can anyone tell me why EQ's keep updating? don't they all do the same thing?

I started with EQ 3 and each version gets better. Also the program has to be updated to match the updated computers. Each new update has tweaks and add ons that maybe were not possible for the old version. I suspect the newer versions will be more online and more in real time, that will be great to be able to show your work to other EQ users and design together with others.
My computer will not run EQ 3 or 4 now. EQ 5 works fine but there are limitations that EQ 6 does not have.

They just keep getting better and more user friendly. Worth the update.

Once you buy the full version, its worth the upgrade. Each time, they seem to make it a bit more user friendly and add new tools to help. :)

One of the changes they made was to allow you to scan in your own fabrics, another allowed more drawing options....and the first versions may not have been compatible with the newer Window's Operating Systems....

I think EQ6 that I have will do me just fine for many years...I will check out newer versions as they come along, but it does everything that I want to do now

does that mean that in order to keep using your existing computer, you are 'encouraged' to upgrade?

I've had them since the first one, when the upgrade to 2 was only $7. I am at EQ5 now and for what I do with it, it is fine with me and I don't foresee getting #6. I don't see why you can't still use yours with the computer you have now. I enjoy seeing the new fabrics that they add to the list as you get into the higher levels.

i don't have it. i'm trying to understand the marketing aspect. i can see the potential in having a tool that allows you to design and then creates the templates for you. once you have that what do you need the upgrades for? you won't use their fabric, will you? so colors are all you need. right? there are free patterns all over the internet, so do they give you something different? how much does it cost to upgrade? does that mean re-buying the whole thing or retrofitting what you already have? when you upgrade, do you keep what you already have and add on? in other word, why is the original purchase no longer satisfactory, especially if it may not be computer friendly with your computer?

it seems to me that they have designed it with built-in obsolescence.

All versions of EQ will let you design a quilt. Just like an old black and white tv will show the same tv shows as the flat screen picture perfect tv but you saw what happen, the old tvs aren't capable of even receiving any shows now.

I have EQ4 and it works just fine on my up-to-date computer.

It really depends on what you use it for. I use EQ to draw pictures of the quilt that I have designed, to experiment with settings - MOSTLY so I can see the finished measurement of the quilt. For example, I wanted to make a sampler quilt for my guestroom.

I made 12 blocks and knew that wouldn't be enough, so I made 16 and then sat down at the computer and started playing with settings. I wanted my quilt to be about 90" x 90", and I didn't want to make another 8 (or more) blocks. I created the 16 blocks in EQ , in roughly the colors I had used, and then I started "making" quilts of them. Square setting with sashing didn't make them big enough unless I added a lot of borders, but if I set them on point and added sashing, I was getting closer. Then I set them on point with sashings, posts and alternate plain blocks. I was nearly there, so I added a narrow inner border and a 4" outer border. Perfect. Each step of the way, I could see exactly how big the quilt was, so I didn't have to do all the math on paper, and I could see how the sashings and borders looked with each arrangement. I could compare light borders to dark borders and gauge whether or not I needed posts in my sashings. I could make my alternate blocks of the background fabric and then try a darker fabric and then try simple pieced blocks instead of plain blocks.

Those of us who quilted before computers will remember using colored pencils on graph paper and having to do all the math for each possible setting! The patterns I used for my classes and patterns looked pretty un-professional compared to what I can do now, between my CAD and EQ4 programs.

When I am designing quilts for patterns, especially mystery quilts or Block of the Month clubs, I can create a block and save it for use in the finished quilt when I am done, copying and pasting the blocks for each step into the pattern that I will print.

When I am making a quilt for a client, I can quickly draft up a few examples of possible arrangements, save them as jpg images and send them by email (or print them, of course).

So EQ4 works fine for me. I don't need anything else for my personal or professional purposes, and I am not buying stuff I don't need. It's a tool and not a toy for me. I don't sit down to play with it... just for practical purposes. But if you want the upgraded versions, buy it by all means! :)

Every program sold for computers is upgraded from time to time. This is not something peculiar to EQ. You can continue to use the old software if you want, but the new version will offer more options. Many people are still using EQ5 without upgrading to EQ6, and EQ6 has been out for some time. Upgrades come out when significant changes have been made to a product, not just for every little change. I was not quilting before EQ6 was available, but I understand that it is a major improvement over EQ5 in user friendliness and functionality.

Usually when an operating system is upgraded, it will continue to run software meant for the old OS, but after several upgrades it will not reach back that far.

