Is adobe allowing free downloads of PS CS 2? NO.

[sheana2002]

I heard this in an illustration class I am taking, with some people claiming they have downloaded the program. I can't believe this is true.....somebody please advise. Thanks in advance.

[Blaine91555]

I'm finding it hard to buy the for CS2 owners version. If that were the case I doubt the serials would be there on a public page. They would have had a link for registered owners to use. I think it's possible this is a viral ad campaign. It certainly is now whether intended or no. Some folks will get hooked and start buying due to this I'm sure. Win win for Adobe either way IMO.

[WBoswell]

I doubt you'll find any CS2 versions unless on sale at eBay and I wouldn't buy a pencil from there.  I've seen Adobe software two versions back in places like OfficeDepot and Staples when more current versions were available.  They were probably getting rid of their old stock.  Adobe doesn't seem to have a problem throwing out their old software, but I'm sure stores would like to get some money for theirs.

It's very strange that Adobe isn't putting their message on the download page even though in the forums they keep posting the same message over and over again that it is only for licensed users.  Maybe it's a legal thing they had to do even though it's impossible to stop all the downloads unless they take that page down.  By now, the software has been copied to other sites for downloading (I found one) so even if they did take it down, it wouldn't matter.

One good thing came out of it.  Those still using CS2 software at least have the ability to continue using it.  I wonder what's going to happen when the CS6 software is no longer supported.  Will we get new serial numbers too?

I had a recent problem when another company changed my serial number for software that is still current and didn't tell me.  I was trying to update the software and it wasn't allowing me to update it.  I contacted the company and they said they changed my serial number recently.  They have my current email and didn't even notify me.  The software wasn't disabled because of that.  I just couldn't update it.  They never told me why it was changed either.

[WBoswell]

I just noticed today that Adobe has put the final word on the download page.  It isn't free to everyone.  Now we all have the answer.

[Guest]

That still really doesn't solve anything. That's the same thing they've been saying in the forums all along. Should is very iffy. I should do a lot of things that I have no real obligation to do. They 'should' have said definitively that the downloads are only for previous owners and that would end all speculation. To me this is still more of a nudge wink kind of denial for legal purposes because they can't actually come out and change the license after the fact. Anyway the point is most likely moot because most people hit that site and quit it and never looked back with their "free" software.

[Noel Carboni]

"The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do."

-Captain Jack Sparrow

[OldBob1957]

Noel Carboni wrote:

"The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do."

-Captain Jack Sparrow

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

-Aleister Crowley

Not that I agree with him, mind you...

--OB

[Noel Carboni]

Nor I, but pretty much the entire connected world will download that version and use those serial numbers regardless.

As one who feeds my family thorugh software sales myself, I'm a stickler to pay people for fair use of their software.  My son says I'm a dinosaur in my thinking.  I tell my son, in turn, to watch out:  What goes around comes around.

-Noel

[the_wine_snob]

My son says I'm a dinosaur in my thinking.

I try to never talk about anyone's children, but in this case, I feel that you are correct, and your son is wrong - though he might well be in the current majority.

I hope that you can use this as a bit of a "life lesson," to teach from. I am like you. I have received many programs on disc with S/N's, but have never used any. I thank the folk, who believe that they are doing "good," and shred the discs. I do not even use them as a "trial." If I want such, I download, test, and then either buy, or pass.

Being a "creative," though not in the domain of software, I hope that others respect my ownership of my images and videos, and only use them, per the legal aspects of their specified degree of "ownership."

Hunt

[OldBob1957]

Noel Carboni wrote:

Nor I, but pretty much the entire connected world will download that version and use those serial numbers regardless.

As one who feeds my family thorugh software sales myself, I'm a stickler to pay people for fair use of their software.  My son says I'm a dinosaur in my thinking.  I tell my son, in turn, to watch out:  What goes around comes around.

