making it Intel friendly through updates.  My fingers are crossed 8.x will be better about this.

Hi, Jason,

you can look and compare memory usage of the application on Windows and Mac OS X, using the Task Manager orActivity Monitor, as that probably is more relevant for you.

Yes, QuarkXPress 7.01 and higher are larger (on disk) than versions before and you are right, it has to do with it being Universal Binary. Basically Mac OS X hides a PPC-application and an Intel-application within the same icon (which looks like an application, is really a folder, a so call bundle). Not everything gets loaded, just one gets started (PPC or Intel).

That however is not unique to QuarkXPress, it is with all applications that are universal binary.

Best
Matthias

Change the serial#/validation/activation crap to be more like Adobe. I understand about pirating software, but we are busy and don't have time to screw around. And you wonder why InDesign is taking over the industry.....that is just one more BIG caveat.

I used to LOVE Quark. Now, only used as necessary based on collaboration with SOME clients.

Hi, scook,

can you please be more specific what you are looking for? Where do you feel the current activation process is too time-consuming?

Thanks
Matthias

Matthias, what could possibly be too time consuming about checking quark's website daily/weekly/monthly awaiting NEEDED fixes to keep production churning along. What could adobe possibly been thinking by TELLING ME when updates are available?

For example: When upgrading hardware and needing to move software from the old box to the new box, if the preceding administrator does not keep all the the validation codes, activation codes, etc, I must contact Quark and wait a couple of days to get the codes I need. Being responsible for keeping all applications available 24/7 for a prepress department, I do not have time to wait for an email response or hang on the phone for an hour. 

With Adobe, I simply put in the serial number and activate immediately online. 

That is the basis for my input.

Hi, scook,

may I ask you to contact customer service about it? Or send me an email and I connect you.

Quark offers three solutions for activation, you seem to use the single activation method (install on two machines, activate twice).

There is also a site license activation, where you can copy an installation to a new machine and activate again online (given you have licenses left).

Or - maybe even better - you use QLA and have a concurrent license model, that doesn't even require activation at all. Just copy the application folder over, even install on more machines than you have licenses, and you are done.

Is that what you would prefer?

Thanks
Matthias