David’s 95 Theses
Ha! I came across a blast from the past that I think you’ll all enjoy: David’s seminal “95 Problems with QuarkXPress” article, written in 2003:
Oh, wait a second, wrong image. The actual article, originally published in CreativePro.com, is called “QuarkXPress 6 vs. InDesign CS: Taking Sides.” Here’s an excerpt:
That first image is a replica of Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, in which Luther essentially took the Catholic church of to task for its misdeeds, specifically how the clergy of the day subverted basic tenets like confession and absolution into financial properties called “indulgences.” You can read more about all that on its Wiki page.
But reading David’s article from seven years ago, complete with damning screen shots showing XPress and ID interfaces head-to-head, kind of made me feel as though I were on the steps of Wittenberg Church in 1517 and reading that diatribe pictured at the top. Whoa! Remember, QXP and David were likethis for over a decade. His “Taking Sides” article, and one he wrote a few months earlier comparing XPress and InDesign 2, were nails number one and number two in the doors of The Holy Quark Empire. A reformed Mr. QuarkXPress had seen the InDesign light.
On their 10th birthday, while Adobe’s InDesign team is justifiably proud of its accomplishment in unseating a fully-entrenched competitor in an industry notorious for its resistance to change; I think we need to send a little acknowledgment love to the ultimate InDesign evangelist, David Blatner!
I’m glad that InDesign doesn’t NEED and evangelist because it sells itself with all it’s great features. I’m also very glad that it HAS David as an evangelist (or maybe he is the featured performer in the InDesign choir!!!)!
Thanks to all contributors and moderators for making IDS such a welcoming home for InDesign users everywhere!
I remember David’s article. I also remember being at the Quark conference where Fred Ebrahimi stated that all Quark users were thieves. But at least the customer support reflected Ebrahimi’s attitudes.
Moving to ID was a great day.
Thanks to Adobe for making an exceptional application that was priced affordably, so that its users did not have to steal, er “borrow” it (though the irony of Quark was that the paying customers were the ones to suffer).
Kudos also for Adobe’s phenomenal support of educational pricing!
I remember David’s article from 2003. It ran at the same time that I had switched from Quark to InDesign.
I recall thinking, “If Quark’s foremost expert is switching to InDesign, I know I’m making the right decision.”
Now, years later as an Adobe Certified Instructor for InDesign, I can’t even imagine using Quark. Every time I see a Quark file, from one of my Quark-to-InDesign students, I feel like I’ve taken a quantum leap into the past.