Why does not Adobe support their products for linux?

Report · Jun 03, 2017

I'm a full stack web developer and design websites on Photoshop. It also better for editing photos. But I don't use windows as my operating system I am using Linux instead and I is the same for most developers I think It is more security and has big performance than windows. So why Adobe company doesn't make Photoshop and Illustrator available for Linux OR can it be online service.
Thanks Adobe

Report · Jun 03, 2017

Cloud on Linux https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1057800 for a long discussion

Report · Jun 05, 2017

The answer of this question has been deleted.

It is from 2012.
I want to know if Adobe willing to produce their products for Linux?

Report · Jun 05, 2017

Nothing has been deleted. There are more than 200 posts. Adobe will not reply, their future plans are kept secret, but the responses gave many reasons why some people feel it won't happen and why other people feel it should.

Report · Jun 05, 2017

The link sir in the correct answer is no longer available.

Inactive or retired community

Report · Jun 05, 2017

Try a different browser, or clear your cookies. I just tried it. The link works for me in Chrome, Firefox & Safari.

--OB

Report · Jun 05, 2017

beshoyn45413706 wrote
The link sir in the correct answer is no longer available.
Inactive or retired community

where does that link come from? It's outside the Adobe domain and is a redirect to a separate web site

The one below that John gave is working fine though.

Creative Cloud for Linux (Ubuntu)

Report · Jun 05, 2017

I want to know if Adobe willing to produce their products for Linux?

As I remember Mr.Cox has repeatedly stated they did not intend to release Photoshop for Linux and given reasons for that but some Linux users seem to have proven unwilling to accept arguments that do not conform to their preconceived notions.

Photoshop: Provide support for Linux | Photoshop Family Customer Community

Photoshop for Linux OS?

Report · Jun 05, 2017

You mentioned that this question was from 2012.

Well, what you say is the correct answer was the very first reply only 5 hours after the original question was posted back in 2012.

Any answer from 2012 may not necessarily be correct in 2017 - 5 years later.

As TestScreenName posted, this thread is ongoing with the latest reply on May 30 2017.

As of this time there are 488 replies on 13 pages, which makes it probably one of the longest threads on the Photoshop forum.

Long story short, there is no definitive answer.

To quote TestScreenName:

Adobe will not reply, their future plans are kept secret, but the responses gave many reasons why some people feel it won't happen and why other people feel it should.

Report · Jun 05, 2017

Even though the quotes from Mr.Cox are five years old or older they seem pretty clear concerning the state of affairs back then:

Yes, we have gathered more user data. Nope, it hasn't changed the market in a measurable way. There still is no significant market for commercial desktop software on Linux. Linux use is growing, but MacOS and Windows are growing much faster.

There is a market on Linux for server software. Just not so much for desktop software (I should have been more specific).
And Photoshop is few orders of magnitude more complex than the apps you first listed. Yes, the lack of standards and problems with APIs on Linux can be overcome -- if you have a market that makes it worth the hassle.

There is no one, comprehensive checklist that I know of. But yes, lack of standards and lack of system provisions for things that should be system wide (like fonts and color) are stumbling blocks. They can be overcome, but the OS really should already have standards and handling for things like that. (and "pick the window manager of the month" doesn't help, either)

Because there is no sign of the facts changing anytime in the forseeable future.
If Linux users want to see a change they need to start by making the OS more attractive to porting (ie: stable, standardized APIs), and make the market more attractive (ie: be willing to pay for software).
Re: Linux support

Again, we've done the research. The profits aren't there -- very few Linux users are willing to pay for commercial software.
And the cost of entry is still high because of the fragmented Linux landscape.
The Linux world has to change before commercial software will have reason to invest in Linux ports.
And we haven't seen much real change in the Linux market in several years.
PhotoShop For Linux ?

Report · Jun 09, 2017

Christoph,

When I attempted to go to the third party website that was mentioned, I got the message that the page was no longer active, so I was unable to read anything, much less see who the contributors were.

I didn't know that Chris Cox was active on that 3rd party website discussion.

If I had known this, my reaction would have be different.

As a long time forum user I completely respect Mr. Cox. I know he has been involved in many long discussions on numerous issues including Linux among other things.

These Linux discussions crop up on a regular basis and on the longer ones it becomes exhausting to slog through the whole discussion since they repeat the same claims/counterclaims, attacks and defenses over and over again.

