QuarkXPress - 8.15

We struggled to get the download for this update, because the Quark website kept on sending us in circles. However, Quark support were very good and got it on FTP for us. Once installed, it has cured our crashing problem.

I have now been using Quark for 14 years, from version 3.32. I've also used Pagemaker, Ventura Publisher, Indesign, and some budget applications such as PagePlus.

I felt Quark lost the plot with version 5. Version 6 was better, and 7 was better than that. It's only version 8, in combination with today's hardware, that has given me the old 'quick Quark' feel that I had under version 4 for System 8. By comparison, Indesign feels very sluggish, and, now that Adobe have boosted their upgrade prices, I'm not longer seeing benefits in keeping CS3 updated.

Quark suffers from dreadful documentation — like most modern software, there is no book, just online help — and from a few unintuitive controls. On the other hand, the speed, including speed of refresh, makes it a winner for time-critical work. We haven't got into the advanced shared composition features, and may never do so — the job of design and publishing hasn't changed a great deal, and features we never missed are not necessarily welcome.

Quark is not really a winning application for multimedia or web authoring. You can do much more with Flash in Apple's KeyNote, if working with Flash itself is too arduous. Virtually any HTML editing platform beats it for web-pages, though it is possible to mock them up in Quark and then finish them in Dreamweaver. On the other hand, the extra features don't interfere with the core features.

It has come to my attention that some reviewers in this forum may have undisclosed professional ties to Quark. There is nothing wrong with company affiliates posting comments. However to do so without mentioning this relationship is deceptive and arguably inappropriate.

The reviews in question may be coming from the same person, using aliases, or may represent a larger, more organized and concerted effort to influence this forum.

Normal, unaffiliated end-users may recognize the remarks in question. Simply ask yourself if the review you read appears to describe the application that you know of as Quark 8.x (barely improved since the old days) or if it seems to describe some other ideal, chimerical, essentially non-existent page-layout program that we all still wish for, but do not yet have.

Another clue to this deception, are reviewers who insist on attacking those of us who post sensible critical comments. This in itself should send up a Big Red 72 pt Helvetica Bold Flag.

There is no need to harass those of us with critical views of Quark. It's bad form. Some of us have been using this program, in all its dubious glory and imperfection, for better or worse, till death do us part, since 1987! Our views are relevant, and from a friendlier company, would be invited, valued and appreciated.