New Contenders in the Editorial Systems Market - Impressed

Editorial Systems
NxEditorial’s XML
Editor (left) with a Web
page. At the bottom
is a collection of
content that has
been associated
with this story and
can be tagged and
used in print, on the
Web, etc.
items are still missing, including a switch to an open,
scalable architecture and standard database, a need
that is even more apparent in light of the new competitors.
Also of concern is the lack of a means of extracting
QPS content (as XML-tagged files) for publishing
on the Web on a real-time or scheduled basis. QPS customers
have been able to use tools such as Callas Software’s
Autopilot or PCI’s Internet Content Publishing
System (iCPS) to import or export content and metadata
automatically into or out of QPS, but they run as
server products and come from third parties, whereas
they should be integral parts of QPS.
Also missing are items such as automated handling
of jump stories, a browser interface for remote access
and login-based preferences.
Quark is well aware of these shortcomings and, in
fact, addresses them in QPS Enterprise, but at a much
higher price. Will they be added to QPS Classic later?
That remains uncertain. If Quark goes ahead with the
QPS Plus midlevel system, these features could be part
of the Plus offering. So far, Quark has declined to discuss
the details of the future product line.
To upgrade or not? Upgrading to QPS Classic 3 has
become controversial as customers weigh the benefits
against the costs. On the one hand, the benefits,
though modest, are critical for nearly anyone using the
system for serious business. One leading integrator,
asked about the prospects for QPS sales, said he
expected “a breakout” this fall and winter as customers
upgrade from 2.12 to 3. On the other hand, the
lack of some important features that are now available
from competitive systems has disappointed many customers
contemplating the upgrade. This position was
reflected by another leading integrator, who called the
Classic 3 release too little, too late. That integrator
expects a significant migration away from QPS.
Weighing the benefits against the cost is difficult.
Quark points out that it is offering the upgrade free to
customers with whom it has maintenance contracts.
However, based on what we have been told, we believe
the number of customers in that category is minimal.
The explanation for this is partly that QPS customers
typically have not opted for maintenance contracts and
partly that those that did were under contract with
Modulo Systems, which held all QPS maintenance
agreements until January 2003 and has retained the
rights to that list since then. As a result, Quark started
2003 with a formidable challenge in building a new list
from scratch. One integrator, speculating on how
many QPS maintenance contracts Quark might have,
said he “could count [them] on one hand.” Customers
without maintenance contracts have the option of paying
for the upgrade or buying a maintenance contract
first and then getting the upgrade free. Customers with
maintenance contracts through Modulo have to pay
for the upgrade.
Some customers might be more inclined to make
the upgrade if they had a better idea of when Quark
would offer some of the features that QPS still lacks,
but so far Quark hasn’t announced when additional
functionality will be available or what it will entail.
Besides the costs likely to be involved in upgrading
QPS, customers also need to upgrade to Xpress 6 (typically
$200–$250 per seat) and to OS X.
The other market. For prospective customers not already
using QPS systems, Classic 3 will be pitted against a
growing band of competitors in the market for new
sales. Quark declined to divulge the list price of a new
QPS 3 system, so we asked a few integrators what they
would charge. The best response came from one leading
integrator, who asked to remain anonymous. He
said that typical pricing would be about $25,000 per
server and $1,500 per seat for software, not counting
installation and service charges, which would bring the
cost of a 55-seat installation to between $125,000 and
$170,000.
Net-linx Teams with Seinet for New System
Although the system shown at its Nexpo debut wasn’t
brand-new, Net-linx’s appearance at the show reflected
a change almost as significant as a new system: a rejuvenated
product line based on technology obtained
through an agreement in January with Seinet of Spain.
As a result of the agreement, Seinet’s Xtent editorial
system technology has become the heart of Net-linx’s
editorial offering, and Net-linx has taken over responsibility
for the development and distribution of Xtent
in the international newspaper market.
The current system, which Net-linx is calling
nxEditorial (taking its position opposite nxAdvertising),
is essentially Xtent with some enhancements
taken from Net-linx’s earlier Insiight system, which has
been replaced in the product line. However, Net-linx
said that this isn’t merely a case of reselling an existing
product. Over time, it will serve as the starting point of
a new J2EE-based development project. Net-linx has
hired new programmers to work on this technology,
16 October 6, 2004 • The Seybold Report • Analyzing Publishing Technologies