I recalled that Chris had valid answers in the Adobe forums, but I simply wasn't up to researching all the old postings.

Thank you for doing the research that I just didn't want to get sucked into.

For others still wanting more information. Christoph and others have posted links to some of the other discussions.

P.S. I started writing my first reply before your first reply came in. You obviously can type faster than I can.

Report · Jun 09, 2017

Chris Cox is much missed. He as an Adobe insider had a unique understanding of the inner workings of Photoshop at a level we end users cannot hope to emulate. He once took me to task for describing an issue with resizing an image leaving a transparent border as a bug by explaining in great detail and passion why it was a consequence of the mathematics of digital imaging. He seems to have left Adobe now, as his name no longer features on the splash screen, but whoever now employs him is lucky to have him. Best of luck Chris, if you happen to see this.

Report · Aug 17, 2017

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Terri+Stevens wrote
as his name no longer features on the splash screen

What? He's wiped out from the application's history? He didn't write that code after all?

marcinn, you and three others may be willing to pay - but the whole idea of Linux is to not pay for anything. That's probably half the reason it still exists, the other half is geeky stuff for people who like to get their hands dirty.

This is just statistics and large numbers. The user base isn't there, if it was, they'd do it. We all agree they're greedy, right?

Report · Aug 17, 2017

marcinn, you and three others may be willing to pay - but the whole idea of Linux is to not pay for anything.

This is the most common myth. The whole idea is about opened source, to get easy compiled version in any environment (as a solution for a distro fragmentation problem), to have possibility to fix things (a community work), and (the radical one) - to make software free (in terms of freedom, but not about the costs).

Yes, there are users who want the software to be free (in terms of cost), but they also exists in mac and win community. They're pirating the software, including an operating system.

The total number of CC subscriptions is now approaching 10 million. With about 50/50 market split Mac/Win, say 5 million. Of these, most of them use Photoshop in one configuration or other.
No, 1000 souls would not be enough.

So if a Linux market is currently about 1% of desktops and Adobe has 10M subscribers, we're talking about 100k potential Linux subscribers. Would be 100k enough, then?

Report · Aug 17, 2017

This is the most common myth. The whole idea is about opened source, to get easy compiled version in any environment (as a solution for a distro fragmentation problem), to have possibility to fix things (a community work), and (the radical one) - to make software free (in terms of freedom, but not about the costs).

But does this not also mean Adobe has effectively no single point of contact when it comes to crucial issues like implementation of Color Management in Linux?

Report · Aug 18, 2017

If you want to reduce contact points in general, I'd recommend Gnome Foundation (because they're working on a complete desktop stack, incl. color & displays management and apps distribution) or/and RedHat Inc (because they're responsile for solutions closer to the hardware, and they're authors of well known and popular distros - RedHat, CentOS and Fedora).

Report · Aug 18, 2017

I suspect that is inacceptable to Adobe and that for any OS for which they provide software they need to be able to communicate with one authority, not several.

And it seems like a serious issue to begin with if an OS lacks reliable Colour Management.

Report · Aug 18, 2017

I googled "Linux color management" and it's, well...work in progress, to put it nicely. A lot of duct tape and velcro. For an application like Photoshop it's an obvious non-starter. No wonder Chris Cox was less than enthusiastic.

The Linux community seems to need a reality check. Get your ducks in a row, then maybe.

Report · Aug 18, 2017

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse napisał(-a)
I googled "Linux color management" and it's, well...work in progress, to put it nicely. A lot of duct tape and velcro. For an application like Photoshop it's an obvious non-starter. No wonder Chris Cox was less than enthusiastic.

Could you tell what do you expect, please?

The Linux community seems to need a reality check. Get your ducks in a row, then maybe.

Could we stop arguing that way? Please do not mix unspecified "linux community" with those, who are really responsible for development of such important things.

There is nothing to do with Mr. X and Mr.Y who are developing some alternatives to the leading solutions (like alternative DEs). They have such possibility, so let's leave them alone. Nobody will kill the freedom of choices, but leaders are there now. Let's keep in touch with them.

In last years things were changed, really. Many things were organized and classic UNIX-way was abadoned for some big parts (like systemd, pulseaudio, growing wayland and binary app distribution using flatpak). The guys responsible for organizing such things are working in RedHat and for GnomeFoundation. That's why I've typed them as a good business partners.