-Noel

Yep, yep, yep. Started life as a systems programmer (IBM System 3 Model 10, and later, IBM 360 & CDC 4800, just to date myself). I know HOW to hack all this stuff, I just refuse to. I also do silly stuff like paying for software and reading manuals and instruction sheets.

What's older than dinosaurs? That's me.

[_ET3D_]

I went to look at the message (thanks for the heads up William Boswell) and it looks clear enough for me. I've been following the threads and waiting for something like this, and I think it's good enough. Anyone who isn't inclined to use unlicensed software will go away, and those who are inclined to do that can probably get newer versions anyway, and find enough excuses to do that.

[Guest]

William Boswell wrote:

I seem to recall it was introduced in the CS2 products, but I could be wrong. 

I don't know about InDesign, but for Photoshop I'm pretty sure that it was CS actually. Photoshop v7.0, the version that came before, was the last one without activation, iirc.

[WBoswell]

I think you're right.  I think InDesign CS came out before the other CS1's with activation.  I purchased ID CS1 before CS2 came out.

It's my guess that Adobe is trying to go the subscription route permanently so they have full control over activation and piracy.  It might be good for them, but I don't like to pay a monthly fee for something I don't profit from.  After about six months, I could have upgraded it for the same price or less than the Cloud subscriptions.

CS6 is probably going to be my last version since we have to upgrade for every new version to stay on the upgrade path.  I don't even get to learn my current program before another upgrade comes out.  Especially with these X.5 upgrades which are only bug fixes.  Acrobat is the only one I will upgrade because I use it every day.  Illustrator 10 and InDesign CS were never upgraded because I don't use them anymore.

[gener7]

Adobe has also disabled their activation for the Macromedia line of products they purchased. They simply instruct those with the original install discs to run the "activate by phone" option in the installer and provided serial numbers to unlock the software bypassing activation. That means it would more that likely help the original license holders and not much chance pirates even have software that old.

Adobe is providing serials/binaries for outdated programs no longer sold or supported and not of much use in today's workflow. Adobe if they wanted to could lock it down. I halfway expected them to have deactivation patches or serials ready for that day.

I'm very sure Adobe knows what they are doing. I have no worries or outrage over all of this.

[the_wine_snob]

Something that I had not considered. I own licenses to many MacroMedia programs (pre Adobe), so if that machine dies, or is replaced, need to think about things a bit more.

Appreciate your poking me, to think.

Hunt

[gener7]

Oh, well in that case,here's the relevant page, Bill.

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/macromedia-legacy-activation-error.html

Gene

[PBoehme]

Jeff Schewe wrote:

You guys can go on slugging it out here if ya want...

Let's hope not, Jeff.

I only drop in on the the Adobe forums occasionally when I have a serious (to me) question because my past experiences have been that there are plenty of well qualified and helpful people who are  willing to help -- and, without the typical nonsense that is all too frequently found on some of the techno geek forums .

The forum format has changed since my last visit and I was sifting through some of the threads to see how things now work and came across this thread.  It really disappoints me to see the unsavory culture that exists on so many other forums seems to be creeping into the Adobe forums which I have regarded as a bastion of civil discourse.  I am hoping that this reintroduction to the Adobe forums is just an anomaly.

Paula

[Noel Carboni]

Paula, may I ask what part of this frank and open discussion you find un-civil?

There have been some heated threads (especially about color-management), but this one seems pretty tame to me.

I can't help but get the feeling you must have misinterpreted something you saw up above.

-Noel

[PBoehme]

Noel Carboni wrote:

Paula, may I ask what part of this frank and open discussion you find un-civil?

There have been some heated threads (especially about color-management), but this one seems pretty tame to me.

I can't help but get the feeling you must have misinterpreted something you saw up above.

-Noel

Nothing to do with your comments and I don't want to be the forum police.  But, I perceived things as being more to do with feelings (as in disregard for ...) than subject matter when words like "bullying" and "vehemence" are being tossed about.  I am probably a dinosaur when it comes to civility so I'll just waddle off to my primordial swamp so that someone can find my fossil in a few million years.