With EQ6, you can download the latest fabric from many of the manufacturers. The downloads are free, so if you are using a new fabric line you have a good chance of finding it online without having to scan in your own fabric. Just colors are not enough for me - I want fabrics - but I haven't found it necessary to start scanning in my own since so many different fabrics are available already.

EQ helps you design your own quilt and block patterns. Even if you start with a known quilt pattern, you can explore different borders or sashing, or see what the quilt would look like with a different color scheme. You can easily change the size of a block with EQ. If you're doing a log cabin, for instance, it is easy to set the blocks into the quilt and then turn them every which way to decide on a layout. EQ will print out a pattern for paper piecing, templates for cutting patches, directions for rotary cutting, yardage estimates.

If all you want is to find patterns and make them, you do not need EQ. If you dislike using computers, you will not use EQ. However if you find yourself making changes in the pattern or designing your own quilts, EQ can make the process faster, more accurate, and more enjoyable. You will be more productive using EQ. (Unless, that is, you spend all your time designing quilts in EQ and no time sewing. Some people actually do that...)

I think that upgrades generally cost about half the cost of the new product, so roughly $75 instead of $150. If you buy EQ6 as an upgrade to EQ5, you must have EQ5 installed in order to install EQ6. After installation, you will have both programs on your computer. You can open the EQ5 projects with EQ6, but not vice versa. You may want to uninstall EQ5, but you don't have to. You do need to retain the EQ5 product in case you need to install your EQ6 again.

This site will give you a lot more information about what's in EQ6.
http://www.electricquilt.com/Shop/EQ6/EQ6.asp

well, that takes care of that!

it doesn't run on mac without the add-on windows supplement, which i never got because at the time it cost more than the EQ does now. so to have this tool, i would have to be prepared to spend at least $450, probably more, for the EQ + the windows supplement for the mac. i don't think it's really worth it for me.

thanks everyone for answering all my questions. who knows what the future will bring, right? i may add another computer someday, downstairs where my workroom is, and that would be windows.

Parallels (which will run Windows on the Mac and is supported by EQ) is $79.99 from parallels, and you can get it a lot cheaper from ebay, especially if you buy a used version. It is possible to get EQ6 at 10% off, but list is about $150. So, I figure $230 would be an upper bound to get EQ6 running on your Mac. However it doesn't seem that you really need EQ if you are happy with the way you are doing things. We all find different tools to help us.

BTW, another thing I do with EQ6 is make my quilt labels. And Geta uses it to make the patterns for her wonderful shadow trapunto. It is really very versatile.

Glad to see that I'm not the only Mac user here. I bought Quilt-Pro 5 for the Mac. I bought it online for $69.99 and free shipping. I've been playing around with it and while it's not close to EQ, I like it. I've been successful creating blocks and designing quilts. It's cheaper than converting to a PC. Hubby has 3 PC's but I don't touch and definitely wouldn't load software on any of them.

Glad to see that I'm not the only Mac user here. I bought Quilt-Pro 5 for the Mac. I bought it online for $69.99 and free shipping. I've been playing around with it and while it's not close to EQ, I like it. I've been successful creating blocks and designing quilts. It's cheaper than converting to a PC. Hubby has 3 PC's but I don't touch and definitely wouldn't load software on any of them.[/quote]

on the quilt-pro, does it print out templates for you? i don't need it to estimate yardage or show me the latest fabric lines. does it show color?

Finally - have a chance to reply to your question about Quilt Pro. Yes, it does make printable templates and yes, it does let you use plain colors if you don't want to use fabric samples. I'm still playing with it. It also helps to resize squares. It has online help available and a tele # to call.

There is a contest for EQ block of the month...Jan block is due Feb 15th http://www.doyoueq.com/blog/?p=1993

When we built the previous home I designed tile floors with my EQ software. I installed them without a hitch and when the contractor's brother in law (who was a tile setter) came by to pay him a visit he told me there wasn't enough money you could have paid him to lay that tile like that. I did insets of 1" glass tiles to make a rug pattern in the middle of the larger background tiles in the master bathroom. He asked me how I designed it and was very impressed when I told him I used my EQ software. Ann in TN

Oooo - do you have a picture? Would love to see it. Quiters are creative.

Well, I thought I did! I do have the design that I made up and maybe I can actually find a picture of the finished project tomorrow and post it. It could be on my laptop or my downstairs computer that I have in my quilting room. After the move and a computer crash last year I sometimes wonder if I only hallucinate these memories of things I have. The white part at the lower right is where the shower stuck out into the room. Ann in Tn

Impressive!!!