Report · Aug 18, 2017

To be honest I do not understant why single contact point is a hard requirement. Does Adobe really need a one man with necktie to eat dinner with him? This will not solve color management issues, though.

And it seems like a serious issue to begin with if an OS lacks reliable Colour Management.

Could you elaborate this, please? Gnome Desktop has builtin color management. You can attach ICC profiles to selected displays. AFAIK you can also ask for such information (same as colormgr utility does). Can you tell what's missing, please?

Report · Aug 18, 2017

marcinn6827415 wrote
To be honest I do not understant why single contact point is a hard requirement. Does Adobe really need a one man with necktie to eat dinner with him? This will not solve color management issues, though.
And it seems like a serious issue to begin with if an OS lacks reliable Colour Management.
Could you elaborate this, please? Gnome Desktop has builtin color management. You can attach ICC profiles to selected displays. AFAIK you can also ask for such information (same as colormgr utility does). Can you tell what's missing, please?

Your argument is pointless. Photoshop will never be coded for Linux. That's just reality, and deep down, you know it. A quick Google reveals you have some useful alternatives like Gimp, which you don't even have to pay for. Heck you even have Krita which is a superb digital art application. Better than Photoshop in some respects. Otherwise, can you dual boot to Windows from a Linux computer?

5 Photoshop Alternatives You Can Run on Linux

Report · Aug 18, 2017

Trevor.Dennis napisał(-a)
Your argument is pointless. Photoshop will never be coded for Linux. That's just reality, and deep down, you know it. A quick Google reveals you have some useful alternatives like Gimp, which you don't even have to pay for. Heck you even have Krita which is a superb digital art application. Better than Photoshop in some respects. Otherwise, can you dual boot to Windows from a Linux computer?
5 Photoshop Alternatives You Can Run on Linux

Thanks, Trevor. I know these alternatives, that's why I've joined Adobe CC. I must work on other OS.

This is not about the money for software but work environment (I really feel good in Linux environment, because it's stable, reliable and gives extra possibilities like using better filesystems). Well, the money I really don't want to spend, is for overpriced mac hardware, but probably I'll do that. And now we're back in 2012 - "there is no Linux market" (because we must use something else).

Report · Aug 18, 2017

To be honest I do not understant why single contact point is a hard requirement. Does Adobe really need a one man with necktie to eat dinner with him? This will not solve color management issues, though.

Ties and dinner? How about certainty and reliability?

If »MacIntosh« or »Windows« make announcements, assurances, statements etc. about their API, hardware, etc. then Adobe needs to be able to rely on that being true for the respective OS to be able to allocate resources accordingly.

Even if the record may show a certain unreliability …

Could you elaborate this, please? Gnome Desktop has builtin color management. You can attach ICC profiles to selected displays. AFAIK you can also ask for such information (same as colormgr utility does). Can you tell what's missing, please?

No, I cannot and quite possibly I was commenting based on obsolete information, I am neither an Adobe employe, a programmer nor even a Linux user.

But when you say Gnome Desktop has Color Management would Linux users accept Adobe releasing a Linux Photoshop for Gnome Desktop exclusively?

Report · Aug 18, 2017

c.pfaffenbichler napisał(-a)
No, I cannot and quite possibly I was commenting based on obsolete information, I am neither an Adobe employe, a programmer nor even a Linux user.
But when you say Gnome Desktop has Color Management would Linux users accept Adobe releasing a Linux Photoshop for Gnome Desktop exclusively?

Gnome is a stack, but yes - I think that everyone will accept that. I believe that others, just in few days after releasing a PS based on Gnome stack, will make a "bridge" for their favourite DEs. Moreover, I think that release for just one distro like RedHat/CentOS would be enough.

As an example - EditShare supports officially only Mint and Ubuntu in specified versions, and their Lightworks works on many other distributions and many desktop environments. Same for Davinci Resolve, which is prepared for RH/Centos. That's not a problem, really.

Report · Aug 17, 2017

https://forums.adobe.com/people/D+Fosse wrote
https://forums.adobe.com/people/Terri+Stevens wrote
as his name no longer features on the splash screen
What? He's wiped out from the application's history? He didn't write that code after all?

Chris's work at Adobe seems to have ended June 2016. I wasn't aware of that.

He wrote major parts of Photoshop's core code - so it is strange if he is no longer mentioned as a coder in the info screen. I haven't checked yet.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-cox-3a21511

Why does not Adobe support their products for linux?

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