Now you tell me about color management.  I just made a lengthy post on the subject.

BTW, I am not new to computers or the Internet.  I am a retired electrical engineer and the first computer yhat I used was a UNIVAC 1108 in the mid 60's.  Years before the Internet, I participated in newsgroups until flame wars and profanity became the norm.  I have been using Photoshop since version 3 approximately the early 90's.

[Will_W2]

Wow, a lot more heat than light in this discussion. 

When I bought my film scanner years back it was bundled with PSE1 (PSE2 had recently been released).  PSE2 came with my 20D (3 was on the shelves).  A PSE3 disk came with my Wacom tablet (4 was out).  When I heard that CS2 was "free", my first thought was that Adobe was following the same strategy:  Give away an obsolete version in the hope that some, having had a taste, would buy the current version.  Since I now have a (legal) copy of CS5 it didn't tempt me, but otherwise I might have jumped on it - not to steal from Adobe but from an honest misunderstanding.

[Guest]

Will W wrote:

When I heard that CS2 was "free", my first thought was that Adobe was following the same strategy: 

What you're talking about is something entirely different. That's bundling. In that case, you're PSE is being paid for, even if it wasn't exactly your core purchase. That's not quite the same as a magazine such as 3D World or 3D Artist, for example, packing an old version onto their DVDs. Close, but not the same. In the case of your Wacom, it's being packed in as a supplement to your tool. It's part of the package. In the case of a magazine disc, for which you really just pay for the magazine, the software isn't so much a part of the package as it is live promotional material. Like a non-expiring demo. It's included, usually, for the purpose of whetting your appetite so that you might upgrade to the latest version.

[Will_W2]

I agree that bundling is different, but I'll disagree that it's completely different.  My posting was in reaction to the attitude apparent in a lot of the posts, that anybody who downloaded CS2 after reading on other boards that it was free, is a thief.  They may well have been acting in good faith.  Of course, once they learn of their mistake they should delete the software.  I found myself in a similar circumstance some years ago:  I bought software at a too-good-to-be-true price, and when I recieved the disk I realized that it was originally bundled software and the EULA was only valid for the owner of the hardware.  I threw away the disk and resolved to be more careful in the future.

[Guest]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Adobe is a multi-billion dollar corporation. Maybe putting the serials on the page was a mistake. KEEPING them on the page is not. Adobe employs 10,000 people - literally. Are you telling me that not single one person said, "Oops. Gotta take those serials off of the page." in the entire 2 weeks since this thing went viral? If Adobe is sincere in their belief that CS2 is "free for some". there's no excuse for why the serials are still "free for all." None.

Adobe staffers, I feel bad for you. I really do. I know that you're just doing your job by parotting back the party line. It's your job and you're doing it well. No complaints about you. HOWEVER, what you say and what your bosses do don't exactly match up.

1. We're being told that CS2 is only free for current license holders, but look at where we're being told this. This info is being kept in the tiny confines of this forum. Adobe has not directed a statement to the larger world, as serviced by the major tech & news sites. Singing in your shower is not the same thing as performing the Superbowl halftime show. Say it loud. Say it proud. Say it for all to hear. Adobe's forums are just a tiny corner of the internet. There's a whole group of people who have downloaded CS2 who haven't heard your message.

2. Staffers, I know what you're saying. I hear it. If this is true then why is none of it mentioned on the download page? Again, the Japanese site has a disclaimer. Why not the other sites? Your talk is not matching the walk.

3. Is it REALLY that hard to take the serials off of the page? Look. If you're serious, just edit the darn page. I don't know about you, but it'd take me less than 1/2 an hour to copy and paste a disclaimer, hide the serials, change the download links, and upload the correction. You've had 2 weeks (or more) to do it. You're not. If actions speak louder than words, what are Adobe's actions really saying?

