VERDICT A modern makeover and new Flash authoring capabilities put a real spring in the step of the old timer.
QuarkXPress is one of the few truly revolutionary applications. Twenty years ago Quark took the simple hands-on approach to DTP pioneered by PageMaker, grafted on some high-end control, and reinvented the publishing industry. For over a decade QuarkXPress ruled the world of commercial print design but then threw it away and allowed Adobe InDesign to seize its publishing crown. Winning it back will demand something special – which is exactly what Quark is promising for this new release. The slogan for QuarkXPress 8 is: “Revolutionizing Publishing. Again.”

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VERDICT: Improved recording capabilities, richer design and interactivity and deeper integration with PowerPoint see Captivate build on existing strengths.

Adobe Captivate is a Flash-based solution for computer-based training (CBT). The use of Flash provides an immediate and massive advantage as it means that Captivate’s output is automatically viewable by anyone with the Flash player installed – roughly 98% of users with an internet connection...

Tom Arah gets to grips with Microsoft’s new Expression Studio and Silverlight platforms and wonders how they will fare against Adobe’s Flash.

Recently I looked at how Adobe is reworking Flash in preparation for the coming battle with Microsoft over the Rich Internet Application (RIA) space and, with it, the likely future of computer-based design...

Tom Arah examines what the recent Flash-based developments mean for the future.

Amazingly, the Flash SWF format’s rise to dominance began with its ability to embed simple, cartoon-style vector animations into HTML web pages to give them a bit of a lift...

VERDICT: A new interface, drawing engine and even programming language – but surprisingly little new power.

Under Macromedia’s development, Flash came to dominate the Macromedia Studio authoring suite with each release pushing back the boundaries of end user web experience. So what power does this first version developed under new owners Adobe unleash?

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VERDICT: Improved media handling, notably Flash video support, and improved interactivity see Captivate extend into rich new areas of computer-based training.

The most obvious strength of Adobe Captivate is that it outputs its computer-based training in the web-friendly Flash SWF format which can immediately be viewed by just about every computer user...

VERDICT: New multiple page support and improved text handling and workflow integration but the program’s main strength remains its underlying speed.

Xara has always stood out for the astonishing speed of its vector handling and for the hands-on creativity that this enables...

Tom Arah looks at the history, problems, solutions and future of designing for the screen.

Previously I looked at the history of desktop publishing (DTP) with its focus on print-based design and output to paper. However the advent of the Apple Mac and of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) into the mainstream of personal computing also heralded the opening up of an entirely new publishing medium and one that is set to become even more important than paper – the computer screen itself.