P: Provide support for Linux

I imagine they've all but given up on Adobe. I bet CodeWeavers would *jump* on the chance to bring a big-name Adobe application to Linux. Adobe and CodeWeavers would both get my money.

Since I'm in the MN Adobe office and CodeWeavers is right in town, it has crossed my mind to drop them a line and ask about working together on getting changes into Wine and/or Lr to make it work. But I haven't yet. I always figured they're more focused on gaming. The Wine most requested apps leader board is dominated by games.

I'm not a programmer, but look....

If Adobe doesn't want to invest in making a version for Linux, can they not, at the very least, make enough of the source code available that a project group could make an interface for the Windows version to work properly in WINE?

I think I said Lr's core parts are reasonably portable, but that doesn't contradict Chris' point that porting to and fully testing a third platform would be a non-trivial effort (and thus, cost). Also, I said that about Lightroom 2 and Lr4 has added more components that may or may not be as portable...

Wasn't you or Dan (or another Adobe employee?) saying that most part of Lightroom was platform independent (core computing) and that the UI was on a technology that could be easily supported on Linux?

Yes, waiting to see if there is a market that all surveys indicate doesn't exist might be a very good strategy.

No, porting and supporting Linux would cost quite a bit - it is not the same as OS X, it is a third platform, with all the costs of a third platform.

Is waiting to see what's happening with Steam a good strategy? I mean Adobe is a strong company, Valve has stepped in, why not follow? Why not make this attempt stronger?

Also I'm a software developer and I pretty well know that if the software is properly developed, supporting another platform, especially Linux when Mac-OSX is already supported, should not be that difficult. So if it does not cost that much, won't it be a good move?

But I know I'm dreaming at this point, I see what people are responding on this forum and I see what Adobe as done with Flash on Linux! I've lost all hope about Lightroom on Linux. I'll continue to go here, but I'll spend more time to look at some alternatives.

Ok, you can follow the path you like... that's really sad!

Pascal - yes, we have lots of hard data on the Linux market.
It is not chicken and egg -- several companies have tried selling desktop software in the Linux market, and failed (some companies collapsed, some just left the Linux market after a year or so).
At this time, the Linux software "market" consists mostly of film studios who already have licenses for the desktop software on Macintosh or Windows. The single end-user market for Linux is tiny indeed.
Until a demonstrable market for desktop software on Linux appears -- most companies are not going to spend money on Linux ports or support. That's why everyone is watching the Steam port - to see if the numbers might really exist, and if they're willing to pay more than pocket change for software.

Those of you pointing out that you have purchased windows simply to run Lightroom and other adobe products, or that you maintain such a system for that purpose, may be hurting the case for Lightroom on Linux rather than helping it.

Lightroom licenses are multiplatform. When you buy Lightroom you're free to use it on Mac or Windows. Assuming that Linux will not be a paid addition, that means that for Adobe to make money by supporting Lightroom on Linux there would have to be people out there who currently use only Linux and therefore have not purchased Lightroom. If you've already bought Lightroom and are using it on a Windows/Mac system you begrudgingly maintain for that purpose you unfortunately do not represent any additional business for Adobe.

Personally, I would like to switch entirely over to Linux and Lightroom is one thing, possibly the only thing, that holds me back. I have not upgraded from LR3 to LR4 yet, even though 4 has some excellent new features. However, if Linux support were included in LR4 I would surely upgrade.

First : Not only Linux users like free stuff...

Sure, I am on another platform for my photos, but not my own free will. I upgrade my box every 2 years, dedicated to photos. The best of having Lightroom on Linux is for my related to storage and hardware. I can have a file system that is open and hard-drives that are accessible on other computers. Try that with the propriety filesystem of Mac-OS (Windows I don't know after their 'fat' filesystem).

I guess there will me more photogs that will go for Linux if Lightroom is available. You get a lot of stuff for free ;-), you can pick your own hardware, build redundant servers, connect secure to the Internet.

It would be very competitive.