4. How about this Adobe? Commit a few hours of your resources. Just a few. Edit the installers and have them reject the public serials. Send out new serials to ACTUAL CS2 license holders and... TADA!! You can't fix the situation of already downloaded copies, but you can stop the spread of future copies. In essence, you have the power to blacklist those public serials for all future installations.

See my problem? Their actions aren't aligned with their words. That's either a sign of incompetence or that Adobe has accepted that "free for all" as an unofficial status quo for CS2. Again, staffers, I don't expect you to agree. I expect you to be the good little Adobe soldiers that you are. Staffers gotta eat too. However, let's be realistic here. There's a lot of talk, but not a whole lot of action.

Again, more people watch cat videos than read these forums. Adobe has the power to fix this situation, to correct this misconception. They're not. They won't. What's the message?  As far as anybody's concerned, CS2 is free for all. Unless somebody directs them to these few threads, that's the message.

[ssprengel]

Why should Adobe bother changing anything about the page, like removing the serial numbers or adding a disclaimer? Anything they do will cost them people’s time and therefore money.

Adobe isn’t losing much if any money by having these obsolete products “available” for anyone to download even if only current CS2 owners are supposed to. By having this page available with serial number intact, they are reducing the number and duration of support calls which do actually cost real money.

Anyone who is using these obsolete products for free isn’t someone who likely would have paid for the current product and these obsolete products are tied to obsolete operating systems that are tied to obsolete hardware so eventually they won’t run anymore.

Anyone who doesn’t own CS2 but installs and successfully uses the product with positive feelings is a potential future customer with blogs and forums and chatrooms distributing the marketing information rather than Adobe having to do anything than put up a page and send out e-mails to people who are using CS2, currently.

[Guest]

ssprengel wrote:

Why should Adobe bother changing anything about the page, like removing the serial numbers or adding a disclaimer?  Anything they do will cost them people’s time and therefore money.

And it isn't costing them time and money by having their forum staff respond here? How much time and money could they save by just posting a disclaimer once and for all? It sure beats answering the same questions over and over again on the forum.

As for why should they bother.... The already have. Just look at the Japanese page. They added both the January 8th Community Admin statement and a full on disclaimer saying that it was for CS2 license holders only. That was literally a day after the "free CS2" message went viral. That's over a week and a half ago. See what I'm getting at? There's a mixed message here and it's intentional. Somebody took the time to write a disclaimer up, but decided to post it for only a certain audience. It's like, "Japan, only some of you can grab it. Everybody else,  have at it." It's not a matter of "should they" because they already did. It's more of a matter why they did it selectively. That, imo, is curious and a little damning.

[ssprengel]

The laws in the US and Japan may be different and the market sizes certainly are and so the potential marketing calculations may have resulted in a different messaging conclusion. Adobe is a US company not a Japanese company. The content editors and approvers may be different in the two countries and who might have been on vacation when the content was decided on and whomever was their backup may be different in November and December between the two countries.

Adobe may have purposely left their CS2 site ambiguous for the reasons already stated, or for any number of other reasons, perhaps after much thought and analysis or perhaps after very little.

Adobe may have decided that it is a mistake to not have a disclaimer, but publically acknowledging the mistake by correcting it may cost them some small percentage of stock price at least until more time passes. Or someone in Adobe

Adobe may have already decided to change things but it takes a while for things to percolate through their change management bureaucracy so they may not be publically visible, yet.

Chris either gets paid to patrol the forums and respond or he does it on his own time, in either case, it isn’t costing more money for him to reply to a particular thread unless he has so much else to do that it is getting neglected.

The licensing terms Adobe shows the user and that the user must accept as a condition of them using the software should be sufficient to give Adobe recourse of doing anything they want with CS2 or any other Adobe product you have installed on your computer at any time. If it is more cost-effective for them to do something different in the future they certainly can. For example, suppose I have CS6 installed and choose to download and install Acrobat 7 which I don’t own, already. Adobe can disable my CS6 if they want at some point when I download the next CS6 or AAM update.