Having recently returned from the annual Ventura Summit, Im not sure whether to be happy or sad, and Im not sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about this venerable desktop publishing program. Theres reason for all four responses. From a selfish perspective, it might have been the finest conference yet, with wonderful spirit, many familiar and friendly faces, excellent representation from Corels development team, and a prevailing wave of enthusiasm and good feeling. Lest you think that I am merely spouting off, let me be just as quick to point out that the software gets virtually all of the credit for the success of the conference. All we had to do was get out of the wayversion 7.0 was the darling of the four days. This makes me both happy and sad. As I said in opening remarks that first morning, "Finally!" we have a version of the software that is worthy of our attention. Finally, we have a full and robust 32-bit release of Ventura that is once again capable of taking center stage among its peers. Finally, we find users who are using the software because they like it, rather than because their disdain for it is not as great as their dislike for the alternatives. Version 7.0 definitely rings in a new era for Ventura, but who is still listening? Im afraid I know the answer. Those interested in version 7.0 are the 4.2 and 5.0 users of the world, not the FrameMaker and Xpress users. |
