Xara sponsors Open Source project

Xara sponsors Open Source project
--------------------------------- 

22nd September, 2005 - Xara is pleased to announce it is sponsoring 
an Open Source project for a 'universal vector graphics translator' to 
help facilitate the conversion between various vector graphic file 
formats. 

The Uber-converter is a universal vector graphics translator that can 
convert between numerous different vector formats. It is an Open Source 
software project produced by Scratch Computing. 

Converting between graphics file formats is a nightmare for both users 
and developers. Each new format results in a factorial increase in the 
number of converters needed to directly convert from one format to all 
the others. 

Eric Wilhem's work establishes a universal "hub" format that can be 
tranlated to or from any of the other formats. This way, each file format 
need only develop two converters, and immediately gain rich conversion 
capabilities to all other formats. 

Charles Moir, CEO of Xara, said "There are numerous vector graphics file 
standards in existence with pretty poor connectivity between the different 

formats. It's a problem that all graphics developers face. It's also a 
huge 
problem for users and graphics designers. They need more freedom to switch 

between tools. 

So when we heard of Eric's plans we thought this sounded like a good 
solution. We're happy to sponsor this as Open Source work because it 
promotes connectivity and that drives the advancement of technology. The 
very nature of converting between competing formats means it should not 
be proprietary technology, but an open standard that multiple different 
contributors can support. 

We hope by sponsoring this project to bring some compatibility between 
the Xara and Inkscape products while at the same time progressing the 
idea of a universal Open Source vector graphics format converter." 

Bryce Harrington, one of the founders of Inkscape, said, "We've been 
excited 
to have Eric involved with the Inkscape community, as interoperability 
with 
professional drawing programs like Xara is critical for many of our users. 

It's thrilling to see Xara's sponsorship of Eric's work towards these 
objectives." 

Xara already has an open vector format as used by Xara X. Another is SVG 
(a W3C standard) that has been widely adopted by the Linux community. So 
one 
of the first goals of this new project is to convert between these two 
types. 
Xara has committed $10,000 to sponsor Eric Wilhelm's work to achieve the 
'universal vector graphics translator'. 

Eric Wilhelm, founder of Scratch Computing and leader of the uber-
converter 
project, said "I'm delighted to have the backing of a commercial software 
vendor. Users invest a lot of time in creating artwork and other vector 
graphics 
data. They need to be able to access that data with multiple programs so 
that 
they can use the right tool for the job. There are a lot of great off-the-
shelf 
tools, but the uber-converter also makes it easier to build simple 
solutions 
for new problems. It's great to be building truly innovative software and 
working 
with Xara, a very forward-thinking company." 

More information can be found from: 
Uber-converter home page: http://scratchcomputing.com/projects/uber-
converter/ 
Xara X home page: http://www.xara.com/xarax 

Editors
For further details please contact: Nova Fisher, Communications Director, 
on nova@xara.com 

About Xara
Xara has been producing software since 1981 and has developed particular 
expertise in the area of software for creating web graphics. The aim is to 

combine clean, simple UIs with ultra fast performance, in packages that 
create 
compact, screen-optimized graphics. For further details on Xara and our 
products 
visit our web site at: http://www.xara.com 

Besides graphics software Xara also has an online division, Xara Online, 
that has 
developed a range of web site add-ons for non-programmers. These enable 
anyone, 
from business owners to experienced webmasters, to add a wide range of 
online page 
components and data functionality to any website. For further details on 
Xara 
Online visit: http://www.xaraonline.com